NHQT1119 — Introduction to Financial Technology and Implementation

Financial Technology, in short “fintech,” is defined as the “new” finance. The entrepreneurial startup community today is aggressively developing new fintech platforms and applications which are dramatically changing the way financial services and products are delivered, especially to millennials. There are now more than 200 fintech companies valued at over $1 billion each, the so-called "unicorns," and global investors pour tens of billions of dollars more into new startups each year. There are stories about new financial applications in the press every day and some commentators foresee a revolution in the domain of finance, where there will be no need for brick and mortar branches, investment counselors, or even physical money itself.

The reality is likely to be a more gradual adoption and integration of innovative technologies such as cloud computing, blockchain, mobile devices, and social media platforms into the existing financial system. The big financial institutions are not going to go away. They will adopt new technologies in three different ways: by partnering with startups, by acquiring some of them, and also by internal development. This course will provide students with exposure to new fintech services within a critical context and framework analyzing traditional money, banking and financial markets, combined with interdisciplinary contents mainly from computer science and entrepreneurship.

Requirements for taking final /terminal exams

Students are allowed to participate in the final presentation and oral exam if their participation score reaches 5 points or more (on a scale of 10).

Requirements for attending classes

Students will not be awarded any points for simply being in class. Students are only awarded points for the quantity and quality of their participation.

Requirements for in-class behavior

The course is conducted on the principle of respecting learners and lecturers. Any behavior that harms the teaching and learning process is strictly prohibited. Any behavior which helps the teaching and learning process is encouraged.

Students must come to class on time. Students who are late more than 10 minutes after class starts will not be allowed to attend the class. As a professional, you are expected to support your classmates and never disturb their learning environment.

Laptops and tablets are only used for the purpose of taking notes for and calculating for lectures and exercises, absolutely forbidden to use for other purposes. In case devices are used for other purposes, the participation score will suffer and may cause the student to fail the course.