Fintech Career Fair: A Look Back at the First Fintech Job Fair in Kyiv
26 March 2026 14:20On March 18, the Ukrainian Association of Fintech and Innovative Companies organized the first event to bring students and fintech companies together, titled the Fintech Career Fair, at the IQ Business Center in Kyiv.
UA.NEWS spoke with the organizers, students, and employers.
The idea behind the event was to address the talent shortage in the Ukrainian labor market. According to Rostyslav Dyuk, chairman of the board of the Ukrainian Association of Fintech and Innovative Companies (UAFIC), the association has been the leading trendsetter of the fintech movement in Ukraine for over eight years. However, the issue of training new talent has now become critical for the industry’s further development
“Today we are facing a major problem: companies are in desperate need of staff, while students often don’t know where to go to work. We decided to act as a bridge between these two worlds. Since we actively collaborate with universities, give lectures, and are well aware of the ‘pain points’ of Ukrainian fintech companies, the idea to create this job fair was born. Businesses lack qualified employees who are passionate about developing Ukrainian fintech, and we gave them the opportunity to meet,” noted Rostislav Dyuk.
According to the organizers, the event attracted interest from both students and the professional community. iPay.ua, Done, Sense Bank, Arsenal Insurance, CreditWest Bank, as well as Pay.Force, Activitis Education, Tranzzo, Identomat, Shvidko Hroshi, and the Deposit Guarantee Fund for Individuals presented their job openings at the event. The visitors came from beyond Kyiv. In addition to students from the capital’s universities (Kyiv National University, Kyiv National Economic University, Kyiv Polytechnic Institute), the fair was attended by guests from Irpin and active young people from Sumy.
What offers did companies bring to the Fintech Career Fair
iPay.ua
iPay.ua has been in the market for 17 years. They taught Ukrainians how to transfer money from card to card. The company attended the event to find new talent. As iPay representative Natalia explains, there is no ageism in the company, and they are specifically targeting students:
“We’re here because we genuinely love young people. Today, we have a perfect match, as we have many openings specifically in the financial sector.”
iPay.ua is ready to train newcomers from scratch, especially for the position of financial analyst. The main requirements for candidates are logical thinking, the ability to work with complex formulas in Excel, and successful completion of a test assignment.
“We have a great example of a specialist who joined us as a financial analyst and is now successfully advancing in Data Engineering within our IT department. We spot talent and give them room to grow,” notes Natalia.
The work format at the company varies. Employees can work remotely or follow a hybrid schedule. For the team in Kyiv, shared office days have been implemented, held every Tuesday and Thursday. This helps maintain a lively connection and facilitates communication over lunches, which are fully paid for by the company.
“As for salaries, we are market-oriented and in no way undervalue students’ work. If a person delivers results, they should receive fair compensation. Salary reviews also take place every six months or a year.
In terms of specific figures, the starting salary for a full-time financial analyst position is $600–700. A part-time option is also available, where the schedule and pay are discussed individually, depending on how many hours the student can dedicate to work,” adds Natalia.
Sense Bank
Sense Bank came to the job fair with a firm stance: no unpaid internships. The bank is convinced that any work should be paid from day one. Yulia Brodetska, a recruiter at the head office, emphasized that the company is open to students from any academic year:
“You can start your career at the head office or as a universal manager at a branch (this is someone who advises the bank’s clients). There’s also a fully remote option—our contact center. I’d like to highlight the IT department separately: we’re open to considering students with specific programming skills. Our IT team works entirely remotely.”
The bank emphasizes that what matters most are the candidate’s soft skills and inner potential. They are looking for persistent and proactive individuals who are ready to learn quickly, grow within the organization, and become professionals alongside the team. Salaries are fully official. They consist of a base rate and bonuses, the amount of which depends on the specialist’s performance.
Sense Bank’s corporate culture includes supporting employees in difficult situations. The essence of this is that the bank matches the amount of charitable donations collected by colleagues. The bank also organizes free sports training sessions, educational lectures, and art therapy workshops for employees.
In addition, according to Yulia, Sense Bank offers extended vacation time:
“In addition to the standard 24 days, we add 4 more days from the bank and a day off on your birthday. That comes to a total of 29 days of vacation per year. We also provide health insurance after the probationary period.”
Why should a student choose Sense Bank? Yulia Brodetska explains that it is one of the country’s largest state-owned banks, where everything is official, transparent, and stable. The bank employs 4,000 people, so within such a large system, it’s easy to find an interesting field and quickly grow as a specialist.
