How fintech companies build future-ready teams with upskilling

The tech world is changing. Cloud computing and AI in particular have had a significant impact on the banking and financial industries. Without the skills to use these emerging technologies, fintech companies will struggle to serve their customers and stay on the cutting edge. 

Best in Tech Awards winners SEB and Fidelity National Information Services (FIS) know this. Learn how they’ve set up their organizations for success and developed future-ready teams with upskilling.

SEB and FIS aren’t upskilling their employees just to upskill them. They have clear goals in mind.

For SEB, it’s to remain Sweden’s leading open banking and tech company by moving legacy systems to the cloud. To achieve this, they needed to upskill technologists in cloud skills and build cloud and cybersecurity knowledge across non-technical roles. 

For FIS, the goal was to reduce cash spend through enhanced operations and improved profitability. They needed a way to close skills gaps and enable continuous learning to meet constantly changing market demands.

These guiding principles drove their upskilling efforts—and ultimately led to their success.

Quick tip: Align learning with organizational initiatives. You’ll give employees a chance to apply what they learn on the job and the foresight to match internal career opportunities with their own learning goals.

FIS ensures leaders are part of the learning journey, not as leaders “in charge” of the program but as fellow learners. 

“Leaders go first. We’re very open and transparent about our own learning journeys, demonstrating to the organization how we learn and acquire new knowledge,” said Christopher Parkins, SVP Product Development Group at FIS.

Quick tip: Build a top-down approach to tech training. When executive leaders take part in the learning process, they set an example for the rest of the workforce, building employee buy-in and emphasizing the importance of learning in the process.

Explore more upskilling tips from leading organizations.

Making time to learn is constantly a challenge for organizations and individual learners alike. That’s why SEB and FIS provide dedicated time for on-the-job learning.

SEB has a goal of 42+ hours of learning per year, and FIS provides two hours of learning time per week. This structure tied to organizational goals helps employees prioritize skill development and incorporate learning into their daily routines.

Quick tip: Provide dedicated time for employees to learn on the job. Adjust projects and timelines to factor in learning. 

SEB began their upskilling journey with their technical teams but quickly realized everyone, not just tech professionals, needed foundational training. As a result, they curated learning initiatives tailored to different roles. 

Technical teams used hands-on labs and sandboxes to strengthen their cloud and cybersecurity skills in real-world environments. Meanwhile, non-technical teams improved their digital awareness and fluency in top technologies with Tech Foundations. 

It’s a win-win: Employees level up their skills, and leaders can develop internal employees for new roles. "SEB saves up to 1 million SEK for each technical role filled internally,” said Petra Alund, CTO and Head of Technology.

FIS also developed more advanced skills through a combination of quarterly skill blitzes and continuous upskilling. “We’ve reduced the percentage of novice-level employees from 47% to 13%,” shared Kais Abdelhedi, VP, Business Executive, CM Technology Services for FIS.

Quick tip: Different teams will need different skills. Create skill development plans that address unique skills gaps, knowledge levels, and on-the-job responsibilities.

Leading organizations lean on data to direct and adjust their learning efforts. For example, SEB tracks team members’ engagement with the learning platform, how much time they’re spending, what they’re learning, and how it ties to broader goals. They also use Tableau to visualize important data and easily share that information with leaders.

Quick tip: Look for a learning solution that provides analytics and insight into how teams are learning. Use that information to measure progress against your learning goals and iterate as you go.

“Being a bank, especially within the technology space, you need to be highly skilled. What we can support our employees with is the opportunity to continue to train and learn. If you want to solve a problem, you need to use the latest and greatest to do so,” said Petra Alund, SEB’s CTO and Head of Technology.

Want even more insights from top fintech organizations? Check out FIS and SEB’s full stories:

• SEB: Moving from legacy systems to the cloud

• FIS: Empowering a future-ready workforce