Developments in financial technology (fintech), as welcome as they may be, are pressuring one of our most valuable resources: our workforce. Not only are there not enough candidates experienced in new fintech, but also there is a growing gap between the skills employers want and the skills that employed professionals have.
As fast as fintech is moving, it is important not to be hasty when making talent development decisions. Now is the time to be strategic and intentional in evaluating the ways to bridge the fintech talent gap. Most new banking technologies, especially those that are payments related (whether they’re offered by a traditional financial institution or a non-bank entity), require a new approach to software and cybersecurity. With this in mind, a fundamental feature of workforce development is aligning education and training programs with real business needs.
In the next episode of our Talk About Payments (TAP) webinar series, our panel will explore the underlying emerging technologies that are essential core knowledge for the payments and fintech workforce. We will also explore initiatives that are under way to bridge the fintech talent gap. Our panel will include:
- Jessica J. Washington, AAP, Payments Risk Expert, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
- James Senn, Founding Director, Georgia Fintech Academy
- Allen Sautter, Information Security Officer, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
We encourage financial institutions, merchants, fintechs, payments processors, law enforcement, academia, and other payments system stakeholders to participate. Participants will be able to submit questions during the webinar.
The webinar will take place on March 21, from 1 to 2 p.m. (ET). To participate in the webinar, you must register in advance (there is no charge). You can register here. Once you have registered, we will send you a confirmation email with the login and toll-free call-in information. You can direct questions concerning the webinar to David Lott at david.lott@atl.frb.org. We hope you will join us and be part of the discussion.
By Jessica Washington, AAP, payments risk expert in the Retail Payments Risk Forum at the Atlanta Fed