Curriculum

You will then explore risk and examine its different forms. You will analyze current examples and discuss the consequences of failing to properly evaluate financial risk. After reviewing some financial ratios and quantitative techniques used in risk modeling, you will perform quantitative risk analysis. You will also explore how Value at Risk (VaR) and portfolio risk are calculated, and the assumptions and limitations of such risk models. Finally, you will explore time series analysis and common ways to model time series data, including AR models and ARIMA.

This week focuses on banks, markets, and the stock exchange. You will begin by reviewing the fundamentals of the financial system: key actors and financial institutions. You will then take an in- depth look at the role of banks in the modern economy and examine how technological innovation affects the banking sector. You will also explore market microstructure, including key stock market vernacular, and analyze how trades are executed in the stock exchange.

This week, you will learn about decentralized finance, also known as DeFi, which is an alternative to the traditional finance sector and centralized fintech services. You will explore different kinds of digital investments, focusing on blockchain and recent cryptocurrency-based entrants, initial coin offerings, and non-fungible tokens. You will then examine the role big data plays in fintech innovation and the challenges involved in dealing with vast amounts of information. You will discover how companies leverage big data, including machine learning, A/B testing, and real-time monitoring, and consider how fintech has significantly transformed the banking sector.

Next, you will approach fintech from the corporate perspective. You will explore different types of alternative finance, such as angel investment, revenue-based financing, and venture capital. You will then examine the characteristics and benefits of two of the most important areas of alternative finance: crowdfunding and peer-to-peer lending and fundraising. You will also analyze the technologies that form the basis for many types of alternative finance and identify how they can be leveraged to give firms an advantage in the alternative finance space. Finally, you will consider the key risks and benefits of alternative finance as a method for raising capital.

Having approached fintech from the investor and corporate perspectives, you will now shift focus to the customer experience. You will begin by building a definition of customer experience and discuss how it relates to other types of experience, including user experience, employee experience, and multi-experience. You will explore what customers expect from banks and fintech companies in terms of customer and user experience, and how new technology has improved customer experience. You will also discover how companies can leverage these advancements to better understand the customer’s needs and provide a more personalized experience.

This week, you will learn about the rules and regulations that apply to fintech companies. You will engage in a wide overview of the scope of fintech regulation, identifying the key regulatory bodies in the United States and areas of regulation, and analyze some recent examples of what can happen when these regulations are violated. You will also examine crucial fintech-related legislation and discover how fintech regulation is evolving in response to technological advancements. Lastly, you will discuss governance and cybersecurity and the challenges fintech firms face as they continue to innovate while staying compliant with evolving regulations. Understanding regulation is essential for grasping how the fintech landscape may change in the years to come.

In the final week of the course, you will explore areas and technologies expected to play an increasingly significant role in fintech. Specifically, you will examine artificial intelligence and machine learning, the Internet of Things (IoT), and voice recognition. You will also discuss current trends in fintech innovation and forecast future trends.