Shambhavi Bhilwadikar recently joined Finalto’s London office as a Junior Trading Solutions Analyst. We spoke to Shambhavi, who has a background in maths and engineering, about learning from everyone around you, how technology is changing the industry, and why young people shouldn’t be put off by financial jargon.
What does your role look like, what do you do on a day-to-day basis? Who is on the rest of your team?
My role is highly dynamic, no two days are the same. A typical day involves monitoring client connectivity and pricing streams, responding to alerts, and ensuring FIX trading flows run smoothly. I also make liquidity changes in the system, risk profile changes, book fixing trades and manual position transfers, and check connections via third-party bridge providers. I frequently shadow and troubleshoot spontaneous issues; many of which are new, but they offer a steep but rewarding learning curve. In addition, I analyse client activity patterns and contribute to developing tools that improve risk measurement and operational efficiency.
My team is quite collaborative, what I value most is working in a diverse team is everyone brings unique strengths for instance client-facing and technical skills that allows me to bridge both sides through my quantitative background.
What inspired you to pursue a quantitative career, and did you always plan to work in finance?
I’ve always been drawn to mathematics and problem-solving, I like the precision and logical structure it brings. My undergraduate degree in Electronics and Telecommunications Engineering gave me strong foundations in maths, statistics, and systems thinking. Later, during my MSc Finance, I realised how much I enjoyed applying these quantitative skills to real world financial markets.
Finance wasn’t always the plan, as I had no family background but as I got more exposure to market analysis and trading simulations with a mix of self-lead projects during university with tools like data analytics and machine learning, or creating and managing my own portfolio, I saw how dynamic and impactful this industry is. That blend of maths, data, and real-world decision-making made it a natural next step for me.
What are the differences between the complex financial models you’ve studied and the day-to-day work at a financial services company?
At university, the models I worked on were often very theoretical, three-statement models, DCFs, or statistical approaches to valuation. They were powerful but also clean and structured. Day-to-day finance is messier. For instance, there are market shocks, incomplete data, unexpected client requests, and time pressure. The models serve as a foundation, but you need to adapt them in real time.
My colleagues have been hugely supportive in helping me make that transition. They’ve shared practical shortcuts, explained client workflows, and given me context I couldn’t have learned from books.
At the same time, my technical background has been valuable to the team I’m comfortable with data analysis, automation, and working with large sets of financial information, which means I can help streamline processes and bring quantitative insights into daily decision-making.
Do you work closely with other departments at Finalto?
Yes, collaboration is a key part of my role. I work closely with the Risk team, Dealing desk, Liquidity team, and Operations. For example, when we receive daily AM and PM fixing trade requests or manual position transfers between client accounts, I coordinate with the Dealing desk to ensure accuracy. If I notice anomalies in trading patterns, I collaborate with the Liquidity team to assess exposure and, if needed, move clients to Smart Order Routing once confirmed to prevent toxic flow from impacting others.
I also work with the Operations team on tasks such as enabling trading and pricing for new instruments like futures and managing rollover date communications for commodities such as oil and natural gas. Information-sharing is seamless thanks to our daily stand-ups and shared task-tracking systems, which ensure transparency and allow issues to be raised and resolved before they escalate.
What kind of problems does your team work on? What solutions are you developing? What do you find interesting about these kinds of challenges?
A lot of our work revolves around maintaining the integrity and speed of our trading infrastructure. That means solving problems like latency in pricing feeds, ensuring trade confirmations are timely and accurate, and developing tools to give clients more transparency. I find these challenges interesting because they sit at the intersection of technology and finance. A small technical tweak – for example, optimising a connectivity process – can have a huge impact on client experience and on how efficiently the company operates.
What trends are you excited about?
I’m excited about the increasing use of automation and data analytics in trading solutions. For instance, applying machine learning to trading data can uncover patterns that might otherwise be missed. On the market side, I’m fascinated by how digital assets and alternative products are influencing traditional finance, there’s a lot of innovation happening there.
Within Finalto, I like the push toward streamlined workflows and cross-team collaboration tools, which make it easier to deliver results faster.
How does your team stay aligned with evolving client needs and market developments?
We make a conscious effort to stay close to clients by monitoring their activity and gathering feedback. I personally keep up with market developments by reading the Financial Times and Bloomberg, and by listening to market podcasts during my commute.
At the same time, we stay informed through internal research, analysis, and collaboration with other departments. For instance, if clients request faster access to certain asset classes or enhanced risk tools, that feedback directly shapes our development roadmap. There’s a strong culture of agility here we’re encouraged to test, adapt, and evolve quickly as markets change.
What advice would you give to someone who wanted to break into the industry?
My advice would be staying curious and adaptable, as markets evolve constantly, and so does the technology that drives them.
Don’t be intimidated by the jargon; at its core, finance is about solving problems under uncertainty, and people from diverse backgrounds can add real value. Build strong fundamentals in markets and risk, but also develop your technical skills basic coding, data analysis, and even Excel, which are universally useful. Be proactive and ask questions. Curiosity often leads to the best opportunities. Networking and learning from others can accelerate your growth tremendously. Every project, no matter how small, contributes to a deeper understanding of the industry.
All opinions, news, research, analysis, prices or other information is provided as general market commentary and not as investment advice and all potential results discussed are not guaranteed to be achieved. The information may have been derived from publicly available sources, company reports, personal research, or surveys. Past performance is not indicative of future performance. Trading carries risk of capital loss. Service available to professional clients only.
