There is an urgent need for countries worldwide to promote the green transformation of their economies and reduce environmental pollution. Based on China’s Green Credit Guidelines policy in 2012 and the data of Chinese listed companies from 2007 to 2021, we conducted an empirical test using the difference-in-differences method. The results showed that green finance policies inhibit technological innovation in heavily polluting enterprises, and the stronger the enterprise’s operating capacity, the weaker this inhibiting effect. The study also shows that bank loan, loan term, corporate management motivation, and business confidence have intermediation effects. Therefore, countries should improve green financial policies and promote technological innovation in heavily polluting enterprises in order to reduce environmental pollution and promote green growth.

We investigate the impact of green credit policies on pollution-intensive enterprises from a new perspective. Empirically, we utilize the issuance of China’s green credit policy in 2012 to construct a quasi-natural experiment. The results show that green credit policies can significantly reduce the market value of pollution-intensive enterprises. Furthermore, our analysis of profitability and R&D investment shows that the decline in market value is driven by real financial deterioration rather than short-term investor reactions. The results indicate that green credit policies can effectively suppress pollution-intensive enterprises. Additionally, the results also suggest that China’s stock market reasonably prices environmental risks.