Activitis Education
Activitis Education is the educational division of the fintech company Activitis, which has been developing integrated financial solutions for micro, small, and medium-sized businesses since 2013.
Activitis was the first in Ukraine to implement a B2B BNPL solution in the form of business installment plans through its own online services, eDilo and WEAGRO.
Anastasia Gryshak, Project Manager at Activitis Education, notes that the company actively invests in the development of young professionals and the cultivation of a new generation of fintech specialists:
“We operate at the intersection of finance and technology, so it’s important for us to attract young people who are eager to grow. We aim to ensure that students’ first professional experience serves as a strong start to their careers.”
Currently, Activitis is seeking specialists in accounting, risk management, financial analytics, and financial monitoring. At the same time, the key requirements remain analytical thinking, an understanding of financial processes, and a willingness to work in a technology-driven environment.
A distinctive feature of Activitis’ corporate culture is its focus on in-person interaction. The company deliberately chose to operate from an office in Kyiv, as it believes this model fosters faster team development, knowledge sharing, and effective collaboration.
“We build a strong team through live interaction. This allows us to make decisions faster, support one another, and move forward as a unified system,” adds Anastasia.
Activitis also offers competitive conditions for launching a career: modern technical equipment, corporate benefits, mentorship support, and involvement in real-world fintech projects. The company actively collaborates with international partners and financial institutions, shaping a modern financial ecosystem in Ukraine.
Done
The event was also attended by Done, a player in the import and trade market. Recruiter Daria says their secret to success is simple. She notes that the company invests resources in developing young professionals.
“We are looking for ambitious people who want to scale the business with us. It is important to us that a person is results-oriented, takes responsibility, and knows how to work in a team.”
The company is currently actively seeking financial assistants, treasurers, accountants, and logistics specialists. There are also open positions for lawyers, account managers, HR specialists, and system administrators.
Employees at Done work in the office. According to Daria, this is the fastest way for newcomers to adapt and learn from experienced colleagues. To make commuting convenient, the company has launched its own shuttle service from the “Olimpiiska,” “Palats Sportu,” and “Vokzalna” metro stations.
Daria also discusses the financial aspect for prospective employees:
“We consider each candidate individually, but the starting salary is $700 and up. This is a great opportunity for those who don’t have experience yet but want to build a career at a reliable company.”
Students’ Impressions of the Fintech Career Fair
For students dreaming of careers in finance or IT, this fair was their first attempt to find a job. They say that right now, gaining real-world experience and a strong entry on their resume is more important to them than immediately earning a huge salary.
18-year-old Yelyzaveta is a freshman at American University Kyiv. She says she came here for the opportunities. A company’s status or stability isn’t as important to her right now as the chance to prove herself:
“I’m considering any offer that resonates with me. Based on what the company can offer me, I’ll choose what I truly enjoy.
I was most interested in Activities Education. It was the last booth I visited. We’ve already exchanged contact information and are planning a joint event at our university.”
17-year-old Nelia is also a student at American University Kyiv. She says she came to the event to get to know new companies and wants to start building her career path:
“At this stage, I’m more interested in the experience I can gain. Salary is a matter for the future. Right now, the main thing is to acquire real skills.
I’ve only managed to visit three booths so far, so I haven’t formed a final opinion yet—I want to walk around and check out other options. But of the ones I’ve visited, I liked Activitis Education.”
Artem is a first-year student at KNEU. He says he came to the fair to get an inside look at the profession and talk to employers. He had previously tried learning programming, but finance turned out to be a better fit for him. Now he’s exploring opportunities in fintech.
Of all the participants, the company Done made the biggest impression on Artem. He was struck by their clear presentation and enthusiasm:
“They have a cool design, and you can tell right away that they want to work with students. As soon as we walked in, a girl came up to us and told us about all the opportunities. That helped us get into the swing of things right away.”
Rostislav Dyuk notes that it’s important for all students to attend such events, regardless of age:
“We’re holding this event in the spring for a reason. Right now, students are in the thick of their studies, but they’re already thinking about the end of the academic year. Seniors are writing their theses and looking for jobs, while underclassmen are seeking summer internships. Right now is the perfect time to make decisions about your future.”
The organizers plan to expand the event. If demand for such meetings remains high, they want to make the project a tradition for the entire Ukrainian fintech industry.
