CTO Perspective: Maria, CTO at FastFin, a Fintech Startup
Facing the Real Problems Every CTO Knows
Maria, CTO of FastFin—a fintech startup racing against both legacy banks and digital disruptors—remembers the pressure of her executive meeting in January 2025:
“With only two backend engineers, we couldn’t launch our new customer onboarding app fast enough. Development backlog was killing our agility—and our budget. The board wanted results in weeks, not months.”
She’s not alone. According to Gartner, 63% of organizations cite developer shortages and IT backlog as their top bottleneck for innovation. Many startups and SMEs struggle to bring digital products to life, not because of a lack of vision but due to talent scarcity, lengthy timelines, and ballooning costs.
Implementable Solution: The #LowCode / #NoCode Shift
Maria’s solution? Deploying a vetted low-code platform.
- Pilot Project: She empowered product managers to prototype user flows with no-code tools—no engineers needed.
- Citizen Developer Initiative: FastFin created a framework to train non-technical team members, launching a “Citizen Developer Friday” event to experiment with app-building.
- IT Governance: Her tech leads established guardrails to vet integrations and security, ensuring business users stayed creative but safe.
Result: Their onboarding MVP went live in three weeks, for one-fifth the usual cost.
The Concepts and the Trend Explained
Low-code = Platforms where users build apps with
minimal code using drag-and-drop GUIs.
No-code = Even simpler; no programming required—perfect for
business users.
Both democratize app creation, letting “citizen developers”—people outside core IT—solve their own business problems. By 2026, 75% of all new apps will be built with low-code/no-code approaches, up from 25% in 2020. FastFin isn’t an anomaly—they’re the new normal.
Real Facts, Figures, and Trusted References
- Market Growth: $7.61B (2021) → $37.39B (2025) → $101.7B (2030).
- Adoption: 70% of new apps will use low-code/no-code by 2025.
- Speed: Time-to-market cut by up to 90%.
- Cost: Development costs reduced by up to 70%.
- Workforce: By 2026, 80% of citizen developers will be from outside IT.
How Others Are Doing It: Case Snapshots
- PeoplesBank rolled out a customer self-service app via Microsoft Power Apps in eight days.
- L’Oréal uses no-code tools to automate HR requests, empowering local teams.
- University of Melbourne’s IT cut project timeframes by 33% adopting low-code for student services.
Practical, Immediate Tips
- Start Small: Pilot in one department (e.g., HR or Finance) on routine automation; measure before scaling.
- Set Up #Governance: Define data/security standards for citizen developers—but don’t stifle creativity.
- Host a “No-Code Hackathon”: Top-down endorsement encourages every team member to propose and build solutions.
- Curate Internal Champions: Appoint and reward staff who upskill in low-code/no-code.
- Share Wins across the company feed—use hashtags like #DigitalTransformation and #LowCode to boost engagement.
Market Insights and Statistical Overview
According to the Grand View Research 2023 report on Low-Code Development Platforms, the market continues to surge with impressive growth metrics:
- The global low-code development platform market size was valued at USD 6.78 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 35.22 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.9% from 2023 to 2030.
- This growth is largely driven by enterprises seeking to accelerate their digital transformation initiatives, the rising shortage of skilled developers, and the need for rapid application deployment.
- The BFSI (Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance) segment currently dominates with over 27% revenue share (2022) due to rising digitization needs in client onboarding, back-office automation, and self-service technologies.
- The education sector is projected to grow at a CAGR of more than 24% during the forecast period, reflecting increasing adoption of low-code tools to improve learning experiences and administrative efficiencies.
Additionally, the broader Application Development Software Market also shows robust expansion, highlighting low-code as a key contributor to the software industry's rapid growth.
Key Market Statistics Summary
|
Metric |
2022 / 2023 Value |
Forecast / CAGR |
|
Market size (Low-Code Platforms) |
USD 6.78 billion (2022) |
USD 35.22 billion by 2030, CAGR 22.9% |
|
BFSI Segment Revenue Share |
>27% (2022) |
Sustained leadership |
|
Education Segment CAGR |
- |
>24% (2023–2030) |
Smooth Transitions: The Road Ahead
Maria’s story mirrors a global wave. From fintechs in Jakarta to retailers in Chicago, leveraging low-code/no-code is not just about having cheaper or faster apps—it’s about unleashing business creativity at scale.
“For the first time, business needs can drive technology—not the other way around. Our product people build what they need, IT ensures it’s safe and robust. That’s actual #Transformation.”
Low-Code & No-Code—Adoption and Impact (2021–2026)
Key Hashtags in Action:
Maria shared FastFin’s success on LinkedIn:
“Thanks to #LowCode #NoCode, we delivered our digital onboarding app 5x faster. Empowering citizen developers is game-changing for #DigitalTransformation.”
In conclusion:
Low-code/no-code can remove daily friction, propel innovation with minimal
resources, and enable non-technical staff to become app creators and
problem-solvers.
References:
https://seye.dev/articles/top-10-software-engineering-trends-2025
Gartner (2023)
Microsoft case studies
ServiceNow customer stories
OutSystems/University of Melbourne public reports
