Shift from traditional banking to fintech after years of experience: The Big Data Experience
Francisco has ten years of experience within the financial sector leveraging technology to make customers lives better. He is currently the Head of the Big Data team here at 2gether. He believes firmly in the collaborative model of 2gether and wants to spread it to the world.
What has drawn you towards the fintech industry?
I have been working in the financial sector for ten years. As new and exciting technologies began to get incorporated, I felt the need to update my own abilities. I saw no better way to do this than to abandon traditional banking and to shift to an innovative company like 2gether.
How do you see the future of banking progressing?
I took on this challenge because I strongly believe that there will be plenty of 2gether users in the future.
Customer needs in banking have drastically changed throughout the years. Customers not only want to be assisted in their financial decisions, but they also want access to a wider range of products. Traditional banks are attempting to reform their business models but their technological legacy, large operating structure, and fear of cannibalisation make a successful transition in the near future seem impossible.
Why does 2gether represent the future?
2gether pioneers the creation of a new collaborative banking model, giving the users a say in where the community goes, and enables them to generate a significant amount of revenue through mutual cooperation. 2gether is about empowering the users, giving them the control that has been taken away from them by traditional banks: the management and monetisation of their personal data and finances.
Why is the banking industry ripe for disruption?
As Giorgio Semenzato, CEO and co-founder of Finizens says, banking customers are tired of deficient personal treatment, abusive commissions, and generic products that don’t fit their personal needs..
What do you feel are the most important aspects of 2gether?
The most important aspect of 2gether is the team making it happen. Everyone contributing to this project has a lot of experience and their track records prove it. I think we are close to offering a very special product.
How does your background enable you to contribute to 2gether?
I developed business intelligence solutions for traditional banks for the last five years, with all of their constraints dealing with internal processes. Because 2gether has a self-managed and self-implemented system, we are able to take advantage of the best technologies and information systems that have proven to be successful in the market.
What was your first programming language?
I started coding over ten years ago, first with Java and then with Scala, with the purpose of developing big data apps using Spark. Nowadays, these are the languages I use to execute different distributed processing frameworks.
What is it you enjoy about programming?
What I enjoy most is learning things that I didn’t know before, I also love being able to track my progress and to watch myself gradually get better. There is no better feeling than seeing your hard work pay off.
What do you do outside of working on programming?
I am a big football fan. I love travelling with my family and experiencing different cultures.
