
Dmytro Rukin, CEO at LaFinteca: From Banks to Wallets. Are Apps the New Financial Home?
For decades, our relationship with money was shaped by traditional banking institutions—centralized entities that dictated how and when we managed our finances. Today, that model is being rapidly reshaped.
Digital wallets are not only gaining ground; they are rewriting the financial playbook with a model that is accessible, real-time, and deeply user-centric.
What began as a convenient alternative is becoming a structural preference. According to McKinsey (2023), over 55% of users in Latin America now use at least one digital wallet, with particularly strong adoption among younger users and entrepreneurs. This shift isn’t just driven by technology—it’s a new way of thinking about financial access: not as a privilege granted by institutions, but as an everyday tool within reach.
The most powerful solutions don’t replicate the bank—they replace it. Instead of simplifying outdated processes, they eliminate them. In this shift, user experience is no longer a differentiator—it’s the baseline. To earn trust, build loyalty, and become a true habit, digital tools must feel effortless.
In this context, Dima Rukin, CEO of LaFinteca, emphasizes that digitalization alone is not enough. For financial apps to truly replace banks, they must feel natural—so embedded in daily routines that they no longer seem like financial tools, but simply part of life.
This redefines how we design financial products. Finance becomes a creative exercise, with solutions tailored to real user needs—not legacy structures. Only then can an app become a true financial home.
Inclusion is evolving, too. It’s not just about expanding access, but about enabling everyone—regardless of education, location, or experience—to operate confidently. Removing technical language and rigid flows is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s an ethical imperative for building a truly inclusive system.
Add to that a major infrastructure shift: interoperability. New platforms allow money to move freely across borders. What used to be slow and expensive—like international transfers—is now instant, secure, and transparent. Digital ecosystems are not only facilitating transactions; they’re unlocking global commerce and mobility.
At LaFinteca, we believe the future of finance is shaped by the fusion of design, technology, and human insight. Each market demands local understanding, and every user deserves a personalized response. We’re not adapting the world to financial logic—we’re redesigning financial logic for the real world. The future of money isn’t a digital copy of the past. It’s a new architecture: faster, more human, and truly without borders.
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