Fintech industry in Ukraine: problems and prospects for the implementation of innovative solutions

Abstract

The article considers the issues of development of the financial technology market, its opportunities and obstacles, as well as the need and inevitability of the introduction of fintech solutions in the financial and credit spheres. The main purpose of the research is to determine the role of fintech services in the state economy, the prospects for their development, as well as to substantiate the trends of adaptation of classical credit institutions and consumers of financial services to new financial technologies at different stages of their development. Systematization of literature sources and approaches to solving the problem of intensifying activities in the field of innovative finance has shown that fintech is a specific cross-sectoral industry, which lies on the border of financial and IT spheres, consists of companies that use technology to improve the efficiency of financial services and encompasses digital innovations and programs that facilitate the creation and implementation of financial products. The urgency of solving this scientific problem is that the market of financial technologies is one of the fastest growing. That is why it highlights the need for traditional financial institutions to digitize their activities through a radical change in the business model in order to strengthen competitive positions and provide strategic advantages. The research of the implementation of financial technologies in the article is carried out in the following logical sequence: systematization of stages of development of the fintech industry; assessment of the development of the fintech sphere in Ukraine in the context of the transition to the stage of integration with the banking system; study of the strengths and weaknesses of domestic banks and fintech companies, outlining obstacles and necessary changes for further digitization of the financial and credit system; research of the process of implementation of fintech services on the example of the technology life cycle model; assessment of the relationship between the level of financial and digital literacy of the population and the depth of promotion of innovative fintech products; identifying ways to increase the financial and digital inclusion of the population of Ukraine. Methods of the empirical, experimental and theoretical levels became the methodological tools of the conducted research. The results were evaluated and analyzed on the basis of surveys conducted in 2017-2019 by the Ukrainian Association of Fintech and Innovative Companies, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, the Ukrainian division of the British audit and consulting company Ernst & Young, and the US Agency for International Development. The article presents the results of an empirical analysis of the relations and interdependence of classical and innovative financial institutions, which showed the inevitability of the processes of digitization of financial services. The study empirically confirms and theoretically proves that the favorable development of the fintech industry is based on the following: the level of public awareness in the field of finance and information technology; the level of innovative development of financial institutions and the degree of penetration of the fintech companies in the financial market of the country; completeness of the legal framework.