Introduction to FinTech

Over the past decade emerging technologies, paired with massive changes in regulations, have driven an unprecedented transformation of finance around the world. This process is happening more rapidly in China and Asia than anywhere else. This course is designed to explore FinTech fundamentals and help make sense of this wave of change as it happens.

New players such as start-ups and technology firms are challenging traditional players in finance, bringing democratization, inclusion and disruption. Companies engaged in social media, e-commerce, and telecommunications, as well as, companies and start-ups with large customer data pools, creative energies, and technical capacities, have brought competition to the existing financial infrastructure and are remaking the industry.

These transformations have not only created challenges but also unprecedented opportunities, building synergies with new business and regulatory models, particularly in emerging markets and developing countries. To meet these changes, 21st-century professionals and students must be equipped with up-to-date knowledge of the industry and its incredible evolution. This course - designed by HKU with the support of SuperCharger and the Centre for Finance, Technology and Education - is designed to enable learners with the necessary tools to understand the complex interaction of finance, technology and regulation.

In this course, through a series of video lectures, case studies, and assessments you will explore the major areas of FinTech including, beginning with What is FinTech before turning to Money, Payment and Emerging Technologies, Digital Finance and Alternative Finance, FinTech Regulation and RegTech, Data and Security, and the Future of Data Driven Finance, as well as, the core technologies driving FinTech including Blockchain, AI and Big Data. These will set the stage for understanding the FinTech landscape and ecosystem and grappling with the potential direction of future change.

Click to view and download syllabus

Module 1 What is FinTech?

• FinTech Transformation
• FinTech Evolution 1.0: Infrastructure
• FinTech Evolution 2.0: Banks
• FinTech Evolution 3.0 & 3.5: Startups and Emerging Markets
• Industry Showcase: Collaboration between Financial Institutions and Startups
• FinTech Typology
• Emerging Economics: Opportunities and Challenges
• From too-Small-To-Care to Too-Big-To-Fail
• Introduction to Regulation
• Industry Showcase: The Future of RegTech and 6 Technologies Impacting It

Module 2 Payments, Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain

• Individual Payments
• Developing Countries and DFS: The Story of Mobile Money
• Developing Countries and DFS: Regulation of Mobile Money
• RTGS Systems
• The ABCDs of Alternative Finance
• Building a New stack
• Cryptocurrencies
• Industry Showcase : Introduction to Digital Asset Market
• Industry Showcase : Stablecoins
• Industry Showcase : Legal and Regulatory Implications of Cryptocurrencies
• Industry Showcase : Behavior Analysis and Valuation of Cryptocurrencies
• What is Blockchain?
• Industry Showcase: The Benefits from New Payment Stacks (Applications of Ripple)

Module 3 Digital Finance and Alternative Finance

• A Brief History of Financial Innovation
• Digitization of Financial Services
• FinTech & Funds
• Industry Showcase: How AI is Transforming the Future of FinTech
• Industry Showcase: Ensuring Compliance from the Start: Suitability and Funds
• Crowdfunding - Regards, Charity and Equity
• P2P and Marketplace Lending
• The Rise of Chinese TechFins - New Models and New Products
• What is an ICO?

Module 4 FinTech Regulation and RegTech

• FinTech Regulations
• Evolution of RegTech
• RegTech Ecosystem: Financial Institutions
• RegTech Ecosystem: Startups
• RegTech Startups: Challenges
• RegTech Ecosystem: Regulators
• Industry Showcase: Use Case of AI in Smart Regulation and Fraud Detection
• Regulatory Sandboxes
• Smart Regulation
• Redesigning Better Financial Infrastructure

Module 5 Data & TechFin

• History of Data Regulation
• Data in Financial Services
• Industry Showcase : Application of Data Analytics in Finance
• European Big-Bang: PSD2 / GDPR / Mifid2
• Industry Showcase : PSD2: Open Banking API Will Help Startups
• Industry Showcase : Methods of Data Protection: GDPR Compliance and Personal Privacy
• Digital Identity
• Change in mindset: Regulation 1.0 to 2.0 (KYC to KYD)
• AI & Governance
• New Challenges of AI and Machine Learning
• Data, Metadata and Differential Privacy
• Data is the New Oil: Risk of Breach
• Industry Showcase : Cybersecurity Industry Update

Module 6 The Future of Data-Driven Finance

• Case Study 1: Revolut
• Case Study 2: Alibaba
• Case Study 3: Aadhaar
• Case Study 4: Credit Karma
• Case Study 5: Digibank
• Conclusion to Case Studies
• FinTech Big Trends - Looking Forward