This paper is intended to investigate the role of Venture-Capital Syndication (VCS) background in the relationship between intellectual capital (IC) and portfolio firm performance (PFP); specifically, this article examines the moderating effect of VCS’s leading firm background and member heterogeneity on the effect of IC on PFP. This study used a modified VAIC model to measure IC to compose a 4-component variable including human capital, structural capital, relational capital, and innovation capital. The data were collected from VCS-backed and listed firms in China during 2014 to 2018 applying the pooled OLS model for hypotheses test, Generalized Method of Moments (GMMs) to reduce endogeneity and unobserved factor control, and also return on equity (ROE) instead of ROA for the robustness test. Empirical results showed that IC and its components can improve PFP for VCS-backed firms in China; in detail, IC showed greater impact on performance of firms invested by foreign lead investors than in private or government VCS, specially reflected in the impact of innovation capital on PFP. Furthermore, IC showed weaker impact on PFP of mixed VCS-backed firms compared to pure VCS-backed firms and showed diminished effect on higher VCS member heterogeneity mainly reflected in the impact of relational capital on firm performance. These findings propose a new way of combining IC and VC to improve firm performance and are beneficial to theoretical development of IC and VC as well as a perspective for VC firm managers to choose suitable partners prior to join a VCS.

Based on the urgent need of the real economy to “get away from fictitious to substantial”, this paper constructs a quasi-natural experiment based on the margin trading program gradually implemented in China in 2010 and studies the influence of the margin trading program on the financialization level of the target company by using the difference-in-difference method. The results show that, because of the dominant role of financing transactions in margin trading programs in China’s capital market, financing transactions drive up the share prices of listed companies, which leads to an excessive easing of the financing constraints of listed companies and short-sighted behavior of executives, which has a significant role in promoting enterprise financialization. Moreover, the driving effect is more significant in state-owned enterprises, enterprises with a high degree of financing constraint, and enterprises with a low degree of marketization. Economic policy uncertainty will restrain the positive effect of margin trading programs on enterprise financialization through information and governance mechanisms. In contrast, the “branding” effect caused by the financial connection of senior executives will intensify the positive relationship between margin trading programs on enterprise financialization levels. When considering the intermediary effect, we find that the margin trading program will result in the optimistic deviation of analysts’ earnings forecasts and cause the external profit pressure of enterprises, thus increasing the financialization trend. This study is of great theoretical significance and practical value for evaluating the policy effect of the margin trading program, improving this policy, investigating the influencing factors of enterprise financialization, and promoting the real economy to move from fictitious to substantial.

Given the rapid development of financial technology, the off-balance-sheet business innovations of banks may potentially impact bank risk-taking. This issue is of great importance to commercial banks and financial regulators. This paper analyzed the relationship between off-balance-sheet business innovation (OBI) and Bank Risk-Taking (BRT) in Chinese commercial banks, as well as the mediation role of the Bank Agency Cost (BAC), the impact of a bank’s Internal Control Quality (ICQ) on this relationship, and the moderating role of Bank Competition (BCMP) by analyzing panel data from a sample of 130 Chinese commercial banks from 2009 to 2019. The results of this empirical exercise showed that (1) OBI has a significant negative correlation with BRT, evidencing that off-balance-sheet business innovation can improve bank risk management processes and enhance the bank’s operating performance, thereby reducing their willingness to transfer risks, restraining the BRT level. Compared with state-owned and joint-stock banks, OBI has a more significant inhibitory effect on BRT in urban and rural commercial banks. (2) BAC showed a mediation role in the relationship between OBI and BRT levels. Bank OBI can inhibit BRT levels by BAC reduction, demonstrating an effective mediation channel. (3) The degree of BCMP displayed a positive moderation effect on the relationship between the explained and explanatory variables, which means that, at higher BCMP levels, the inhibitory effect of OBI on BRT levels becomes more significant. (4) Additionally, this exercise also found that a bank’s ICQ can enhance the impact of OBI on BRT. The research contributions of this paper constitute an important theoretical significance and reference value for researchers exploring mechanisms that can improve innovation in the commercial banking industry and give importance to financial supervision and financial system risk control.