A new IT research and development center, called FinTech Innovation Center Katowice, was set up in the city. About 70 engineers and specialists will be hired by 2019.
According to the investor, Katowice was not the only location which had been considered for the final place of the center. The capital of the Silesian voivodeship competed against cities of Estonia, Argentina and Bulgaria. Katowice was finally chosen because of the development capabilities of the region, its size and the possibility of cooperation with universities. Also, the location, flight connections to the United States as well as railway and road connections to Europe were important for the company. However, the decisive factor was the availability of highly skilled IT specialists of finance and banking sector.
FinTech Innovation Center Katowice will provide services for the customers of this sector in the United States, Great Britain and Germany. SMT Software Services from Wrocław, which is responsible for the creation of the center, has already started the recruitment processes. The company is looking for software engineers and developers, analysts, quality specialists and project managers.
SMT Software Services is a software programming company. The enterprise is known for being Microsoft’s official partner in the development of Bing search engine. Apart from seven branch offices in Poland, in which 700 people are hired, SMT has its offices in Great Britain, the Netherlands and Germany.
FinTech Innovation Center Katowice is now located in the „Dąbrówki 13” office building.