What are the Best Programming Languages to Learn for a Career in FinTech?

If you’re thinking about a career in FinTech, then you’ll also need to know the best programming languages to learn. This will make your job as simple as it can be.

There are six very popular programming languages, but each should be considered for learning on their own merits — alongside the specific needs of the programmer and the requirements of the financial business they are being used in. We feature them below in no order of preference.

1. Java

This is a programming language that works on the principles of OOP. It was launched twenty-five years ago in 1995 and was developed by Canadian James Arthur Gosling. It’s a favorite program for banks, purely because of the level of security it offers. It can deal with a huge amount of data and thus is often used when big data projects need to be undertaken with client safety in mind.

2. Python

Python is probably the most well known and the most general of all the FinTech programming languages. It was developed by Guido van Rossum in the Netherlands and uses very simplistic syntax, which is one reason for its popularity.

This language is used very widely in insurance, banking and data analysis industries. Here, the need for security is high, as we’re now living in a time where cyber security attacks and money laundering schemes are on the increase. The right programming language can create safe platforms in conjunction with schemes like KYC in banking protects customers and helps guard against fraud. It’s also very popular in cryptocurrency markets and machine-led learning.

3. C#

This is a Microsoft-led language, which was developed by the team there for use in house. It’s almost twenty years old now and is based on C-like syntax. Users familiar with programming language will note that it combines the best of Java and C. It’s used most widely to create .NET programs for Microsoft and for mobile finance apps.

4. C++

This is one of the oldest programming languages. C++ was created as a multipurpose technology way back in the 1980s. In FinTech, it is used for programs in which execution speed is the most important factor, as it is an incredibly efficient tool. It is therefore used for quantitative finance and analytics.

5. C

This is even older than C++. It was created by Dennis Ritchie for the UNIX operating system in the 1970s. It has gone on to influence the likes of Java and is now commonly used for databases, billing software and bank management platforms.

6. Ruby

It isn’t commonly thought of as being one of the best for the FinTech domain, but it shouldn’t be discounted as it does have all the right capabilities and characteristics that are necessary to help develop apps and mobile banking technology.

Developed by Yukihiro Matsumoto roughly twenty five years ago, it seeks to combine some of the features of Ada, Eifel, Lisp and Perl. In FinTech it’s now starting to gain popularity as it’s used to build payment systems, e-wallets and it also helps with asset management. It’s also highly recommended as a programming language for start-ups to use.