Fintech Talk - Part 1: "Is Fintech the opportunity for Genz?" - With Ms. Thao Nguyen - Product Owner (SSI).

"Knowledge and experience from interdisciplinary fields such as Fintech truly represent a new step in education to bring high-quality human resources equipped with comprehensive knowledge in both business and technology domains to the market. This is the key factor for success."
"Is Fintech the opportunity for GenZ?"
With 66,000 results in just 0.43 seconds, has Google helped you find a satisfactory answer?
If you're still grappling with your own doubts, let Tachi help you "connect" with Ms. Thao Nguyen - an expert in the field of Fintech today to help answer your questions!
Ms. Thao Nguyen currently holds the position of Product Owner at SSI Securities Corporation. She has nearly 8 years of experience working in the securities industry in general and Financial Technology in particular. Especially, she has completed a Master's course in Fintech at the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom under the Chevening scholarship program of the British government.
Through profound insights from the perspective of a pioneer and experienced professional in the industry, Ms. Thao Nguyen will share valuable information and interesting professional stories with students. This information will help you understand the vision and trends of financial technology in the context of national digital transformation, the advantages of GenZ with Fintech, career opportunities wide open, and the knowledge and skills needed to prepare for success in the Fintech industry from year 1.
This "Fintech Talk" is an opportunity for students to dispel the big question mark about Fintech as well as open the door to explore the potential that Fintech brings through knowledge and skills acquired under the roof of the University of Economics - University of Da Nang.
Let's join Tachi to find out what those interesting things are!

1. Could you please introduce yourself and your work experience?

Hello students of the 2K5 cohort and all students at the University of Economics – The University of Da Nang, I'm Thao, currently serving as a Product Owner at SSI Securities Corporation, with nearly 8 years of experience in the securities industry in general and Financial Technology (Fintech) in particular.

After completing my Master's degree in Financial Technology at the University of Edinburgh, UK, under the British Government scholarship program, I returned to Vietnam and took on the role of Product Owner (PO) for the online trading system at SSI Securities Corporation. In this role, I am responsible for product management, collaborating and guiding Business Analysts (BA) and the software development team to deliver trading solutions that serve business needs and create value for investors.

2. Could you help the students understand Fintech simply, and in your opinion, what are the trends of FinTech?

Fintech (Financial Technology) can be simply understood as the application of technology in the financial sector. The emergence of ATMs, followed by interbank trading systems or securities trading systems, are important milestones in the formation of the Fintech industry. Over time, as technology advances to new heights and allows humans to fully exploit vast amounts of data, new fields such as Blockchain, Big Data, or AI have emerged and been applied to finance, ushering in a new era for the Fintech industry.

It could be seen that 2020-2021 was a period of global stock market boom, especially in Vietnam. In the context of the widespread Covid outbreak, the competition among securities companies/banks/financial institutions became a technology race to reach investors and diversify product services.

By 2022, technology companies worldwide related to the development and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) have also created a market frenzy since the introduction of the ChatGPT tool. In the not-so-distant future, no industry can stand outside the game with technology. I believe that technology is the extended arm to bring securities or financial solutions closer to everyone. Therefore, the potential for combined industries like Fintech is enormous.

3. With the current situation and the potential prospects of the FinTech market in Vietnam, how do you assess the job opportunities for recent graduates majoring in FinTech? What positions can students apply for?

Certainly, FinTech is a very promising industry. The potential for technology development is growing day by day, which means that applying technology to the financial sector is still a fertile ground yet to be fully exploited. Pioneering generations around the world and in Vietnam have needed many years to grasp the opportunities arising from practice, or in other words, to "explore" through trial and error. Recent students have the opportunity to be trained right from their university seats, exposed to authentic information sources, and receive experience from teachers and those who have gone before them. This will help them shorten the time spent searching for their direction in the FinTech industry and turn it into an advantage upon graduation.

As mentioned above, FinTech is a vast horizon, with many positions for students to try their hand at and satisfy their passions, interests, or strengths. Moreover, all roles in the industry require a certain level of knowledge in both business and technology to succeed. The knowledge and experiences gained from interdisciplinary fields like FinTech represent a new step in education to bring high-quality human resources equipped with comprehensive knowledge to the market.

