MSC FINANCIAL ENGINEERING

Thriving in the Future of Finance with a Specialised Master’s in Financial Engineering

Athi (‘Marty’) Wattanavekin’s interest in finance began early – at the tender age of eight, in fact. “I was quite a disobedient child,” Marty laughs, “and when I was eight or nine, I often refused to sleep. So my parents would let me sit beside them while doing business calls with their private bankers, and I would just try to figure out what they were talking about.”

These late-night calls would shape his career path in finance. Fascinated by the world of finance, Marty first embarked on a bachelor of accounting and management to develop a solid foundation in the financial realm. His post-graduation plan was to pursue a master’s in finance – but a chance remark during one of his internships changed that.

While interning at an AI solutions firm in Thailand, Marty’s boss recommended a more unique option: a Specialised Master’s in Financial Engineering at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore. “He said it was a really good programme and its graduates were sought-after,” Marty recalls.

Realising that a specialisation in financial engineering would bring him closer to his investment interests, Marty took the plunge. Here, he shares about his experience in the programme so far, and how an MSc in Financial Engineering at Nanyang Business School (NBS) can help him open doors.

Thriving in the future of high-technology finance

Compared to pure finance, financial engineering blends the best of computer science, mathematics, and financial theory. As the finance world undergoes a technological transformation, finance professionals will increasingly need a good grasp of digital innovations like automation and artificial intelligence (AI).

At NBS, the MSc Financial Engineering (MFE) programme is designed to equip students for success in high-technology finance – from quantitative trading to AI-powered risk management. “It’s really the future of finance, and that inspired me to choose financial engineering,” says Marty.

Having previously interned at a leading investment banking house in Thailand, Marty already had experience in portfolio management for high-net-worth individuals. But he saw value in gaining a technical grasp of the investment products and tools he was using.

“For instance, I might need to recommend structured products to clients. It is essential to have the financial engineering skills to understand how they are structured – along with the key risks and returns.”

Furthermore, he saw that the programme’s multidisciplinary nature would give him no shortage of career options. “The course covers everything from programming skills to statistics to data science,” he explains. “Having these would allow me to go places, whether I want to go into quantitative trading or one of the back-office roles.”

For the Thailand-born Marty, being able to study in Singapore was the icing on the cake. As Asia’s top financial hub, Singapore offered promising career prospects – with the added perk of being not too far from home.

Rising to the challenge

When asked to describe his first three months in the MFE programme, he admits it’s been a challenging ride – but one he’s enjoyed every step of the way. “The biggest thing I’ve learnt so far is: I don’t know a lot, and there’s a lot to learn,” he quips.

Having done his bachelor’s in the UK, it took Marty some time to adapt to the rigorous schedule at NBS. “The curriculum structure is very different. We’re really being given the best training we can get in one short year,” he explains. “We have 3.5-hour lectures crammed with information – you’re in trouble if you miss five minutes!”

For him, another aspect of the learning curve has been tackling a whole new field. He says that shifting his thinking from accounting and business to mathematics and programming has been challenging. What keeps him going is the satisfaction of constant improvement as he builds new foundations in financial engineering.

Marty highlights that the MFE programme is well-designed to train students from the ground up, enabling him to adapt faster. “To be honest, I didn’t expect to be able to keep up. Throwing myself into this programme and doing well has been a memorable journey so far.”

A supportive environment

With 40-odd students in this year’s programme, the MFE cohort is tight-knit. Marty shares his peers and professors’ generous support has spurred on his progress.

To survive those 3.5-hour-long lectures, Marty and his classmates have set up informal study groups to compare notes and help one another fill in the gaps. “They’re all very smart and self-motivated,” he says of his course mates. “Having the opportunity to study alongside them has been inspiring.”

A small cohort size also means that each student gets plenty of mentorship and attention from the professors. “Our professors are always willing to help when we have questions, and they put in the effort to make learning the material easy and enjoyable,” says Marty.

The programme can undoubtedly be gruelling, and Marty treasures the days when he and his course mates can carve out free time to explore Singapore together. One of his favourite memories is of the MFE orientation, which featured a sightseeing tour and treasure hunt around Tanjong Pagar. “Now that exams are over, we’ve also planned a barbecue at a chalet for our whole cohort,” he shares.

A multidisciplinary degree that opens diverse doors

Looking ahead, Marty finds that the MFE programme has widened the scope of his career possibilities and appreciates that many finance doors will open to him after graduation.

“If I do decide to switch to another field, having the quantitative knowledge from MFE will allow me to go wherever I want in finance,” he explains. “MFE covers almost every field of finance, from statistics to structured products to equity portfolio management. I’m confident I’ll be able to take on any opportunities that come my way.”

One game-changing skill that gives MFE graduates a competitive edge, Marty adds, is programming. As finance functions increasingly embrace automation and advanced technologies, demand for talent with programming skills has shot up in the sector. “This course equips us with a strong programming background, and that’s something many employers today are looking for,” he says.

As new technologies rapidly reshape the finance world, finance leaders with competencies in computing and mathematics will be able to stay ahead. At NBS, the MSc Financial Engineering programme offers a vibrant multidisciplinary curriculum that prepares you to thrive in the future of finance.

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