Abstract: With the deep integration of digital technology and the financial industry,digital finance has emerged as a crucial engine driving rural industrial integration.Based on provincial panel data from 30 Chinese provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government) spanning 2014 to 2023,this study empirically examines the impact of digital finance on rural industrial integration.The findings reveal that:(1) Digital finance significantly promotes rural industrial integration in China,though this promotional effect exhibits regional heterogeneity,specifically manifesting as a stronger effect in regions with medium-level economic development than in both low-level and high-level economic development regions.(2) The mechanism lies in that digital finance drives rural industrial integration by enhancing new quality agricultural productivity.(3) In terms of spatial effects,digital finance exerts a significant positive impact on rural industrial integration in both local and neighboring regions.By uncovering the mechanisms and regional heterogeneity characteristics of digital finance in promoting China's rural industrial integration,this study not only enriches the scholarly literature on digital finance and rural industrial integration but also provides empirical support for policymakers seeking to innovate digital finance policies tailored to the developmental characteristics of new quality agricultural productivity.

Key words: digital finance, rural industrial integration, new quality agricultural productivity, regional heterogeneity