Can digital M&A reduce the stock price crash risk?

With the rapid development of the digital economy, digital mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have become essential means for enterprises to acquire digital technologies and accelerate their digital transformation. This paper examines the impact of digital M&A on stock price crash risk using a sample of M&A transactions of China A-share listed companies from 2010 to 2021. The results show that digital M&A can reduce stock price crash risk after M&A. Further discussions reveal that compared to non-digital M&A, digital M&A has a better market effect, and the target firms of digital M&A generally are in different industries from the acquirers, have relatively low registered capital, have a shorter registration time, and have better financial performance. Mechanism tests indicate that during the transaction, digital M&A increases the probability of signing earnout contracts and reduces the cash payment ratio. After the transaction, digital M&A increases research and development (R&D) investment and improves R&D investment efficiency, ultimately reducing stock price crash risk. Cross-sectional tests suggest that in situations with intense market competition, lower digitalization level of the acquirers, and higher business similarity between the acquirer and the target firm, digital M&A is more effective in reducing stock price crash risk. The findings enrich the research on the operational mechanisms and economic consequences of digital M&A, providing theoretical references for regulatory authorities to optimise M&A regulatory policies and for enterprises to assess the benefits and risks of digital M&A.