These are the 8 people leading the most ambitious tech projects at Wall Street's biggest banks, hedge funds, and asset managers

• Business Insider compiled a list of the people leading the most innovative and ambitious tech projects at Wall Street's biggest firms.
• We asked Wall Street players and industry insiders who was spearheading the most cutting-edge tech initiatives.
• The list includes eight people who are heading up teams or projects at a range of the largest banks, hedge funds, asset managers, and exchanges.
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Take a quick scan of the headlines on any given day, and it might seem as if startups are driving the most interesting tech developments on Wall Street.

It's a fair assumption, as venture capital money continues to pour into fintechs and even the biggest banks are getting in on the funding action.

However, for all the talk of large financial firms being slow to innovate and adapt to changing times, the top players have still managed to create their own cutting-edge projects in-house.

Business Insider canvassed the most powerful firms on Wall Street - including banks, hedge funds, asset managers and exchanges - as well as other insiders to discover who exactly is leading the most innovative projects and teams at the biggest players.

Here are the eight names that emerged and the ambitious projects they're working on, including massive tech integrations and building out entirely new banks.