FinTech is very diverse, covering many branches depending on the type of business and business model. In addition to career opportunities at FinTech companies, according to me, they can be divided into 2 groups:

• Group 1 consists of software development companies (for example, in Vietnam, there are FPT Software, CMC, NashTech..., and globally, there are Google or Microsoft).
• Group 2 includes businesses that sell their own products and services and require technology applications to provide those products and services. This group could be any business, from small to large financial corporations. They build their own system development teams and combine the use of products provided by Group 1. With the current trend of data-driven business, any financial company needs to leverage the vast data resources of the industry. Not only banks, securities companies, insurance companies, but also investment and portfolio management corporations or venture capital funds have joined the game.Regarding positions in the industry, students can consider:
  - Business Analyst
  - Data Analyst
  - Product Owner
  - Tester/Quality Assurance
  - Consultant
  Due to time constraints, I will save detailed discussions about these positions in practice and career advancement paths for the next FinTech Talk!

4. With your extensive work experience, what knowledge and skills do you think students need to meet the requirements of employers?

In my opinion, to succeed in FinTech, while still in university, students should thoroughly understand the following knowledge areas:

• Firstly, which sectors does the finance industry encompass? What are the main operations of those sectors? For example, securities involve securities trading, while banking involves capital mobilization and lending. Students can explore this through legal documents, use online systems of these companies to understand the products/services they offer, or take advantage of practical sessions organized by universities in collaboration with businesses. This will be a filtering step for students to gradually build their future direction focusing on which sector, or whether they will engage in various fields.
• Secondly, what are the software development processes, system construction processes in conventional enterprises? What positions does this field include, and which roles do students find interesting? For example, those who love programming and problem-solving through programming might pursue a developer. Those who enjoy solution-oriented work and communication with many people may consider positions like PO/BA. Or those interested in resource management and project coordination may lean towards Project Management.
• Thirdly, the technologies used in traditional programming and data science. If anyone loves math, they can explore positions related to data science. It might be quite challenging because it involves mathematics and statistics, but it's also fascinating. Students will find that math and statistics are not dull but rather miraculous.

These knowledge areas will help guide students towards suitable careers aligned with their interests and aspirations before graduation. Regarding skills, students should focus on teamwork, problem-solving, communication, analysis, and negotiation skills. These are extremely important skills not only for FinTech but for any industry. Especially in today's flat world where companies are open to remote work without the need for physical offices, communication and teamwork skills become even more crucial.

One last important thing is to learn English well. English is not just for passing certificates or for communication in the workplace. Most reference materials on Finance, Technology, or FinTech are in English. Therefore, students' ability to self-study will be greatly expanded, breaking many limits. Self-study is also an important skill that needs to be diligently cultivated. For example, when pursuing a Master's degree, a certain percentage (quite a large percentage) of the curriculum is dedicated to self-study. Professors will only provide guidance, so self-effort is still crucial.

Always be brave to face challenges, dare to try and fail, dear students. I believe you will succeed.

5. Some students are worried whether job opportunities in this field in Da Nang might be more limited compared to students in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City in the next 3-4 years?

In my opinion, there might be some limitations due to the larger population in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, leading to naturally more job opportunities in these two cities. However, Da Nang is one of the most lovable cities in the world, and the city government as well as universities are always striving to attract large businesses to establish their operations here. Most major financial and software companies, as I know, also have bases in Da Nang. Especially, the determined implementation of the project "Building Da Nang into a regional-scale financial centre," with the Fintech Centre as one of the three main components, will create thousands of opportunities, job positions related to Fintech in the near future.

Additionally, Da Nang's tourism sector also brings potential customers for Fintech applications (imagine the widespread use of cashless payments in China, then tourists or investors from developed countries coming to Vietnam would surely be interested if they could experience similar services in Vietnam). So, I believe that in the future, Da Nang will also be an interesting destination for the Fintech industry.

Moreover, the trend of "hybrid" work combining remote work and office work is increasingly favoured since the aftermath of the Covid pandemic. Geographical limitations will soon no longer be a barrier. Many of my friends are working with foreign companies while sitting in Vietnam. So, students, just prepare yourselves with knowledge and skills to seize opportunities anytime.

6. Could you send a few words of encouragement to students who are still hesitating about whether to choose to study Financial Technology (FinTech) at the University of Economics - University of Da Nang?

What could be more exciting than being among the first to be formally trained in one of the hottest industries in the world? I believe that Fintech is a long-term story, with a playground that is still very wide and always welcomes young people with enthusiasm, creativity, and, especially, with knowledge and skills imparted by industry experts. I wish you all a meaningful journey with the Financial Technology (FinTech) industry at the University of Economics - University of Da Nang.

Thank you for the incredibly useful insights from Ms. Thao Nguyen, Tachi wishes her good health, happiness, and enthusiasm to contribute to the development of the Financial Technology industry in Vietnam. Through this, Tachi hopes that you, the students, have found answers to your concerns about choosing your career path. See you again at the Faculty of Finance, specializing in Financial Technology (49K33)!