"Be more thorough with whatever you build"

Welcome to Inside Cadana! In this series, we go behind the scenes with our talented team members to share their journeys, challenges, and insights. Today, we’re thrilled to feature one of our skilled backend engineers, who has been with us for sometime now.

Through this interview, you’ll get to know what initially attracted Salman to Cadana, his approach to tackling complex fintech challenges, and the rewarding moments he’s experienced so far. If you’re curious about life at Cadana and the passion that drives our team, read on!

Q: You’re about five months into your journey with Cadana! What’s been the most surprising part of joining the team, and what initially drew you to Cadana as a backend engineer?

Before joining Cadana, I had been honing my skills with a specific tech stack. So, when I saw an opportunity that aligned with those skills, it was a no-brainer to apply. Additionally, I had faced challenges in the past when it came to collecting payments from international employers, so the problem Cadana was solving really resonated with me.

Q: With tech evolving quickly, especially in the fintech space, what’s your approach to staying on top of the latest tools and best practices in backend development?

Continuously learning through online courses and following industry blogs. I also watch online conferences, such as the NDC Conference, which allows me to hear from experts across various industries about how they build complex systems.

Q: I know backend engineering is all about finding creative solutions to complex problems. In these first couple of months, what’s a challenge you’ve tackled that’s been most rewarding for you so far?

In my first few months, I’ve had the opportunity to tackle several complex challenges, all of which have been both technically rewarding and impactful. One of the most fulfilling was improving our compliance systems. I worked on collecting business KYB data to ensure we remain compliant with regulations, which involved integrating multiple systems to securely capture and store sensitive information.

Additionally, I developed a scheduled reminder feature that alerts users when their KYC is nearing expiration, helping to ensure that we stay ahead of compliance requirements while also improving user experience.

I also worked on enhancing the default beneficiary money movement system, ensuring funds were securely routed to the correct beneficiaries in an automated manner. It required integrating with external systems and refining the logic to reduce errors.

Q: Tell us something unexpected about yourself—what’s one thing the team might not know about you?

Not long before joining Cadana, I played basketball regularly as a hobby.

Q: What do you find most fulfilling about your role here at Cadana so far?

The opportunity to work on systems that have a direct and meaningful impact, especially in emerging markets.

Q: If you could chat with any 'tech icon', who would it be, and what would you ask them?

Definitely Elon Musk. I’d ask him how he manages to oversee multiple companies effectively, how he structures his time, and how he handles context switching between such demanding roles.

Q: When you’re not coding, what hobbies or projects have you started (or wish you had more time for)

I’ve recently started focusing more on my fitness by going to the gym.

Q: Looking back on your journey so far, what’s one piece of advice you’d give someone interested in pursuing backend engineering, especially within fintech?

Don’t! 😂 the journey can be a bit overwhelming at times. But seriously, my biggest piece of advice would be - always remember you are dealing with people money so be more thorough with whatever you build.