PurposeIn a volatile and highly dynamic business environment, supply chain operations face various challenges. This study, grounded in dynamic capability theory (DCT), investigates how supply chain collaboration (SCC) and supply chain transparency (SCT) influence the relationship between supply chain finance (SCF) and supply chain resilience (SCR) in manufacturing firms. This demonstrates the intrinsic mechanism between SCF and SCR, which provides insights for relative research.Design/methodology/approachThe quantitative research approach was utilized. Employing data collected from 289 Chinese manufacturing firms, structural equation modeling is conducted to test the theoretical hypotheses.FindingsThe research findings have revealed that SCF has a positive impact on SCC and SCT and SCC has a positive impact on SCT. Moreover, both SCC and SCT can improve SCR, and SCT plays a positive mediating role between SCC and SCR.Practical implicationsThis study provides insightful ideas for managers in enhancing SCR by considering SCF. Moreover, this study highlights the concrete responses firms should do to improve SCC and SCT, thus managers can develop more effective strategies to optimize SCR.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the extant literature on improving SCR through SCF, considering the two dimensions of dynamic capability (i.e. SCC and SCT), which explains the intrinsic mechanisms by which SCF affects SCR. This study also broadens the scope of application of DCT.