Reshaping global trade finance and supply chains through digital supply chain finance platforms

Abstract

This study examines the transformative impact of digital supply chain finance (SCF) platforms on buyer-supplier relationships, specifically focusing on their role in enhancing supply chain certainty and resilience. Adopting a multiple-case study design, the research investigates eight prominent digital SCF platforms through 34 in-depth interviews with practitioners and managers. The findings reveal how digital platforms facilitate supplier and buyer empowerment by fostering transparency, mitigating risk, and recalibrating traditional principal-agent dynamics. A systematic comparison between digital and conventional SCF platforms further underscores the distinctive capabilities of digital solutions in addressing contemporary supply chain vulnerabilities. The study advances the theoretical understanding of digital SCF by elucidating how technological affordances and innovative financing models contribute to the stability and adaptability of global supply chains. In doing so, it also provides practical implications for firms and policymakers seeking to leverage digital technologies to enhance supply chain robustness in an increasingly complex and uncertain trade environment.