Empowering Real-Time Finance
In a special episode recorded live at the TradingTech Briefing in New York City, FinTech Focus TV host Toby is joined by Andrew George, Markets Trading Controls and Technology Lead at 3Forge. Together, they unpack the evolution of financial IT, the convergence of business and technology, and the growing demand for platforms that deliver real-time, scalable solutions. Brought to you by Harrington Starr, a FinTech recruitment specialist operating across London, New York, and Belfast, this episode highlights the trends shaping tomorrow’s FinTech workforce.
Transforming IT Departments in Financial Services
As FinTech continues to evolve, traditional IT departments are undergoing a dramatic transformation. Andrew George begins by introducing 3Forge, a company deeply rooted in finance but built to support the broader enterprise. Their platform enables rapid application development, reducing the repetitive burden of building foundational infrastructure so teams can focus on the unique features that differentiate their applications.
According to Andrew, 3Forge delivers an “agnostic” platform, applicable across various industries but especially powerful in financial services. The company’s key innovation lies in its ability to solve the 80% of application development that’s the same across projects. By doing so, it frees up developers and product teams to concentrate on the final 20%, the logic and presentation that matter most to the business. This is critical in trading environments where speed, responsiveness, and data visualisation can make or break decision-making processes.
Real-Time Data in Financial Trading Environments
One of the standout capabilities of 3Forge is its capacity to handle high-velocity, high-volume data streams. For FinTech companies dealing with algorithmic trading, real-time risk calculations, and order management, this kind of agility is essential. Andrew outlines the core framework of 3Forge: the Relay connectivity engine, the Centre database (which handles real-time caching and archival), and the web-based visualisation layer.
This modular, Lego-like system allows businesses to build dashboards and interfaces that are not only fast and flexible but also reliable at scale. It empowers front-office teams to interact with real-time data, whether it’s viewing live profits and loss, sending orders to OMS systems, or calculating transaction costs as they occur.
In today's trading landscape, Toby notes, batch processing and delayed insights are no longer viable. Traders, quants, and analysts need real-time visibility, and 3Forge makes that possible. This aligns with what Harrington Starr sees daily: a surge in demand for FinTech professionals who can handle real-time infrastructure and support agile trading operations.
Escaping the Constraints of Legacy IT in Finance
Andrew shares a personal account of his earlier career in financial services, where, over time, his responsibilities shifted from innovation to budget management. Technology departments were being asked to do more with flat or shrinking budgets. This resulted in a slowdown in the delivery of high-quality applications, particularly those intended to serve smaller, agile business teams.
Because large-scale infrastructure projects and compliance issues dominated tech roadmaps, internal stakeholders often couldn’t get the tools they needed. This gave rise to shadow IT and business-led innovation, where teams took matters into their own hands. For Andrew, this decentralisation was not only inevitable, but it was also necessary. Technology had to move closer to the people who understood the problems.
The Rise of Technically Fluent Business Teams in FinTech
One of the most insightful takeaways from this FinTech Focus TV episode is the emergence of hybrid professionals: business users who can also code. From quants to data scientists and product managers, technical fluency is spreading across organisations. Andrew compares this shift to the evolution of video editing. Where once it was the domain of specialists with expensive equipment, now anyone with a smartphone can produce high-quality video.
Likewise, the average new hire in FinTech is entering the workforce with basic programming skills. Andrew mentions his own son attending a coding camp, evidence that tomorrow’s employees will come equipped with the technical capabilities to solve problems, automate workflows, and create tools, even if they don’t hold a formal developer title.
Toby points out that even sales teams and change management functions are becoming more technically adept. This mirrors the trends Harrington Starr sees in FinTech recruitment, with demand rising for multi-skilled candidates who can contribute to product development, systems integration, and client success initiatives.
Modernising Risk Controls and Governance Frameworks
As more non-technical departments build their own applications, firms face a new governance challenge: how to manage and secure this decentralised innovation. Andrew describes the rise of internal frameworks to track and control end-user applications, what he calls “mini versions of tech risk.” These frameworks require teams to test, document, and inventory their self-built tools to prevent key person risk and ensure compliance.
3Forge is uniquely positioned to support this kind of controlled innovation. Its platform comes equipped with secure login systems, access controls, and the ability to audit data and workflows. That makes it far safer and more scalable than relying on spreadsheets or patchwork databases. In a world where Excel is still widely used, 3Forge presents a future-ready alternative for serious trading, risk, and reporting needs.
From a FinTech recruitment standpoint, this trend adds another layer to the talent profile. Businesses now require professionals who not only build applications but also understand how to do so within a regulatory and governance framework. This combination of creativity, compliance, and capability is the hallmark of top-tier FinTech talent.
