GRA 6559 Fintech

GRA 6559 Fintech

Course code: 
GRA 6559
Department: 
Finance
Credits: 
6
Course coordinator: 
Daniel Sang Kim
Course name in Norwegian: 
Fintech
Product category: 
Master
Portfolio: 
MSc in Finance
Semester: 
2021 Autumn
Active status: 
Active
Level of study: 
Master
Teaching language: 
English
Course type: 
One semester
Introduction

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
Learning outcomes - Knowledge

The student will

  • Understand the history, current state and trends of Fintech
  • Be able to map the Fintech ecosystem
  • 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 wealth inequality and unbanked population
Learning outcomes - Skills

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
General Competence

The students will be able to

  • Identify opportunities and develop and present their own Fintech ideas
Course content

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
Teaching and learning activities

There will be a series of lectures, seminars, guest speakers, interactive class activities and case discussions, for which active class participation is essential.

Software tools
No specified computer-based tools are required.
Additional information

Class size is limited to 50 students max.

Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class that is not included on itslearning or text book.

This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded by using points on a scale from 0-100. The components will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the examination code (course). Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam elements will get a lower grade or may fail the course. You will find detailed information about the point system and the cut off points with reference to the letter grades when the course start.

At resit, all exam components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course.

Qualifications

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 spesific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.

Covid-19 

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there may be deviations in teaching and learning activities as well as exams, compared with what is described in this course description.

Teaching 

Information about what is taught on campus and other digital forms will be presented with the lecture plan before the start of the course each semester.

Assessments
Assessments
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
10
Grouping: 
Group (3 - 5)
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Write-up of a case analyzing an existing Fintech company and its idea.
Exam code: 
GRA65591
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Weight: 
40
Grouping: 
Group (3 - 5)
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Comment: 
Fintech business idea: final report
Exam code: 
GRA65591
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Submission
Form of assessment: 
Written submission
Invigilation
Weight: 
25
Grouping: 
Individual
Support materials: 
  • BI-approved exam calculator
  • Simple calculator
  • Bilingual dictionary
Duration: 
2 Hour(s)
Comment: 
Final written exam under supervision
Exam code: 
GRA65591
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Exam category: 
Activity
Form of assessment: 
Class participation
Weight: 
10
Grouping: 
Individual
Duration: 
1 Semester(s)
Exam code: 
GRA65591
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Duration type : 
Semester(s)
Exam category: 
Activity
Form of assessment: 
Presentation
Weight: 
15
Grouping: 
Group (3 - 5)
Comment: 
Presentation: Fintech business idea: proposal
Exam code: 
GRA65591
Grading scale: 
Point scale leading to ECTS letter grade
Resit: 
All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course
Type of Assessment: 
Continuous assessment
Grading scale: 
ECTS
Total weight: 
100
Sum workload: 
0

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.