Fintech is entering a new stage of development — one defined not just by speed and convenience, but by responsibility, transparency, and purpose. The era when innovation was measured solely by efficiency is giving way to a model where trust, ethics, and long-term value take center stage.
This shift is no longer optional. Regulators are tightening ESG disclosure requirements, investors are rethinking how they evaluate performance, and users expect financial technologies to contribute meaningfully to social and environmental goals. In Europe, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD), which came into effect in 2025, requires thousands of companies to disclose environmental and social data — making fintech a cornerstone of trust and standardized reporting, according to the European Commission.
Financial platforms are evolving into bridges that connect business, society, and government. Artificial intelligence and big data are unlocking new frontiers for transparency and accountability, while national digital initiatives are embedding sustainability into their core design. Yet, the industry faces new challenges — from the risk of greenwashing to the delicate balance between innovation and responsibility.
We explore this future with Olesya Dobryakhina, PhD — an expert at the intersection of academia and industry, who develops methodologies for digitalization and innovation risk management in megaprojects, and applies them in fintech by leading major national platforms.
Which innovations in financial technology are already helping companies become more transparent and responsible?
A new generation of financial technologies is reshaping how businesses demonstrate accountability and sustainability. Among the most impactful innovations are ESG analytics, which allow companies to quantify environmental and social risks; blockchain-based supply chain tracking, ensuring traceability and authenticity; and “green” ratings that benchmark corporate sustainability performance. Platforms such as Refinitiv ESG provide investors with access to over 500 sustainability metrics for thousands of companies worldwide, helping them objectively assess non-financial risks.
Another rapidly growing area is transaction-level carbon footprint tracking, enabling both companies and consumers to understand the real impact of their financial activities. For example, the Doconomy app calculates the carbon footprint of each purchase, while GreenFi links users’ spending to verified environmental initiatives such as tree planting.
Major financial platforms are now embedding these tools directly into their ecosystems, creating integrated sustainability layers that combine financial data with environmental insights, offering investors visibility into how sustainable specific portfolios or products truly are. Traditional banks, too, are re-evaluating their asset structures through the ESG lens. An example is Mastercard’s collaboration with fintech startups that offers users the ability to analyze the carbon footprint of their spending. Moreover, banks such as HSBC and BNP Paribas are reviewing their asset portfolios in light of ESG criteria, reducing their investments in carbon-intensive industries.
The result is a financial landscape that is becoming not only more transparent, but also more accountable, data-driven, and aligned with long-term value creation and public trust.
How can artificial intelligence and big data enhance trust in financial services and strengthen their social value?
Artificial intelligence and big data are redefining what fairness and accountability mean in finance. Modern AI systems are increasingly capable of detecting risks with greater precision — and, crucially, identifying bias in lending decisions. By eliminating discriminatory patterns, they help make access to finance more inclusive and equitable. For instance, when Lloyds Banking Group implemented an AI-based mortgage assessment system, it uncovered hidden bias in loan rejections among minority ethnic customers and revised its approval criteria — making the process fairer and more transparent.
At the same time, AI-driven security tools are transforming the fight against fraud and financial crime, safeguarding both institutions and consumers. Beyond risk management, these technologies are also becoming vital instruments for ESG compliance: AI can automatically track adherence to sustainability standards, while big data enables real-time validation of “green” initiatives.
The result is a new model of trust, where technology strengthens not just efficiency but also ethics, transparency, and social value across the financial ecosystem.
What are the specifics of embedding sustainability principles into national digital platforms that serve tens of millions of users?
Integrating responsible innovation into large-scale digital ecosystems has become primarily a matter of governance and strategy, rather than design. At such scale, decisions about data ethics, infrastructure, and accountability frameworks determine how technology serves society. When platforms reach tens of millions of users, their scale and diversity demand not only flexibility, accountability, and a clear set of guiding principles, but also transparent oversight mechanisms that ensure these principles are applied consistently.
