The financial world, in all its incarnations, is a great movie. Tragedy, comedy, wit, disaster and redemption have appeared in many financial films produced by Hollywood over the years. Although most movies portray financial professionals in a less-than-flattering way, the incredible stories about excesses, adventures, and greed are intended to be fascinating movies for anyone considering or already working in the industry. It is very important to pay close attention to the latest developments, nevertheless we believe that its origin is no less important. That is why here is the list of movies that show different stages of financial development that lead fintech to what we see it today. 

1.       The Moneyball

This movie is an example that reflects the trend of the company and the society as a whole: the large-scale macro trend of society leads to the development of new capabilities and new business methods, in the financial industry in particular. As data becomes cheaper, we keep developing more ways to capture it and use it, and also tools for its mining, analysis, and extensive technology deployment, as shown in the movie. 

This film could be watched on Peacock or Amazon Prime. 

Initial release: September 19, 2011 Director: Bennett Miller Watch trailer here.

Moneyball is a biographical sports drama film directed by Bennett Miller and written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin that was released in 2011 in the United States. The film is based on Michael Lewis’ 2003 nonfiction book of the same name, which tells the story of the Oakland Athletics’ 2002 season and general manager Billy Beane’s efforts to put together a competitive club based on science.   Faced with the franchise’s restricted budget for players, Beane (Brad Pitt) and assistant general manager Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) use a sophisticated sabermetric method to research and evaluate players to construct a team of fabulous quality.

2.       The Laundromat

This movie succeeds in ‘socialising’ the issue of money laundering at a time when we can expect sweeping changes in the European Union. It highlights the major problems on money fraud that could be faced in everyday life. 

This film could be watched on Netflix.

Initial release: September 27, 2019 Director: Steven Soderbergh Watch trailer here.

“The Laundromat,” directed by Steven Soderbergh, is a star-studded movie about the cases as published by the Panama Papers. This movie highlights exactly how the wealthiest 1% is evading taxes and the law. Jürgen Mossack and Ramón Fonseca introduce themselves, as well as the idea and methods of money laundering, in the first few minutes of the movie. The two continue to act as narrators in three stories about people all over the world who have been harmed by Mossack Fonseca’s business practices.

3.       The Big Short

The Big Short refers to the trading/investment practice of shorting, or selling short. There are actually several big shorts in the film: Most of the leading characters take short positions in mortgage-backed securities, convinced that prices will fall when the current real estate boom collapses.

This film could be watched on YouTube, Google Play, Prime Video, Vudu, FandangoNow, and iTunes. 

Initial release: April 12, 2019 Director: John Stalberg Jr. Watch trailer here.

The Big Short is a biographical comedy-drama film directed by Adam McKay that was released in 2015. It was written by McKay and Charles Randolph and is based on Michael Lewis’ 2010 book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, which shows how the US housing bubble sparked the financial crisis of 2007–2008. The movie is known for its unorthodox methods of explaining financial instruments. It includes guest appearances by Margot Robbie, Anthony Bourdain, Selena Gomez, and economist Richard Thaler, among others, who break the fourth wall to discuss topics like subprime mortgages and synthetic collateralized debt obligations.  Several characters in the film, most notably Gosling, who plays the narrator, speak straight to the viewer.

4.       Margin Calls

Margin Call explores capitalism, greed, and investment fraud. The main question of the movie is: “How can something so bad, such as a financial crisis, that hurt so many people and caused so much damage, have come about without any overt wrongdoing?” Margin Call attempts to give an honest answer to that question.

This film could be watched on Peacock. 

Initial release: July 10, 2011 Director: J. C. Chandor Watch trailer here.

J. C. Chandor’s feature directorial debut, Margin Call, is a 2011 American financial thriller film written and directed by him. During the early phases of the financial crisis in 2007–2008, the main plot takes place over the course of a 24-hour period in a big Wall Street investment firm. The activities of a number of workers during the ensuing financial crisis are under focus. Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, and Stanley Tucci are among the cast members.

5.       Crypto

It’s an action movie about cybercrime that has been progressing in the past years. This film takes a look at money-laundering schemes and what they actually entail. 

This film could be watched on Hulu. 

Initial release: April 12, 2019 Director: John Stalberg Jr. Watch trailer here.

