FinTech

Offered By: The University of Hong Kong via edX

Course Description

Overview

Nominated for the 2020 edX Prize

Finance and technology have a very long history of intertwined evolution, from the earliest coins to today’s cryptocurrencies. However, in the past decade, the speed of change combined with an ever-increasing range of new entrants – from startups to tech firms, from global markets to emerging markets – are transforming the world of finance at an unprecedented pace. This can be seen most clearly in the context of large emerging markets including China and India.

In this interdisciplinary Professional Certificate program in FinTech, you will learn about the world of FinTech and the opportunities and challenges it is bringing around the world. The Professional Certificate program will give you the tools to understand the interaction of finance and technology across the financial system as well as insight into the major technologies involved and the emerging business models and players in the industry.

This program is designed for those working in finance, technology, regulation or FinTech, those studying related subjects, or those just interested in learning more about one of the most exciting processes underway today. Each course brings together leading experts in FinTech from a range of backgrounds, including professors, market professionals and entrepreneurs. Designed by leading academics from a range of disciplines with input from industry leaders including among others SuperCharger, the Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship, Microsoft, PwC and the Asia Capital Markets Institute, each course will provide the tools necessary to transform one’s own future in FinTech. Over each week of each course, you will gain greater understanding of the key trends in finance, technology and regulation, to better prepare for not only the opportunities but also the risks and challenges, including to traditional financial institutions and business models and those working in them.

The University of Hong Kong is one of the world’s leading universities, with a global reputation in the areas of finance, law and technology. FinTech is one of HKU’s identified areas of strategic interdisciplinary research and teaching, and HKU offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in FinTech and a range of related subjects.

Learners who complete theThe Introduction to FinTech course are qualified as 'Certified FinTech Professional' under the Global Academy of Finance and Management (GAFM)

Syllabus

Courses under this program:
Course 1: Introduction to FinTech

Learn from leading academics and practitioners from around the world about the innovations, technology and regulation driving the transformation of finance.

Course 2: FinTech Ethics and Risks

Learn how individuals and organizations can utilize and regulate blockchain, AI, and other FinTech solutions to ensure their adoption does not come at the expense of societal growth.

Course 3: Blockchain and FinTech: Basics, Applications, and Limitations

Understand the design rationale of blockchain technology, its emerging platforms and applications and uncover the limitations and the opportunities enabled by blockchain applications, particularly as it relates to finance.

Courses

0 reviews
6 weeks, 1-3 hours a week, 1-3 hours a week
View details

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.
29 reviews
6 weeks, 1-5 hours a week, 1-5 hours a week
View details

FinTech has started a global revolution in the financial services industry, and the transformation will only increase in coming years. There are many ways in which FinTech can improve the lives of people around the world; however, those same technologies can also be used to enslave, coerce, track, and control people. Accordingly, it is appropriate and necessary to consider the implications of the introduction of these technologies so that they are utilized properly, regulated sufficiently, and their adoption does not come at the expense of societal growth.

This 6-week online coursecovers 6 modules, representing the full spectrum of finance, technology, and the introduction of FinTech solutions globally. We will ask questions that are not often asked or addressed when new technologies are adopted. Why should we adopt FinTech solutions, and what are the best ways to introduce disruptive technologies? How does blockchain technology change the way we provide financial services, and how should blockchain technology be governed? Is FinTech creating risks in cybersecurity and how can technology help us prevent financial crimes? As Artificial Intelligence (AI) is developed and adopted, will human biases and prejudices be built into such mechanisms? And at a larger scope, should FinTech lead to a decentralized, democratized system of finance, or will existing institutions adopt FinTech strategies to cement their existing hold on the financial markets?

Through discussing and attempting to answer these questions, you will understand better how the introduction of these technologies can benefit or harm society. And through considering the proper application or introduction of such technologies, you will learn to make better decisions as an individual and organization when facing the question: is FinTech our savior or a villain?
0 reviews
6 weeks, 3-4 hours a week, 3-4 hours a week
View details
Blockchain is a core technology in FinTech. The original design of blockchain focused on the cryptocurrency "Bitcoin". Due to its specific characteristics, many companies and users now find blockchain very useful for applications in many areas, not limited to cybercurrencies, including finance, logistics, insurance, medicine and even music. However, the design of blockchain involves cryptographic technology, which cannot be easily understood by those who are not professionals in the area of IT and security.

In order to better understand what kinds of applications best fit blockchain and other forms of distributed ledger technology and the potentials of these emerging technologies, it is important to understand the design rationale, the basic technology, the underlying cryptographic fundamentals, and its limitations. This 6-week online coursewill walk you through the following:
- The design rationale behind blockchain and the issues for such decentralized ledger (transaction) systems.
- The underlying technology (e.g. how the fundamental algorithms - the cryptographic primitives - work together) behind and how it makes blockchain works and safe.
- The differences of the various existing blockchain platforms and what these platforms can provide (e.g. pros and cons of the major platforms).
- What kinds of applications (both traditional and emerging) best fit the blockchain technology and how blockchain technology can benefit these applications.
- Blockchain does have its limitations. We will uncover the problems and the limitations of blockchain technology to enable developers and researchers to think about how to enhance the existing blockchain technology and practitioners to better address the issues when using blockchains in their applications.
- This course will also briefly discuss the downside of blockchain with respect to the protection of criminal activities (e.g. why ransomware always ask for bitcoins as ransom, and the money laundering problem).
The course aims at targeting a wide audience: This course will provide learners a good understanding of the technological, applicability, limitations and "illegal" usage of the blockchain technology.

Taught by

Douglas Arner, Siu Ming Yiu, Huy Nguyen Trieu, Ross Buckley, Janos Barberis, Brian Tang, Henri Arslanian, David L. Bishop and David S. Lee