Andrii Semenog

FinTech startups and services are one of the most dynamic segments of the modern economy. New financial technologies have already attracted many investors and form millions of budgets. Changing the traditional financial services concept, FinTech companies formed a new niche within the financial services market, the dynamic development of which determines the relevance of the development and implementation of an effective regulatory and oversight system.
The purpose of the article is to develop an economic and mathematical model for forecasting the development of the FinTech market on the example of Ukraine. In order to study the development of the FinTech industry, a multiple regression model was presented. The model describes the dependence of the total investment value of FinTech from venture investments in financial technology, venture investments in other technologies and venture investments in online lending. Based on this model, the effect of attracting investments with new FinTech projects on the total volume of investments in the industry was clarified. According to the model, with a change in investments in FinTech by 1%, the total rate of venture investments decreases by 0.03, funds in new projects of other companies grow by 0.05, and venture investments in online lending increase by 0.89. According to the analysis of regulatory legislation in the foreign countries of the FinTech services sphere, it was found that the regulation of most of the risks associated with the development of FinTech services falls within the competence of different supervisory authorities, requiring cross-sectoral cooperation between public institutions.

Nowadays, there are many preconditions and circumstances for conducting shadow schemes in the financial market. Therefore, the level of risk of participation of bank and non-bank financial intermediaries in such schemes is assessed as high. The lack of a practical methodology for assessing the development trajectory of financial intermediaries raises the question of the need for preventive control and quality modeling of their growth dynamics. The study aims to identify and formalize the patterns of development paths of banking and non-banking financial intermediaries based on the Harrington desirability function, which will be used to identify risk patterns as indicative patterns of financial intermediaries’ participation in shadow schemes. The sample includes 13 banking institutions, 3 credit unions, 3 pawnshops, 3 insurance companies, and 3 financial companies. The obtained results showed the relationship between the financial intermediary risk level in terms of its participation in shadow schemes and the phases of the economic cycle as a catalyst for the economic dynamics of the formal and informal economy. Thus, in 2012–2015, most financial intermediaries were in the zone of most significant risk, especially banks, characterized by economic, social, and political instability. Today, banks are in the group with a controlled level of risk of participation in scheme operations. Over the years analyzed, a stable neutral level of risk of participation in shadow schemes was inherent in most non-bank financial institutions. They were less sensitive than banks to the phases of the economic cycle.

Acknowledgment
Alina Bukhtiarova and Yevgeniya Mordan gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (0120U100473, 0121U100469).

The deposit insurance market is an essential subsystem of Ukraine’s financial infrastructure. The study aims to evaluate the development of deposit insurance in Ukraine based on the depth of deposit insurance, the implementation of the deposit guarantee function, the activity of the banking system and to identify their impact on the development of deposit insurance at various stages.
To determine the periods of deposit insurance in Ukraine, it was proposed to use the methodological toolkit of cluster analysis, having carried out the following stages: selecting input-defining features, variable standardization, applying the Ward procedure for the formation of clusters-periods, and financial and analytical interpretation of the results and characteristics of the periods obtained. Approbation of the proposed scientific and systematic approach allowed drawing conclusions regarding four stages of the development of deposit insurance in Ukraine from 2005–2020: completion of the formation (2005–2007), formedness and activity (2008–2013), performance under pressure (2014–2016), stabilization (2017–2020). While the first two stages, completion of formation and formedness and activity, were followed by a synchronous and slight increase in the level of the depth of the insurance system, the implementation of the deposit guarantee function and the activity of the banking system, the period of performance under pressure and the stabilization period demonstrated a desynchronization between the components.
The completion of the formation of deposit insurance (2005−2007) was followed by a synchronous and slight increase in the level of the depth of the insurance system, the implementation of the deposit guarantee function and the activity of the banking system.

Acknowledgment
Alina Bukhtiarova gratefully acknowledges financial support from the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine (0120U100473).
We are thankful to the Czech government support provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, which allowed this scientific cooperation to start within the project “Enhancement of the PhD Students Potential For Qualitative Research In Ukraine”.

The transformation processes taking place in the global economy and the expansion of global business ties increase the overall vulnerability of the international banking system. One of the problems related to money laundering is the process of evaluating the efficiency of financial monitoring measures. The article discusses the issues of assessing the effectiveness of financial monitoring in the banking system of the country. For Ukraine, this problem is especially relevant, because there is a bank-centric model of the financial market (about 90% of assets go through the banking system) in the country. According to official data, 50% of economic activity in Ukraine ends with money laundering. The article presents the improved method that quantifies the level of financial monitoring system effectiveness at commercial banks of Ukraine based on calculations of the integral index. The index indicates the dynamics of the financial system protection degree from the money laundering threat based on the expediency and efficiency of financial monitoring in the banking system. As a result, more comprehensive conclusions about the level of financial security of the country are made. According to assessments, in 2017–2018 the efficiency of financial monitoring of the banking system of Ukraine was at the middle level (about 64%). The proposed method can be applied to evaluate the effectiveness of the financial monitoring system in any country and become the basis for improving the anti-money laundering system through the banking system.

Acknowledgment
The study was conducted as part of state budget research of Sumy State University – Formation of a Public Finance Transparency System as a Prerequisite for Combating Corruption in Ukraine (0118U003585) (in the context of evaluating the effectiveness of financial monitoring of the Ukrainian banking system) and Formation of Tools for the Ukrainian Economy Unshadowing Based on Causal Modeling of Interaction Trajectories of Financial Intermediaries (0120U100473) (in the context of substantiating the need and directions for improving the financial monitoring system in Ukrainian banks).

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
Digital technologies have become a key driver of economic growth, competitiveness, and social inclusion, while significant disparities in digital development persist across national economies. The aim of this study is to map and interpret the trajectories of digital transformation in 30 selected European countries (EU member states, associated economies, and Ukraine) during 2011–2022. The study employs the self-organizing map (SOM) with Ward hierarchical clustering to uncover latent structures of digital development, using a balanced panel of 20 indicators across three domains: ICT sector development, digital infrastructure, and digital technology adoption and skills. Cluster validity was assessed via the Elbow Method, Silhouette Coefficient, Calinski-Harabasz, and Davies-Bouldin indices. Results indicate that the two-cluster solution is statistically robust, while the three-cluster solution provides additional insight into transitional patterns of digital transformation. The two-cluster solution revealed a clear distinction between digital leaders and less advanced economies, with the greatest disparities observed in online banking (71% vs. 29%), online purchases (68% vs. 32%), and e-government use (68% vs. 34%). The three-cluster solution provided further nuance, showing that in 2011 most European economies were concentrated in the weakest cluster, while only Northern Europe achieved high levels of digitalization. By 2020, all European countries had reached at least the middle cluster, reflecting a shift from strong polarization toward a more balanced distribution of digital development. Despite progress, structural gaps remain, emphasizing the need for policies that advance digital skills, encourage inclusive adoption, and build trust in online services to sustain digital transformation.

Acknowledgment
The authors acknowledge with gratitude the financial support provided by the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine for the research project “Cybersecurity and digital transformations of the country’s wartime economy: the fight against cybercrime, corruption and the shadow sector”, state registration number 0124U000544).