GRA 6559 Fintech
GRA 6559 Fintech
Financial technology (Fintech) refers to the digitalization and technological innovations in the financial industry, which has transformed and continues to disrupt financial markets, institutions and services, as well as offers alternative payment systems using digital currencies. The aim of this course is threefold: (i) to cover the origins and the current trends of Fintech in all aspects of the financial industry, (ii) to envision the potentials of technology in improving financial services and the efficiency of financial markets, and (iii) to understand the potential threats and risks posed by digitalization. Several new financial technology companies aim to decentralize current financial systems and markets, while others pose threats to the traditional financial institutions whose services rely more on the human factors and less on the information technology. Facing these threats, the incumbent financial institutions respond by modernizing their services through embracing Fintech and digitalizing their services.
The course will give students the necessary insight into the Fintech revolution, opportunities, and threats and prepare them for
- Developing and presenting their own Fintech ideas
- Working for Fintech companies that aim to offer new financial services
- Working for traditional financial institutions that aim to embrace digitalization
- Working with regulators that aim to design rules which minimize the potential threats of decentralization without hindering the benefits of digitalization
The student will
- Understand the role of banks and Fintech companies
- Understand the regulatory challenges posed by Fintech
- Understand the role of fintech in addressing social issues such as sustainability, wealth inequality and unbanked population
The student will be able to
- Evaluate the impact of Fintech on the strategies and performance of both banks and Fintech companies
- Analyze Fintech companies and ideas
The students will be able to
- Identify opportunities and develop and present their own Fintech ideas
The course will cover the following topics and more:
- Fintech and how banks embrace it
- Payment: how it used to work, how it works in fintech domain, key players in fintech domain, regulations such as psd2, financial inclusion, cashless society
- Financing: how it used to work, how it works in fintech domain, p2p lending, crowdfunding, key players in fintech domain, related regulations
- Blockchain: how it works, digital currency, Libra, initial coin offering, smart contracts,
- Everything else: digital banking, wealth management, insurtech, regtech
There will be a series of lectures, seminars, guest speakers, interactive class activities and case discussions, for which active class participation is essential.
This course has a mandatory coursework requirement: Submission of video with presentation of business idea. The coursework requirement must be approved to be able to do the exams.
The exam for this course has been changed starting academic year 2023/2024. The course now has two ordinary exams (in addition to a mandatory coursework requirement). It is not possible to retake the old version of the exams. Please note new exam codes in the Exam section of the course description.
Class size is limited to 50 students max.
It is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class.
Honour Code
Academic honesty and trust are important to all of us as individuals, and represent values that are encouraged and promoted by the honour code system. This is a most significant university tradition. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the ideals of the honour code system, to which the faculty are also deeply committed. Any violation of the honour code will be dealt with in accordance with BI’s procedures for cheating. These issues are a serious matter to everyone associated with the programs at BI and are at the heart of the honour code and academic integrity. If you have any questions about your responsibilities under the honour code, please ask.
All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have specific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.
Disclaimer
Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.
| Mandatory coursework | Courseworks given | Courseworks required | Comment coursework |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandatory | 1 | 1 | Mid-term submission of video with business idea presentation |
| Assessments |
|---|
Exam category: Activity Form of assessment: Presentation and discussion Weight: 60 Grouping: Group (3 - 5) Duration: 1 Semester(s) Comment: Presentation: Fintech business idea: final Exam code: GRA 65592 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination when next scheduled course |
Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Structured test Invigilation Weight: 40 Grouping: Individual Support materials:
Duration: 3 Hour(s) Comment: Written final examination under supervision Exam code: GRA 65593 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination when next scheduled course |
All exams must be passed to get a grade in this course.
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.