FinTech is a thriving innovative field that develops advanced financial solutions, products and online services for companies, businesses and consumers. The scope of FinTech includes banking, payment applications, credit and investment platforms, the digital currency market, cryptocurrencies, blockchain and more.
This is an extremely promising specialty. Analysts, FinTech app developers, product managers and other specialists in Financial Technology are highly sought after in the job market.
What do FinTech specialists work on?
Main tasks of Financial Technology:
to simplify the user experience so that every person can perform any financial actions with just a couple of taps;
to automate processes and reduce personnel costs;
to make financial services accessible (no limits on the number of ATMs, branches and the like);
to provide scalability and flexibility;
digital transformation of the financial sector.
Where to study Financial Technology?
Like other IT specialties, Financial Technology is best studied at U.S. universities. This is where all cutting‑edge technologies are born and developed, which not only gives students up‑to‑date knowledge but also allows them to intern, conduct research and work with the most modern technologies while still studying.
Some of the best programs in Financial Technology are offered by the following institutions.
University of California, Berkeley (Haas School of Business FinTech programs)
Berkeley‑Haas programs are consistently among the best in the world. Executive training, certification and summer programs give students from around the globe the opportunity to receive world‑class education from leading instructors in an unparalleled environment.
The university hosts the Laboratory for Inclusive Fintech Technologies (LIFT), where students and faculty have the opportunity to conduct research and develop innovative products in financial technology.
The institution offers a strong Master of Financial Engineering program, which ranked first among MFE programs (TFE Times, 2023) and first among programs for financial research (CFAR ranking, 2023).
The University of California, Berkeley also offers the certification program “Berkeley Fintech: Frameworks, Applications, and Strategies,” which allows you to gain deep knowledge in this field in just a few months.
NYU (Stern School of Business – FinTech MBA track)
The Stern School of Business at New York University offers two programs in the FinTech field that provide excellent preparation for work in this area:
Full‑time MBA | FinTech
This business program with a specialization in financial technology includes many specialized courses:
FinTech Analytics: data‑driven credit modeling;
Digital currencies, blockchains and the financial services industry;
Financial information systems;
Robo‑advisors and systematic trading;
Applications in entrepreneurial finance: FinTech;
Risk management for FinTech;
FinTech Personal finance and payments;
Data work and more.
Master of Science in Fintech
The Master of Science in Fintech program at New York University’s Stern School is designed for professionals seeking to become leaders in the FinTech sector. These include experienced finance specialists looking to understand the specific challenges of digital transformation in their field, professionals with backgrounds in data science and technology seeking to deepen their knowledge of financial services, and executives of fintech companies looking to understand trends in this industry. Our students work both in the fintech industry and in other sectors, holding fintech positions.
MIT (FinTech Certificate Program)
The Sloan School of Management at MIT offers a certification program in FinTech. It lasts up to six weeks. This certificate is designed for professionals interested in innovations in finance.
The program covers blockchain, artificial intelligence, digital payments, robo‑advisors, new models and other phenomena in finance. The program combines industry expertise with the experience of Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty, integrating practical problems into advanced scientific approaches and cutting‑edge academic research.
Specialty options in the FinTech field
As in any field, there are many specialties involved in FinTech. The most demanded and popular are:
Product analyst. Responsible for analyzing funnels and user behavior, identifying growth points, testing hypotheses, preparing reports, etc.
Financial analyst. These specialists are in demand in B2B investments, development of payment systems and more. They analyze operational risks, profitability metrics, model financial indicators and more.
Anti‑fraud analyst. This specialist prevents and detects fraud in the financial sector. They analyze transactions, monitor users and events in the system, identify suspicious patterns, interact with security teams and more.
IT specialists such as Backend developers, Data Engineers, ML engineers / Data Scientists, DevOps / SRE and others are also heavily involved.
Financial technology is a very young but promising field that requires more and more specialized professionals. It allows you to achieve success quickly and provides a decent income.
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