Fintech Startups

What Tech Stacks Do FinTech Startups Use?

By Brett Farmiloe

Posted on April 5, 2023

What Tech Stacks Do FinTech Startups Use?

From MERN to MEAN, here are 10 answers to the question, “What tech stacks do FinTech startups use the most and why?”

MERN
From Swift to LightweightCharts
LAMP
Ruby and Ruby On Rails
Efficient Databases
Depends on Business Needs
Python
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Apache Hadoop, Spark, and Kafka
MEAN

MERN

Working at a FinTech startup, I’ve seen the MERN tech stack used time and time again to help create web applications quickly and efficiently.

MERN stands for MongoDB, Express, React, and Node.js—powerful tools that are useful for providing data storage and manipulation capabilities combined with user interfaces. Although MERN is often the most popular choice because of its ease of use by developers, we may use other tech stacks depending on the specific project requirements.

For example, MySQL and Python can provide similar features but might be better suited for smaller projects or when there is a need for innovative technologies. In the end, it comes down to what works best to get the job done in a timely manner while utilizing the least amount of resources needed.

Antreas Koutis, Administrative Manager, Financer

From Swift to LightweightCharts

All FinTech solutions are born unique. Hence, there is no one-size-fits-all tech stack that can address this miscellany of needs.

Let’s take one of our projects, a trading terminal, as an example. This next-gen platform is powered with the following set of technologies:

Swift as a programming language
MVP+Coordinator as an architecture
Kingfisher for media caching
CoreData (CoreStore) for data storage
Moya for client-server interactions
Apollo GraphQL
SwiftLint for code styling
Swinject for dependency injection

As a unique core for operations with crypto wallets and transactions with cryptocurrencies, our developers also used:

WebSockets — a communication protocol used to automatically update trading data.
TrustWalletCore — a library for blockchain wallets and transactions that bundles a raft of useful crypto functionality.
web3.swift — a Swift library used to enable transactions and cryptographic signatures.
LightweightCharts — a tool to display financial data as an interactive chart.

Tatsiana Kerimova, CEO, Orangesoft

LAMP

FinTech startups have a wide range of technology stacks they can use to develop their products. The most popular tech stack among FinTech startups is the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) because of its cost-efficiency and user-friendliness.

As security is paramount in the finance industry, Linux provides an added layer of security. The PHP language allows for rapid prototyping and development, as it is lightweight. MySQL provides a reliable database that is easy to manage and scale as needed.

Aviad Faruz, CEO, FARUZO

Ruby and Ruby On Rails

Ruby and Ruby on Rails is a combination we often see in FinTech, especially in banking software companies that are creating digital payment systems and e-Wallets. It has two features that make it undeniably attractive for FinTech: strong built-in security and scalability. It’s quick, it’s flexible, and it’s safe enough for FinTechs to trust with sensitive user data.

Ruben Gamez, Founder and CEO, SignWell

Efficient Databases

Database efficiency is transforming startup development stacks. We need a database for managing digital financial data. As traffic grows, FinTech apps must expand their data distribution. As a result, digital banking software developers need a database that can securely handle increasing requests and traffic.

When selecting a database, performance and portability are critical features to consider. These databases should enable users to view all of their online company bank accounts, and more importantly, they can check their balances and transaction history whenever they want.

Daniel Kroytor, Founder and Director, Tailored Pay

Depends on Business Needs

FinTech startups use a variety of tech stacks to power their platform. Some common components include databases, programming languages, frameworks, and cloud infrastructure.

For example, many FinTech startups rely on a combination of SQL and NoSQL databases to store and manage customer data, transaction records, and other sensitive information. They may also use programming languages like Java, Python, and JavaScript to build web applications, APIs, and microservices that interact with these databases and other third-party services.

In addition, cloud infrastructure from providers like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud is commonly used to host their applications, scale their services, and ensure high availability and security.

Bottom line is the specific tech stack will depend on their business needs, technical expertise, and other factors like regulatory compliance and risk management. Some startups may prioritize speed and agility, while others may focus more on security and stability.

David Stellini, Co-founder, All Front

Python

The most-used programming language is Python. Developers of FinTech apps have access to hundreds of use cases thanks to its scalability and dynamic nature. It is helpful in several areas, including trade management, price, risk management, and investment.

Python’s libraries, including NumPy, SciPy, Pyalgotrade, Pyrisk, Pynance, and Pyfolio, function flawlessly with data science. These libraries allow programmers to incorporate artificial intelligence and data science into FinTech solutions.

Leonidas Sfyris, CTO, Need A Fixer

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

AWS is a core part of many FinTech startups’ tech stacks because it is simple to scale your startup on its cloud environment. AWS is also among the most secure cloud services today, with some of the most prominent FinTech startups using it, including Coinbase and Monzo.

In particular, Monzo has built a fully digital bank on AWS by leveraging the tools available to offer an exceptional experience to customers. Having a pay-as-you-go model is one of the most standout attractions of AWS and why it is a go-to option for FinTech startups.

Liam Liu, Co-founder and CMO, ParcelPanel

Apache Hadoop, Spark, and Kafka

FinTech businesses must handle and analyze enormous volumes of data, which necessitates the use of data analytics tools such as Apache Hadoop, Spark, and Kafka in their software stacks.

Overall, finance startups employ agile, scalable, and secure technology stacks. By integrating cloud-based infrastructure, open-source technologies, APIs, data analytics tools, and security and compliance tools, FinTech companies can design and deploy innovative solutions that suit the increasing demands of their consumers while maintaining compliance with regulatory regulations.

Adam Crossling, Head of Marketing, Zenzero

MEAN

One of the most popular is the MEAN stack, which stands for MongoDB, Express.js, AngularJS, and Node.js.

MongoDB is a NoSQL database that’s incredibly flexible and scalable. It’s perfect for storing and processing large amounts of data, which is critical in the FinTech industry.

Express.js and Node.js are open-source frameworks for building scalable and high-performance web applications, while AngularJS is a JavaScript-based open-source framework that simplifies web development with pre-built components and tools.

The MEAN stack is incredibly cost-effective. All the components are open-source, so there are no licensing fees. And because they wrote all of the components in JavaScript, it’s easy to find developers who are familiar with the stack.

Look at Acorns, for example. Acorns is a successful FinTech startup that uses the MEAN stack. This has helped them create a reliable and scalable platform to process large amounts of data every day.

Pete Evering, Business Development Manager, Utopia Management