• Trade and supply chain finance promote stability and resilience in supply chains by supporting working capital needs of buyers and suppliers. However, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) continue to struggle with access to financing.

• Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) targets and sustainability goals are not reachable without the participation of all supply chain participants. Deeper understanding of supply chains through greater visibility of participants, processes, and behaviors is imperative.

• Deep-tier supply chain finance (DTSCF) presents a compelling solution to fill the financing gap for SMEs, while penetration into the deeper tiers of global supply chains can assist in meeting ESG and sustainability goals.

• This paper presents the opportunities that DTSCF and its underlying technology can offer, a sample of models that have been successfully implemented, and the challenges and solutions to its global expansion. Legal systems need to be made more accepting of DTSCF and incentives offered to speed its take-up.