We’re excited to have the opportunity to speak with Maria Berdysheva, who has participated in developing finance products with millions of users worldwide. She is a young talent, an expert, and a future leader in the industry.
In this interview, Maria shares her insights on the current digital payments landscape and the latest technology trends shaping the future of fintech.
Let’s start with the technology trends in fintech. What are your thoughts on current trends in development, such as microservices?
“Well, trends constantly change. Indeed, a few years ago, the dominant trend was microservices. This trend is starting to fade as many development teams in fintech realize that the more microservices you have, the harder they are to manage and maintain. I mean technical stack, versions, and so on.
In most cases, it has led to a technological “zoo,” where many microservices become outdated or haven’t updated to the latest versions of plugins and infrastructure scripts for a long time. Plus, even small changes often require a lot of effort to implement across all microservices, making maintenance a real headache.
Not long ago, we all wanted to adopt microservices to break free from monolithic architectures. But now, many development teams are turning to monorepos, which let them maintain multiple microservices together in one project, keeping things more uniform. Moreover, some teams are even returning to monoliths, realizing they can scale monoliths effectively by only separating the parts that truly need it.”
Do you believe the trend toward cloud infrastructure remains strong?
“Recently, it’s been common to hear things like, “Let’s not maintain our own Kubernetes cluster; let’s move it to the cloud instead.” And this was the real trend — even large fintech companies, including big banks, tried to migrate to the cloud, thinking it would be cheaper.
Well, it might be more cost-effective in some cases. However, clouds come with their own challenges and technical limitations. For example, for operations that require high performance, having on-premise virtual machines and disks can be a more stable and predictable solution.
Working with clouds requires deep expertise, and it’s not guaranteed to be cheaper in the long run. Despite this, the cloud remains a quick way to launch startups and smaller projects.”
And what about another recent trend — AI? What are your thoughts on its role in financial services?
“I would say that generative AI models like ChatGPT have a specific purpose. They process input data and generate output, often text or audio, similar to something a human can say. Therefore, various chatbots use this technology.
For example, when you call a support line, the first point of contact is usually an AI assistant, which filters and addresses 95% of simple queries. It helps to reduce support costs across many industries, not only fintech or banks.
So, while fintech can ride this wave along with everyone else, it doesn’t fundamentally change the landscape. Also, we haven’t seen large players like Visa or Mastercard announce AI-focused projects.”
What do you think about security in the context of payments? Is it possible to make payments completely secure nowadays?
“Payment security is a top priority in finance. Unfortunately, in the context of payment security, changes happen very slowly. Also, there’s no single solution that guarantees complete security.
The challenge is that when you make a system more secure, it often becomes less user-friendly. For example, some banks track geolocation and might block transactions if a cardholder’s location changes suddenly. Some also set strict payment limits to reduce potential losses. All these limitations often create inconveniences for users. For example, someone might have trouble while traveling in another country.
It’s hard to say, but users’ financial security depends on themselves. There are some recommendations I can give to everyone.
Always enable 2FA to secure your accounts. Using 2FA, especially with a method other than SMS, can help prevent unauthorized access to your accounts.
Avoid large sums of money in card accounts. It’s safer to keep the minimum on your card’s account and top it up from other accounts if needed. Also, don’t use your “primary” cards for online payments because some merchants may have weak security. There are cases when scammers can steal card data because of merchants’ vulnerabilities. Use virtual cards for online payments and regularly rotate them.”
In your opinion, will cryptocurrencies become as popular as traditional fiat currencies?
“The short answer is yes. I think, eventually, cryptocurrencies will become as common as fiat currencies. It seems that governments are starting to take an interest in cryptocurrency, trying to control crypto payments and looking for ways to use blockchain technology for their purposes.
In the past, you could make payments in cryptocurrency without providing any personal information — no name or date of birth, nothing. But now, regulatory requirements are becoming stricter. On one hand, crypto payments are becoming more legitimate. But on the other hand, this brings them closer to traditional payment methods, with their pros and cons.
A few years ago, many people believed that a decent person had no reason to use cryptocurrency, as it was often associated with illegal commerce and avoiding taxes. This misconception has almost been cleared up, in my opinion.”
In conclusion, could you share your thoughts on the future of financial services and products?
“I do not doubt that, in the future, we will have even more various wallets (including crypto wallets), which are already driving progress in fintech. They might have limited functionality, but they focus on what users need most. Usability is the main factor that determines the success of such solutions.
Also, I expect cryptocurrency payments to become more common in e-commerce, starting with luxury items. Better security and regulations will make users and merchants more comfortable using cryptocurrencies. Over time, this could make them a regular option for everyday purchases.”