Sustainability must be built into the logic of data management, algorithmic transparency, and user experience — ensuring that ethical and environmental priorities are part of everyday interactions, not just policy declarations.
Equally important is the human dimension of digital inclusion. Universal, accessible interfaces must consider differences in age, income, and digital literacy. National platforms that achieve this will not only streamline financial interactions but also help citizens make informed, sustainable financial choices — turning digital participation into a driver of long-term resilience.
Which business models do you consider most viable in the long term — balancing both profitability and social impact?
The most sustainable business models are those based on the “shared value” approach, where profit generation and social benefit reinforce one another. As Michael Porter and Mark Kramer argued in their work on shared value, companies that address societal challenges through their core operations don’t just improve reputation — they create new markets, reduce systemic risks, and build durable competitiveness.
In fintech, this translates into platforms that combine financial innovation with measurable social outcomes: microfinance ecosystems that empower small entrepreneurs, digital banks promoting financial inclusion, and investment platforms financing clean technologies. Such companies deliver strong financial performance while building user trust and attracting capital that values accountability and transparency.
In today’s market, where ESG compliance is becoming the new baseline, the shared value approach is not philanthropy — it is strategy. The companies that embrace this principle today will shape the financial landscape of tomorrow.
What barriers most often hinder the integration of new standards into large-scale digital projects?
One of the key obstacles remains technological legacy — outdated IT systems that are difficult to adapt to new requirements of sustainability and transparency. Added to this is a lack of in-house ESG expertise, fragmented standards, and fears that implementing new practices will drive up costs — all of which explain why even large-scale digital projects often progress slowly in this area.
Yet the deeper issue lies in how sustainability is perceived — as external pressure rather than a strategic resource. As long as ESG is seen merely as a compliance exercise for regulators, rather than an integral part of the business model, companies miss the opportunity to turn it into a long-term advantage.
Sustainability should not be treated as an afterthought or an add-on — it must be embedded in the product architecture and user experience. When ESG principles become part of a platform’s underlying logic rather than a reporting requirement, digital transformation ceases to be a cost and becomes a source of efficiency, trust, and competitive strength.
What role do regulators play in this process: do they create pressure, or do they stimulate innovation?
Regulators today play a dual and increasingly strategic role, making them one of the key driving forces behind the transformation of the financial industry. On one hand, they act as catalysts for innovation, creating regulatory sandboxes where fintech companies can safely test new products and sustainable finance models. These initiatives allow markets to evolve faster, helping businesses experiment with new ideas without the fear of breaching compliance rules.
On the other hand, regulators are the architects of trust frameworks — setting standards for reporting, ESG disclosure, and risk management that make the market more transparent and fair for all participants.
True effectiveness emerges at the intersection of these two roles. When supervision is combined with partnership and control is balanced by support, regulators cease to be a barrier and become a driver of innovation. This balance ultimately defines how fast sustainability moves from a slogan to an operational norm across the financial sector.
What risks are associated with “green” fintech — and how will the industry evolve once sustainability becomes a built-in norm?
As green fintech continues to grow, new systemic risks emerge alongside its opportunities. The most significant among them are data reliability, greenwashing, and digital inequality. In the race to appear sustainable, some companies rely on unverified or inconsistent ESG data, blurring the line between genuine impact and marketing. Without transparent verification mechanisms, green finance risks losing trust before it fully establishes a sustainable ecosystem.
At the same time, digital inequality threatens to divide users: those with access to technology benefit from sustainable financial tools, while others remain excluded from the system. True sustainability must therefore be inclusive — embedded within the architecture of national digital infrastructures, not added as an afterthought.
To address these challenges, many countries are developing national trust frameworks: unified ESG data verification standards, sustainable digital identity systems, and transparent validation platforms for environmental and social indicators.
Fintech is now entering an era of evidence-based sustainability. The priority is no longer to claim ESG alignment but to demonstrate it through verifiable data and measurable results. In this new environment, credibility becomes currency — and companies that can prove their commitments will earn trust and capital, while those that cannot will fade from relevance.
