Tomasz Michalski StoneX
MOTIFE Blog

R&D in Poland: 5 questions to Tomasz Michalski, General Manager at StoneX in Krakow

By MOTIFE Insights, 06 July 2023

Focus on StoneX, a thriving global financial services group that employs over 300 engineers and IT specialists in its Krakow R&D hub, in this extract from the Krakow IT Market Report 2023.

1. What is StoneX?

Tomasz Michalski: StoneX Group Inc. (NASDAQ: SNEX) is a Fortune-100 company with a nearly 100-year track record. It is an institutional-grade financial services network that connects companies, organizations, traders, and investors to the global markets ecosystem through a unique blend of digital platforms, end-to-end clearing and execution services, high-touch service and deep expertise.

We provide institutional access to 39 derivatives exchanges, 175 foreign exchange markets, nearly every global securities marketplace and a number of bilateral liquidity venues, as well as retail market access via FOREX.com and City Index, among other platforms. Our team of 3 900 employees serve clients from 80 offices located across six continents, including our Krakow location, which boasts over 300 dedicated team members.

2. What are the top skills / competencies you have in your organization?

Tomasz Michalski: Looking at Krakow in our organization, the top competencies we have built up are all connected with IT development. We employ a large number of dedicated project managers who oversee projects from the beginning, committed product managers, business analysts, and UX designers, who ensure the highest quality of users’ experience with our platforms, and finally teams of outstanding developers, testers, and infrastructure and internal systems specialists, who provide 24/7 availability of our systems.

Our technology stack is extensive, although the main technologies we focus on are .NET for the backend, multiple messaging systems (ActiveMQ, TREP, Kafka, Redpanda, ZeroMQ), and Angular on the frontend. Our systems are hosted on Kubernetes, and managed by SUSE Rancher. This allows us to service upwards of 1.4 million requests per hour and send price updates more than 4 times per second.

From the infrastructure perspective, we hire topclass DBAs to manage our MSSQL databases. The systems are managed by highly-skilled system engineers, in close cooperation with network engineers and specialists maintaining and improving our DevOps capabilities.

We are exceptionally proud of our ServiceNow team, which has been built in just a little bit more than a year and managed to deploy a full solution that services our internal requests and system management.

Additionally, Krakow serves as a hub for customer-centric processes such as KYC, AML, and customer service, benefiting from a substantial pool of proficient multilingual Speakers.

IT team Krakow

Check out also: Krakow IT Market Report 2023

3. What have you been able to achieve last year?

Tomasz Michalski: One major achievement in 2022 is the modernization of client accounts management, which now features a totally new structure capable of handling multiple trading platforms and several countries around the world. Alongside this, StoneX has also focused on technology modernization by migrating to lightweight, scalable, and easy-to-maintain technologies, such as Kubernetes.

Additionally, StoneX successfully integrated Passfort, a third-party compliance solution for onboarding customers in regulated markets. Furthermore, StoneX completed the full migration to a new Xamarin Mobile App, making it accessible for both Android and iOS users. Lastly, StoneX has been actively involved in organizing events for the tech community in Krakow, fostering knowledge sharing around cutting-edge topics and technologies like Kubernetes and Redpanda. This engagement has helped to bolster StoneX’s industry presence and establish the company as a thought leader in the financial services sector.

4. Why is Krakow particularly attractive for Financial Services companies?

Tomasz Michalski: Krakow’s well-known brand garners positive recognition and evaluations from potential investors, tourists, and residents alike. As a leading academic and research hub in Poland, the city attracts talent both domestically and internationally. In recent years, Krakow has established a strong presence in sectors such as Business Services (including BPO and SSC), IT, and Research & Development. Consequently, the city has fostered a pool of skilled candidates with experience in international companies, particularly in the financial services and Fintech Sectors.

5. What are your plans for 2023?

Tomasz Michalski: In 2023, StoneX aims to expand its offerings by launching a full investing service (including ISAs) for the UK market and introducing cryptocurrencies for the US market. The company is also committed to enhancing the client experience through a new Progressive Onboarding strategy, providing a faster, more efficient, and user-friendly journey. Additionally, StoneX will focus on improving the Web Trader platform’s quality and performance and introducing a new charting solution for better customer experience and informed decision-making.

StoneX also places great emphasis on employee development and fostering leadership. That is why we will be running both graduate and internship programmes this summer.

Additionally, the company encourages senior employees and managers to take part in the TechLeaders Mentoring Program, external initiative that help women who want to start a career or develop their skills in IT and new technologies.

These ambitious plans for 2023 highlight StoneX’s dedication to both market expansion and internal development by creating a culture of growth and continuous improvement throughout the organization.

Learn more about what international companies have achieved with their Krakow tech labs by downloading the Krakow IT Market Report 2023.

Krakow IT Market Report 2023

If you are interested in setting up your own engineering hub in Poland, contact us at MOTIFE to learn more.

If you are looking for interesting job opportunities in tech companies in Krakow and remote, check out open roles at motife.com/jobs.

Krakow IT Market Report 2023


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