The purpose of the article is to formalize the genesis of digital financial technologies (DFT), identify: the impact of its stages on the competitiveness of representatives of the financial and credit sector (RFKS), the features of digital competition; quantitative assessments of the specified impacts. Achieving this goal has scientific and practical significance, in particular, for the formation of an effective digital strategy of the RFKS. It is noted that the genesis of digitalization was not uniform and took place in stages, which are a consequence of the level of development of the DFT, the need to adapt the RFKS to them and determine the peculiarities of the competition of the RFKS. The dynamics of changes in the market share by types of digital financial services of fintech companies were studied, and a significant fluctuation in their competitive positions was noted. It is indicated that the complex application of DFT by fintech companies gives them the opportunity to strategically gain a significant competitive advantage over traditional RFKS. The prospects of mutually beneficial cooperation in the market of digital services of fintech companies and banks are indicated. It is noted that a new phenomenon is manifested on the example of fintech companies - mutual multiplicative strengthening of the development of DFT, which leads to increased competition. According to the results of the study of the effects of digitalization on the PFKS, the factors of the formation of threats to the competitiveness of banks in a strategic plan are determined and the directions of actions of institutional structures that will contribute to the strengthening of the market competitiveness of non-bank financial structures are indicated.