Automated Small-Loan Fintech App -- 2

I want to launch a U.S.–focused mobile and web app that grants small, low-interest loans through a fully automated application flow. The core challenge—and the first milestone—is building a seamless, end-to-end loan journey that can approve qualified users in minutes with minimal friction.

Key objectives
• Design and implement a fully automated loan application process, from data capture to instant decisioning and disbursement.
• Integrate an income-verification step (bank-statement or payroll API such as Plaid, Argyle, or equivalent) to confirm borrowers’ ability to repay.
• Apply U.S. lending compliance best practices (KYC/AML, Fair Lending, state caps).
• Encrypt sensitive data at rest and in transit; follow OWASP and SOC-2 guidelines for code and infrastructure.

Expected deliverables
1. Technical specification and flow diagrams for the automated loan engine.
2. Mobile-first UI mock-ups for the application screens.
3. Backend services (preferably Node.js, Python, or Java—open to recommendations) with REST/GraphQL endpoints to:
• receive borrower data,
• trigger income verification,
• score the loan request, and
• return an approval/denial with terms.
4. Admin dashboard showing real-time application metrics and the ability to adjust scoring thresholds.
5. Deployment scripts or Docker images for staging and production on AWS, GCP, or Azure.
6. Clean, well-commented code in a private Git repo and brief hand-off documentation.

Nice-to-have (not required for this phase): ID or credit-score checks that can be toggled on later, ACH payout integration, and multistate APR variations.

I appreciate proactive suggestions on architecture, third-party APIs, and regulatory nuances. Please outline your proposed tech stack, estimated timeline for a working prototype, and any relevant fintech projects you’ve delivered.