PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to review recent advances in fine and ultra‐fine pitch wire bonding.Design/methodology/approachDozens of journal and conference articles published recently are reviewed.FindingsThe problems/challenges such as possible wire sweep and decreased bonding strength due to small wire sizes, non‐sticking, metal pad peeling, narrow process windows, wire open and short tail defects are analysed. The solutions to the problems and recent findings/developments in fine and ultra‐fine pitch wire bonding are discussed.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the page limitation, only brief discussions are given in this paper. Further reading is needed for more details.Originality/valueThis paper attempts to provide an introduction to recent developments and the trends in fine and ultra‐fine pitch wire bonding. With the references provided, readers may explore more deeply by reading the original articles.