WAYS TO INCREASE THE INVESTMENT ACTIVITY OF SMALL AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES THROUGH DIGITAL PLATFORMS

Abstract

This article examines the organizational and economic aspects of increasing the investment activity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through digital platforms and modern financial technologies. The main focus is on reducing transaction costs for entrepreneurs in accessing financial resources, expanding opportunities to compare bank offers, introducing alternative scoring based on digital data, and simplifying the use of state support mechanisms. According to the results of systematic, comparative, and institutional analysis, integrating a digital financial platform with "Electronic Government" databases can reduce document flow in the lending process, decrease the influence of the human factor, and expand the ability to assess entrepreneurs without a credit history. The study proposes an original approach to assessing SME investment activity based on the chain "digital financial access – alternative scoring – financing – investment – business growth." Practical recommendations have also been developed for ensuring platform security, data protection, regional digital literacy, and the transparency of algorithmic assessment.