While various forms of supply chain financing have been around for centuries, the use of networked platforms is a much more recent trend that enables dramatic reductions in the cost of capital compared with traditional approaches, according to the third installment on supply chain finance by ChainLink Research. In the article, analyst Bill McBeath is not talking about supply chain financial service providers generically (e.g. commercial banks, trade insurers, credit agencies, etc.), which are numerous. He focuses on those that provide supply chain finance networked platforms-i.e. financing services based on a platform that connects a network of the players, usually including buyers, sellers, funders/banks; and sometimes also including credit insurers, inspection firms, and others.
