EMPLOYING AI TO IMPROVE SUSTAINABLE GROWTH INDICATORS IN FINTECH PLATFORMS: ZEST-AI

Anis Aiech, Abdelkader Salhi

Abstract


With the rapid spread of advanced digital technologies in financial services, this study examines how artificial intelligence can improve the effectiveness of sustainable‑growth indicators on FinTech platforms, treating these indicators as strategic levers for operational efficiency and service quality. The American AI platform Zest‑AI is used as a case study because of its success in developing AI‑based credit‑assessment solutions that expand customer reach and accelerate lending decisions at banks and financial institutions. The study finds that integrating generative AI, machine learning, and deep learning into digital financial platforms enables the creation of intelligent lending models that strengthen the financing capacity of banking and financial institutions. Results from the Sustainable Growth Index show that the Zest‑AI platform attains a very high level of sustainable growth, indicating economic efficiency, promotion of social equity, and an orientation toward environmentally conscious digitalization. This performance is classified as a high degree of sustainability maturity.

Keywords


artificial intelligence; technology transfer; sustainable growth; sustainability; financial services;

Full Text:

PDF

References


Abdikerimova, S., & Feng, R. (2021). Peer to peer multi risk insurance and mutual aid. European Journal of Operational Research, 299(2), 735–749. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2021.09.017

agn International. (2024, October 8). Navigating growth – Strategies for sustainable growth. agn International. Retrieved November 14, 2025, from https://agn.org/insight/navigating-growth-strategies-for-sustainable-growth/ (agn.org in Bing)

Arner, D., Barberis, J., & Buckley, R. (2015). The evolution of fintech: A new post crisis paradigm? University of Hong Kong. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40804-020-00183-y

Arner, D., Buckley, R., Zetzsche, D., & Veidt, R. (2020). Sustainability, fintech and financial inclusion. European Business Organization Law Review, 21(1), 7–35. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3387359

Badmus, O., Rajput, SA., Arogundade, JB., & Mosope Williams, M. (2024). AI-driven business analytics and decision making. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 24(01), 616-633. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2024.24.1.3093

Basel Committee on Banking Supervision. (2018). Implications of developments in financial technology for banks and banking supervisory authorities. Bank for International Settlements. URL (BIS): https://www.bis.org/bcbs/publ/d431.pdf (bis.org in Bing)

Berg, T., Burg, V., Gombović, A., & Puri, M. (2020). On the rise of fintechs: Credit scoring using digital footprints. The Review of Financial Studies, 33(7), 2846–2850. https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/hhz099

bigmedia. (2024, September 10). L’intelligence artificielle au service de la banque et de la finance [Artificial intelligence in the service of banking and finance]. bigmedia. Retrieved November 13, 2025, from https://bigmedia.bpifrance.fr/nos-dossiers/lintelligence-artificielle-au-service-de-la-banque-et-de-la-finance

Bussmann, N., Giudici, P., Marinelli, D., & Papenbrock, J. (2020). Explainable machine learning in credit risk management. Computational Economics, 57(1), 203–216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10614-020-10042-0

Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures. (2020). Payment aspects of financial inclusion in the fintech era (CPMI Paper No. D191). Bank for International Settlements. https://www.bis.org/cpmi/publ/d191.pdf

Croxson, K., Frost, J., Gambacorta, L., & Valletti, T. (2022). Platform based business models and financial inclusion. Bank for International Settlements. URL (BIS Working Paper No. 986): https://www.bis.org/publ/work986.pdf (bis.org in Bing)

Dash, R., Kremer, A., & Petrov, A. (2021, December 2). Designing next generation credit decisioning models. McKinsey & Company. Retrieved November 13, 2025, from https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/risk-and-resilience/our-insights/designing-next-generation-credit-decisioning-models

Gai, K., Qiu, M., & Sun, X. (2018). A survey on fintech. Journal of Network and Computer Applications, 103, 262–273. https:doi.org/10.1016/j.jnca.2017.10.011

Gautam, D. (2019). Do remittances promote financial inclusion? Springer Nature (Cham). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-21264-6_6 (doi.org in Bing)

Gomber, P., Koch, J. A., & Siering, M. (2017). Digital finance and fintech: Current research and future research directions. Journal of Business Economics, 87, 537–580. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11573-017-0852-x

Higgins, R. (1977). How much growth can a firm afford? Financial Management, 6(3), 7–17. https://doi.org/10.2307/3665251

Hurst, S. (2019, October 21). ZestFinance rebrands: AI software for credit provider now named Zest AI. Crowdfund Insider. Retrieved November 14, 2025, from https://www.crowdfundinsider.com/2019/10/153123-zestfinance-rebrands-ai-software-for-credit-provider-now-named-zest-ai/