Expanding into the Buy-Side and Building for Scale
As the conversation turns to 3Forge’s roadmap, Andrew reveals that the company is undergoing rapid growth. A major recent release introduced real-time pivot tables, functionality that mimics Excel but with the scale and responsiveness required by institutional finance.
3Forge is also expanding into the buy-side, supporting firms with use cases that go beyond trading front ends. This includes live risk applications, trade allocation workflows, and tools that support post-trade analysis and regulatory reporting. The platform's flexibility means it can serve both as a quick prototyping environment and a production-grade enterprise solution.
This level of versatility is particularly valuable in capital markets, where businesses must adapt to shifting conditions quickly. For hiring managers and FinTech recruitment specialists like Harrington Starr, the takeaway is clear: candidates who understand agile development, scalable systems, and enterprise-grade platforms are essential to any modern trading firm.
Spotlight on FinTech Talent: Skills Driving the Sector
Throughout the podcast, the recurring theme is agility. Whether it’s building real-time dashboards, integrating new data sources, or delivering production-grade tools from scratch, 3Forge’s clients need professionals who can do it all. This reinforces the skills Harrington Starr sees as most in demand: developers with real-time experience, product leaders who understand data flow, and engineers who can translate business requirements into working systems.
There’s also a growing need for individuals who can bridge departments, people who speak the language of technology and the language of business. In FinTech, these dual-skilled professionals are worth their weight in gold. They deliver faster outcomes, reduce miscommunication, and foster more collaborative development cycles.
Andrew’s journey from traditional IT leadership into a platform company illustrates this shift perfectly. He’s seen firsthand how the barriers between tech and business are breaking down, replaced by a more collaborative, data-driven culture that values speed and precision.
The Value of Visibility in the FinTech Community
As the podcast wraps up, Toby reflects on the fact that despite working in the financial services sector for over 25 years, he only recently encountered 3Forge. The company has since appeared twice on FinTech Focus TV, and its profile is rising quickly in the trading technology space. Toby notes how the timing of 3Forge’s rise feels particularly relevant: in a market where real-time performance is a competitive edge, the platform is offering something powerful at just the right moment.
Andrew, who stepped in as a last-minute guest for the episode, delivers an impressive, insight-packed interview that speaks to the importance of platforms like 3Forge in the future of capital markets. Toby applauds his depth of knowledge and clarity of vision, qualities that FinTech businesses are actively seeking when building high-performing teams.
What This Means for FinTech Recruitment and Hiring
For Harrington Starr, this episode offers a timely window into the talent challenges and opportunities facing today’s financial technology sector. Hiring the right people is more important than ever, especially as platforms like 3Forge give teams the tools to innovate faster than ever before.
Companies looking to stay ahead need more than just technical talent; they need adaptable, business-savvy problem solvers. That means hiring engineers who can handle real-time streaming and cloud-native environments. It means recruiting product managers who can scope, test, and deliver user-centric tools. And it means partnering with a FinTech recruitment business that understands these trends at a deep level.
As a global FinTech recruitment partner with offices in London, Belfast, and New York, Harrington Starr helps clients build teams that drive innovation and growth. Whether you're hiring developers, product managers, or infrastructure experts, our network gives you access to the most forward-thinking professionals in the industry.
The FinTech Platform Shaping Tomorrow’s Markets
3Forge is not just a software platform; it’s a catalyst for transformation in finance. By democratising access to powerful development tools and enabling real-time visibility into trading operations, it empowers a new generation of builders, analysts, and business leaders.
What makes this episode of FinTech Focus TV so powerful is its relevance. Every firm in the industry is grappling with the same challenges: how to process more data, faster; how to make smarter decisions in real time; and how to empower teams without compromising control. Andrew George and 3Forge offer a compelling answer to these questions, one that financial institutions across the world are now exploring.
Conclusion: The Future of Finance Is Real-Time and People-Led
From decentralised innovation to real-time infrastructure, this episode underscores that FinTech is no longer just about technology; it’s about people. It’s about giving those people the tools to innovate securely and the culture to do so responsibly. It’s also about hiring and developing the talent who can lead this transformation.
At Harrington Starr, we understand these dynamics. As a FinTech recruitment business that partners with companies at every stage of their journey, we’re here to help you find the engineers, analysts, and leaders who will shape the future of finance.
Whether you’re building real-time dashboards, architecting next-gen platforms, or scaling new product lines, your success will be driven by the people you hire. Let’s find them, together.
