Hyderabadi startups making the most of/in fintech

HYDERABAD: Several accounting aspirants from the city seem to be gravitating towards fintech, that's being aided by the vibrant start-up culture in Telangana, said Lucia Martin, executive director, relationships, at the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).

She and her team were in town for roundtables with affiliates, members and institutions on Friday. 

Speaking exclusively with Deccan Chronicle, she said that India, and Hyderabad specifically, were more than willing to make the most of the marriage of finance and technology. "There has definitely been an uptick in the number of entrepreneurs expressing interest in this field, most happen to be accountants themselves, because they understand the ballgame best," Lucia said. 

Her colleague Md Sajid Khan, director of ACCA, India, said that another reason more people were aspiring to take up accountancy jobs was the vast scope it offered.

"The opportunities, roles and demand in this field are huge and endless and are only growing - from finance, management, research, advisory, taxes and analytics. Thanks to the ease of working remotely, the world has come to our cities and even homes, which has also attracted more from Gen Z," Khan said. 

Martin said that attracting more people to look at accounting as a viable career was one of their current focus areas. "It has been a challenge to undo the idea of 'boring,' when it comes to our field. We're trying to arrest that false idea by creating more awareness about the beauty of this job by involving innovative, strategic thinking and even artificial intelligence. Upskilling, minimal yet meaningful courses, slow and short yet purposeful certificate courses, degrees, are some other ways we're incorporating to achieve that," Martin said.

Kush Ahuja, associate director, ACCA, spoke at length on accountancy being beyond numbers and the umpteen benefits of AI being merged with it. "Technology has made the job quicker and more accurate. It's the interpretation of the data we generate and the decisions they help make, that sets an accountant apart from mere calculation," he said. 

Martin also spoke about ethics forming the core of accountancy at ACCA. "Sustainability and how we're making the planet a better place is another top priority for us.  We help measure and suggest the most ethical ways to maximise a business while ensuring transparency,” she said.