Martin “Marty” Duran works at Omnicorp Bank’s Manhattan headquarters as an anti-money laundering (AML) analyst. He creates a report revealing that a potential customer, a $7 billion business, has broken anti-money laundering regulations, thus canceling the transaction. His boss wants him fired, but Robin, the CEO of AML, believes in him and rescues him – although by demoting him to a branch in Elba, upstate New York.  Earl, a boyhood friend who runs a failing booze shop but is a computer whiz who keeps afloat by mining cryptocurrencies, reunites with the main character, his old friend. Marty’s AML review of the bank’s records led him to investigate the gallery that his friend Ketie works at. Earl helps him by hacking various bank computers. Together, they uncover a multi-million dollar money laundering scheme, run by a deadly Russian gang. And of course, this means trouble…

6.       Rogue Trader

The story is inspired by real-life events that shook the global financial system.  The importance of market news has correctly been reflected in the movie. The courses taught on SimTrade teach traders to cover their positions by using different types of orders to protect them from any unexpected market movements. 

This film could be watched on Netflix. 

Initial release: June 25, 1999 Director: James Dearden Watch trailer here.

When this film was released in 1999, it was apparent who it was about: Nick Leeson, the man responsible for the collapse of Britain’s oldest investment bank, Barings. Unfortunately, many merchants have followed in Leeson’s footsteps since then. The Leeson’s autobiography book: “Rogue Trader: How I Brought Down Barings Bank and Shook the Financial World” is the basis for this film. He lost more than a billion dollars through unlawful futures trading on the Singapore exchange, where he was formerly the top trader of Barings. The film demonstrates how Leeson misled his bosses into believing he was making big profits by implementing their meaningless management jargon. Leeson was able to disguise what he was doing because he was not subjected to the typical checks and balances between the front office and the back office.

7.       The Wolf of Wall Street

This movie highlights Penny stocks, which are low-priced stocks that do not trade on major stock exchanges and are issued by companies that typically do not publish financial statements. These trade anywhere from a fraction of a cent to a few dollars, and because the market capitalization, stock price, and the daily volume of these stocks are quite low, they are highly vulnerable to manipulation.

This film could be watched on Amazon Prime Video.

Initial release: February 13, 2014 Director: Martin Scorsese Watch trailer here.

The Wolf of Wall Street is a 2013 American epic biographical dark comedy crime film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Terence Winter, which is based on Jordan Belfort’s 2007 memoir of the same name. It tells the story of Belfort’s career as a stockbroker in New York City and how his business, Stratton Oakmont, was involved in widespread corruption and fraud on Wall Street, ultimately leading to his demise. The movie highlights the concept of boiler rooms: agency’s – often not licensed – making calls to people to buy or sell stocks, using aggressive sales methods.

8.       Wall Street: Money never sleeps

This movie shows that greed has always been legal. Can you imagine that elusive legislators will have to grapple with the problem of trying to ban greed? Although legal, what prompts people to do may not be. For example, run a Ponzi scheme like Bernie Madoff or commit financial fraud like the SEC charged Goldman Sachs.

This film could be watched on Hulu Plus. 

Initial release: September 30, 2010 Director: Oliver Stone Watch trailer here.

The sequel to Oliver Stone’s Wall Street (1985), Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (also known as Wall Street 2 or Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps) is a 2010 American drama film directed by Oliver Stone (1987). Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon, and Eli Wallach in his final film role appear in this film.   The film is set 23 years after the original in New York City and centers around the 2008 financial crisis. It serves as a good showcase of what financial engineering was designed to make financial operations easier, but in the end misuse led to the partial collapse of the financial system.   Its narrative follows a seemingly changed Gordon Gekko, played by Douglas, as he tries to mend his connection with his daughter Winnie (Mulligan), with the aid of her fiancé, Jacob Moore (LaBeouf).

9.       Fintech Made in Switzerland (documentary)

This film could be watched on YouTube.

Initial release: 2016 Director: Manuel Stagars Watch here.

This is an interesting film, as it is a unique country profile on fintech and it gives a view of what status the industry was in in 2016 – five years ago Swiss banks, entrepreneurs, investors, and regulators all have their own approach to FinTech, but will the nation be able to compete with the entrepreneurial hotbeds of London and New York? FinTech Made in Switzerland is the first documentary on Switzerland’s burgeoning FinTech sector. Interviews with startup entrepreneurs, investors, bankers, and politicians involved in the growth of the Swiss financial industry are included in the video.

10.   11 YEARS: The Rise of UK Fintech (documentary)

This film could be watched on YouTube.

Initial release: September 19, 2019 Director: “11FS” Watch trailer here.

Another fintech country in the spotlight in a movie is the powerhouse UK. Since the financial crisis, the UK very soon realized that remaining a financial center, required being a fintech center. And they successfully made that transformation over the past decade.  11:YEARS tells the secret tale of how the United Kingdom built an ecosystem that is the envy of the world following the 2008 financial crisis. It includes commentary, analysis, and insight from individuals who influenced the regulatory environment, as well as those who financed multi-billion-pound companies and the founders of major fintechs and challenger banks.