FinTech Ecosystem and Management (FIN127)

This course aims to provide students with an overview of FinTech, the area where finance intersects with information technology, within the perpetually relevant context of analyzing and understanding financial markets and institutions from both a historical and functional perspective. Finance and technology have had a long history of mutual reinforcement, but only since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008 technological and regulatory developments have started to dramatically change the nature of financial markets and institutions and the way financial services and products are delivered. FinTech is not a new concept, but only now, the unprecedented transformation – the revolution in finance around the world makes it mainstream.

Therefore, this course is designed to get students familiar to the main notions and concepts specific to the financial institutions and markets in financial instruments in the 21^st century, with an emphasis on the innovative technology and mobile applications developed by the entrepreneurial community and increasingly integrated into the existing financial system.

Upon completion, students will have an understanding of the range of financial services and products in the marketplace, new services and products, financial technology, regulation of financial markets with relevance to new FinTech, how new startups are financed, social issues around new FinTech and possible future developments. Understanding FinTech will help students make sense of the new wave of change as it happens.

• Describe FinTech, current and prospective technology related to financial products and services.
• Describe FinTech applications to payments, bank lending, derivatives, financial regulation, financing of startups and investment management.
• Analyze and reflect critically on the FinTech ecosystem based on the recent financial news articles, assigned readings, cases and relevant research in finance.