Abstract
Transformation processes in the national economy and demographic challenges necessitate the development of a sustainable multi-level system of social protection, in which funded pension insurance serves as a strategic stabilizer. This article aims to substantiate the theoretical and methodological basis for the formation and development of funded pension insurance as an institutional mechanism of the national social protection system, and to determine the strategic guidelines for its implementation in the conditions of modern economic and security challenges. The methodological basis of the study is a set of general scientific and specialized methods of cognition (system approach and structural-logical analysis, abstraction and theoretical generalization, method of dialectical cognition and logical generalization, graphic method, comparison and synthesis), which ensured the reliability and validity of the results obtained. The article identifies the main essential features of funded pension insurance, which prove that funded pension insurance is an institutionally defined financial and economic mechanism for the formation, accumulation and investment of personalized insurance contributions of insured persons, which is based on the principles of compulsorily, refundable and investment-oriented and ensures the formation of individual pension savings of citizens and the creation of a long-term investment resource of the national economy. The results of the study show that in the system of funded pension insurance, a synergy emerges between the depositor's private interests and the state's strategic goals. The economic results of such a system's operation should be considered on two planes. At the individual level, this is the capitalization of contributions and the growth of financial security in old age. At the macroeconomic level, it reduces pressure on the budget and establishes a stable internal investment base, which contributes to the development of financial markets and the stabilization of the pension system as a whole. Today, the main barriers to implementing the second tier of the pension system in Ukraine remain the high shadow economy, inflation risks, and security instability. At the same time, the launch of the accumulative component is a critically necessary step to minimize the consequences of the demographic crisis and reduce the fiscal burden on the state budget.