The Fields Institute Turns Twenty-Five 170725 Final book with covers | Page 161

CHAPTER 26
Financial Mathematics
Ron Dembo
“The [Financial Engineering] seminar quickly grew to overflowing
in Fields largest lecture room and word spread. In fact, it was the
largest seminar of its kind anywhere in the world.”
The year was 1994. My company, Algorithmics, probably
one of the first Fintech companies before Fintech existed, was
beginning to take off, and we started to receive more and more
attention.
One day, I received an invitation from the Department of
Mathematics at the University of Toronto to give a lecture on
Financial Mathematics and risk management. I think that is
where I met John Chadam and Luis Seco. It was an interesting
seminar. I recall at one moment I suggested that the Math
Department drop its language requirement and teach C++,
the avant-garde language of programming at the time. The
math professors split into two groups and argued for and
against such heresy. At about the same time, an architect