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The Future is Digital, It’s Just a Question of How Quickly We Will Get There

At the panel ‘Faster, Simpler, and Safer Financial Flows’ at this year’s Lider Financial Forum, speakers agreed on one thing – the future is digital, it’s just a question of how quickly we will get there.

The Executive Director of Legal and Regulatory Affairs at Telemach Croatia and President of the Croatian Chamber of Commerce Association of Telecommunications and Postal Services Morana Čulo Jovičić emphasized that digital infrastructure is not something that is “nice to have,” but a necessary foundation without which digital services could not function.

– We have been talking about digitalization long before it became a trend. Without investment in digital infrastructure, none of this would be possible today – Čulo Jovičić pointed out, adding that telecoms form the foundation on which digital transformation begins.

However, the path to complete digitalization is not simple. – We encounter significant resistance from users – although digital sounds useful to them, they still prefer paper, they like to pay paper bills – she explained. She sees the reason for this in low digital literacy, which is not only a Croatian problem but a broader European issue.

– Without firm measures and clear deadlines, there will be no real digital leap – she stated.

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Financial forum.
Round table: Faster, more unified, and safer financial flows.
Morana Čulo Jovičić

photo Boris Ščitar

The Director of Texela Božidar Andrija Lukša reminded that the differences among entrepreneurs are enormous.

– We have technological enthusiasts, but also entrepreneurs who have been working under the same model for 35 years and find it hard to accept changes – he said. According to him, digitalization is not just a matter of technology, but also of organizational culture.

– Most entrepreneurs receive eInvoices, but only a small portion send them. Fiscalization 2.0 should change that and bring a true digital revolution in accounting – he stated. A particular challenge, as he notes, is educating employees to take on some of the administrative tasks that digital tools enable – which often meets with resistance.

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Financial forum.
Round table: Faster, more unified, and safer financial flows.
Božidar Andrija Lukša

photo Boris Ščitar

The Chief Operating Officer of Moj eRačun Josip Kovačec raised the issue of the state’s role in digitalization, especially in the context of the announced Fiscalization 2.0.

– We have a state that creates a new market player with public money while simultaneously regulating the market – this stifles innovation – he warned. He proposed a partnership model in which the state would have a supervisory role, while innovation and implementation would be in the domain of the private sector.

Although, as he says, the technical readiness of the market is high, in practice there is still double work: both digital and analog processing of the same documents. For the smallest entrepreneurs, this should not be a problem as free applications are available.

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Financial forum.
Round table: Faster, more unified, and safer financial flows.
Josip Kovačec

photo Boris Ščitar

The Director General of HUP Irena Weber warned of the misalignment of state processes with the idea of digitalization.

– It makes no sense for us to bring the state papers that it issued to us. I find that incredible – she said. She also added that their members continuously receive messages that the new fiscalization is planned without a transitional period, which creates additional pressure on small and medium-sized enterprises.

– These companies do not have IT departments or their own accounting, and we still do not have clear instructions on how they should prepare – Weber said.

Panelists agree that technical solutions are available, entrepreneurs are increasingly ready, and the market has the tools. However, education, clear legal frameworks, and a partnership approach from the state are key. Without this, digital transformation will remain partial, slow, and incomplete. Fiscalization 2.0 is potentially a strong leap forward, but only if it is properly implemented and supported at all levels.

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Financial forum.
Round table: Faster, more unified, and safer financial flows.
Irena Weber

photo Boris Ščitar