Which one should come first: Fin or Tech?

THOSE of us already in financial services see the tremendous potential and threat of innovative fintech startups. How can each of us - students or professionals, and companies - adapt to this change? Fintech at its core is an amalgamation of finance and technology. But what comes first? Is it Fin-Tech or Tech-Fin?

Let's consider the individual first. Except those finance professionals who studied some version of computer science at university, we are all trying to catch up with technology.

The bad news is that we didn't know enough about technology then, and any attempt to catch up now as technology advances by leaps and bounds is futile. Many fintech executive education programs devolve to explaining popular technology buzzwords, but without the depth necessary to actually create anything.