The topic of asset tokenization and modular financial platforms has become oversimplified. Fintech entrepreneur Artem Lyashanov breaks down five common claims and explains what is true and what is exaggerated.
Myth 1: The digital transformation of banks and the fintech revolution are one and the same
Fact. According to Artem Lyashanov, updating a bank’s mobile application is a cosmetic change, not a transformation. The real gap between traditional finance and the new ecosystem occurs at the level of infrastructure layers.
Neobanks and fintech platforms are already taking market share precisely where large institutions are slowest to update their technological base due to the burden of outdated code.
Myth 2: Large banks simply lack the money to innovate
Fact. The problem is not in resources, but in architecture. Artem Lyashanov explains: supporting legacy systems eats up the budget that could go into development, and implementing changes in such systems is measured in months where the market expects hours.
Technical debt turns into a strategic risk regardless of the size of the company's balance sheet.
Myth 3: Tokenization of assets is only about cryptocurrencies
Fact. According to Artem Lyashanov, almost any asset can be tokenized: securities, real estate, works of art. This lowers the threshold for entry for investors and increases the liquidity of assets, and gives businesses faster access to capital without some of the paper procedures typical of traditional financing tools.
Artem Lyashanov adds that the programmability of tokenized assets opens up another level of change. Some transactions can be performed automatically, according to set rules, without manual intervention at each step. For businesses, this means not only faster access to capital, but also a potential reduction in operating costs for asset maintenance in the long term.
Myth 4: USDT and USDC are just two of many equal players
Fact. The stablecoin market is actually very concentrated. According to industry data from mid-2026, USDT and USDC together account for about 83% of the total stablecoin supply. Artem Lyashanov notes that this creates an additional challenge for banks: a significant part of the infrastructure role in the digital asset market has already passed to players outside the traditional banking sector.
Such concentration, according to Artem Lyashanov, also means additional systemic risk. A failure or regulatory restrictions directed against one of the two key players can significantly affect the liquidity of the entire digital payments market.
Myth 5: Tokenization in Ukraine is already a mass phenomenon
Fact. Here Artem Lyashanov emphasizes an important nuance. Tokenization as a mass phenomenon does not yet exist in Ukraine. It is more about fundamental technological readiness. Ukrainian fintech companies are more likely to build solutions directly on modern stacks, without the burden of legacy infrastructure, and this gives them an advantage in the speed of adaptation when the appropriate regulatory and market opportunity arises.
According to Artem Lyashanov, traditional banks still have room to maintain a significant role in the new ecosystem, in particular through participation in the settlement infrastructure, storage of clients' digital assets and issuance of their own tokenized deposits.
