"I stopped coding to manage developers in a bank and now I can't find a job"

I see this all the time throughout my career especially during the recession, this is why I prefer hands on development, even if I lead, I prefer some hands-on lead.

You run a business, do you want someone who can deliver software that actually makes money during a RECECCION? or someone who just manages and can't deliver value ROI to your business economically.

Anyway keeping skills and knowledge updated and not be comfortable is vital - including in management, comfort with complacency is the enemy of progress. To be complacent whilst life is evolving is dangerous.

I have stayed as a developer in the public sector but moved to global software company sector since it can be more cutting edge and pays senior devs better than junior managers. But in my experience promoted engineers who have management thrust on them to gain promotion are generally very bad at it. Generally developers should make all the technical decisions but not manage people. Whilst technically opinionated IT managers are a disaster. If you are good at managing people but have outdated technical skills then you may just need to move to a sector that has outdated tech, and always pays people managers higher than those they manage. So public sector or private sector software consumers whose primary business is not IT, data or finance. Alternatively retrain in Agile and current software solution architecture skills. So you can technically comprehend what you are managing and it's human processes. An IT managers who likes to code, is like an NHS manager who likes to take a scalpel to patients.

1. You worked with agile methods right? One answer for you is get scrum certification and/or pm certification then "obviously, yes. I have organized and driven sprint planning, scrum meetings. Im a coach and i remove roadblocks etc." None of that sounds like a lie for you, OP. Who cares if your title was scrum master if you functionally were one in an agile environment and now also have cert to ahow jargon skill.

2. Switch out of fintech. Maybe take a step back to Tech Prog Mgr for a bit (at probably no cash loss) then go back to team lead role

Banks in 2023-2024 are under the gun to deal with commercial real estate crisis and not much more. The banks I have been in for the past decade lack a core of 40-50 year olds to take over for the retiring leadership 50-65. I find they are burning through people who are better suited for long term program management than managing the operations of Information Technology stacks at the financials.

I appreciate someone actually saying this. For years the only way to be promoted or for more $ was the management path. There was no principal engineers, distinguished or even pur developers that were paid at a good salary. Banks especially have followed the FAANG path and it doesn't work as you have proven senior developers that moved into management bc they were sold my senior leaders that was the natural path for $ and promotion. Now you can stay in a technical path and get paid well for doing and executing less.