Human capital in the financial sector and corporate debt maturity

Abstract This study examines how human capital in the financial sector affects corporate debt maturity. To illustrate the mechanisms underlying the effects, we propose a theoretical framework that highlights the effects of human capital in the financial sector on mitigating the information asymmetry between financial intermediaries, households, and firms. Using the Chinese National Economic Census in 2008 and the Industrial Enterprises Database over 2011–2013, we find that the financial sector's human capital plays a significant and positive (negative) role in short-term (long-term) debt and this effect is more pronounced for firms with greater information asymmetry. Further analyses demonstrate that the baseline findings are consistent with the credit supply hypothesis. Our study indicates that human capital in the financial sector strengthens its renegotiation capacity for corporate borrowing, which is consistent with China's financial repression policy and leads to increased exposure of firms to credit and liquidity risks.