Kou, G., & Lu, Y. (2025). FinTech: A literature review of emerging financial technologies and applications. Financial Innovation, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40854-024-00668-6 (doi.org in Bing)

Lee, D. K., Guan, C., Yu, Y., & Ding, Q. (2024). A comprehensive review of generative AI in finance. FinTech, 3(3), 460–478. https://doi.org/10.3390/fintech3030025 (doi.org in Bing)

Lessmann, S., Baesens, B., Seo, H. V., & Thomas, L. C. (2015). Benchmarking state of the art classification algorithms for credit scoring: An update of research. European Journal of Operational Research, 247(1), 124–136. https://orcid.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2015.05.030

Mhlanga, D. (2020). Industry 4.0 in finance: The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on digital financial inclusion. International Journal of Financial Studies, 8(3), 45. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijfs8030045 (doi.org in Bing)

Mothibi, K., Lazaridis, D., (2021). Fintech Digital Platforms – An investigation into fintech digital platform activity in south africa and their regulatory implications. Intergouvernemental Fintech Working Group. FSCA. https://www.ifwg.co.za/Reports/Fintech%20Digital%20Platforms%20%E2%80%93%20An%20investigation%20into%20Fintech%20Digital%20Platform%20activity%20in%20South%20Africa%20and%20their%20regulatory%20implications.pdf#search=DIGITAL%20PLATFORMS

Najem, R., Bahnasse, A., Amr, M. F., & Talea, M. (2025). Advanced AI and big data techniques in e finance: A comprehensive survey. Discover Artificial Intelligence, 5(102). https://orcid.org/10.1007/s44163-025-00365-y

OECD. (2022). Financing SMEs for sustainability: Drivers, constraints and policies. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/a5e94d92-en (doi.org in Bing)

OECD/European Union/EC JRC. (2008). Handbook on constructing composite indicators: Methodology and user guide. OECD Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264043466-en (doi.org in Bing)

Padhiar, J., & Christiaen, C. (2024, June 13). Green Fintech 2.0 — Next generation climate and environmental analytics to accelerate green finance. Centre for Greening Finance & Investment. Retrieved from https://www.cgfi.ac.uk/2024/06/green-fintech-2-0-next-generation-climate-and-environmental-analytics-to-accelerate-green-finance/

PR Newswire. (2024, January 31). Zest AI’s credit models proven to increase loan approvals for every protected class. PR Newswire. Retrieved November 14, 2025, from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zest-ais-credit-models-proven-to-increase-loan-approvals-for-every-protected-class-302048828.html

Roy, P., Ghose, B., Tyag, P. K., & Vasudevan, A. (2025). Artificial intelligence and finance: A bibliometric review on the trends, influences, and research directions [Version 1; peer review: 2 approved]. F1000Research, 14, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.160959.1 (doi.org in Bing)

Schwinn, R., & Teo, E. G. (2018). Inclusion or exclusion? Trends in robo advisory for financial investment services. In Handbook of Blockchain, Digital Finance, and Inclusion (Vol. 2, pp. 481–492). Academic Press. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-812282-2.00021-8 (doi.org in Bing)

Suryanto, Tahir, R., & Dai, R. M. (2020). Fintech as a catalyst for growth of micro, small and medium enterprises in Indonesia. Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 19(5), 1–9. https://www.abacademies.org/articles/fintech-as-a-catalyst-for-growth-of-micro-small-and-medium-enterprises-in-indonesia-9583.html

Vives, X. (2019). Digital disruption in banking. Annual Review of Financial Economics, 11(1), 243–272. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-financial-100719-120854

Volz, U., Knaack, P., Nyman, J., Ramos, L., & Moling, J. (2020, December 3). Inclusive green finance: From concept to practice. Alliance for Financial Inclusion. Retrieved from https://www.afi-global.org/publication/inclusive-green-finance-from-concept-to-practice/

Zest AI. (2024, November 21). Zest AI ranked as a fastest growing company in North America on the 2024 Deloitte Technology Fast 500™. PR Newswire. Retrieved November 12, 2025, from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zest-ai-ranked-as-a-fastest-growing-company-in-north-america-on-the-2024-deloitte-technology-fast-500-302313370.html

Zest AI. (2025, July 16). Zest AI named to CNBC’s world’s top fintech companies 2025 list. Zest AI. Retrieved November 14, 2025, from https://www.zest.ai/company/announcements/zest-ai-named-to-cnbcs-worlds-top-fintech-companies-2025-list/




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12709/mest.14.14.02.01

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.