DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF ACCOUNTING AND ANALYTICAL PROCESSES AS A BASIS FOR SUPPORTING ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTITIES

Abstract

The article examines the conceptual substantiation and practical design of the digital transformation of accounting and analytical processes as the primary information subsystem for ensuring the economic activity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The relevance of the study is driven by the increasing volatility of the market environment and the objective necessity of overcoming the traditional “information lag” in managerial decision-making through shifting accounting and financial analysis into a digital real-time paradigm (Continuous Analytics). The study aims to develop applied tools for establishing a digital accounting and analytical ecosystem for commercial organizations, ensuring transaction cost reduction, enhanced cash flow forecasting accuracy, and reinforced SME financial stability. The methodological framework includes agency theory, stakeholder theory, E. Vasarhelyi’s continuous auditing and analysis concept, as well as economic-mathematical modeling and regression analysis. The paper systematizes institutional constraints of the SME accounting function, proposes a three-module digital accounting and analytical system architecture, introduces an Integrated Index of Digital Accounting and Analytical Maturity (IDAM), and develops an econometric model linking economic activity efficiency to accounting digitalization levels. Empirical testing on a dataset of 165 commercial SMEs confirms that transforming the accounting subsystem reduces operating costs by 28–34%, decreases cash flow gap risks by 2.8 times, and yields a positive net present value (NPV>6.4 million rubles) with a payback period under 2.3 months.