As digital businesses increasingly launch internationally from day one, they expect financial infrastructure to support the speed and flexibility of their operations. Yet many continue to rely on fragmented systems that were designed for a different era of business. We spoke with fintech entrepreneur Serhii Zakharov about the challenges he observed while working with digital-first companies, what inspired him to build his business and why he believes financial infrastructure needs to evolve alongside the digital economy."Businesses were becoming global, but financial infrastructure wasn't."Q: What first made you realise there was a gap in the market?One thing became clear quite early: businesses were launching globally and operating in real time, but the financial infrastructure supporting them wasn't keeping pace.Working with digital-first companies, I repeatedly saw businesses relying on different providers for different financial services. Payments required one provider, currency exchange another, and international payouts often depended on yet another service. While each solution addressed a particular need, together they created unnecessary complexity.That observation made me question whether businesses really needed more financial products, or whether they needed financial infrastructure designed around the way they actually operate."Fragmentation creates costs that aren't always visible."Q: Why do you believe fragmented financial infrastructure is such a challenge?The biggest challenge isn't necessarily the individual financial services—it's the way they're disconnected.As businesses grow, teams spend increasing amounts of time managing integrations, reconciling transactions across multiple platforms and maintaining relationships with different providers. Entering new markets can also mean rebuilding financial processes because the underlying infrastructure wasn't designed for businesses operating internationally from the outset.To me, this wasn't simply an operational inconvenience. It highlighted a broader infrastructure challenge affecting many digital businesses."The goal wasn't another product—it was a different approach."Q: How did those observations shape your approach as a founder?Rather than focusing on solving one financial problem at a time, I became interested in whether businesses could manage a broader range of financial operations through a more connected environment.That thinking shaped the business I went on to build. The objective wasn't simply to introduce another financial service, but to explore whether bringing together commonly used financial functions could reduce operational complexity for growing businesses.I've always believed financial infrastructure should adapt to the way businesses operate, rather than expecting businesses to adapt to fragmented systems."Businesses increasingly expect connected systems."Q: Your article draws parallels with broader technology trends. How do you see financial services evolving?Across technology, we're seeing a move towards integrated systems rather than isolated tools. Developments in artificial intelligence have accelerated expectations around automation, efficiency and connectivity, and I think those expectations increasingly apply to financial services as well.Businesses no longer want disconnected processes. They expect systems that work together and allow them to focus on growing their business rather than managing operational complexity.I believe financial infrastructure will continue moving in that direction over the coming years."The role of financial providers is changing."Q: What does that mean for businesses expanding internationally?International businesses often find themselves managing multiple banking relationships and financial providers simply to support their day-to-day operations.As companies become more global from an earlier stage, I think they'll increasingly look for financial partners that help simplify those operations rather than adding further complexity. The conversation is gradually shifting away from individual products and towards the overall experience of managing financial operations across different markets."I've always been interested in solving infrastructure challenges."Q: Looking back, what has remained constant throughout your journey as a founder?My focus has always been on understanding the operational challenges businesses face as they grow internationally.From the beginning, I believed digital businesses needed more than access to individual financial services. They needed financial infrastructure that reflected the way modern companies operate.Technology will continue to evolve, and so will the expectations placed on financial providers. I think the long-term opportunity lies in reducing complexity and building systems that allow businesses to focus less on administration and more on innovation, growth and serving their clients. Serhii ZakharovFounder & CEO PayDoYes