Exploring Fintech Innovations

Catalog description

This MBA elective explores how financial technology is reshaping the landscape of traditional financial services and driving innovation across banking, payments, lending, insurance, and wealth management. The course examines a broad range of topics, including the evolution of payment systems, blockchain and digital assets, open banking and data portability, AI-driven asset and wealth management, and the rapidly growing field of regulatory technology. A central theme of the course is understanding why traditional financial institutions have been slow to address key frictions - such as high transaction costs, limited access, and information asymmetries - and how Fintech entrants have stepped in to fill these gaps. The course also explores the regulatory considerations and policy trade-offs that shape the adoption and governance of new financial technologies across different jurisdictions. Class sessions integrate assigned readings, case studies, and students' own professional experiences to deepen understanding of Fintech innovations in both developed and emerging markets. Guest speakers from leading Fintech companies and established financial institutions will offer firsthand industry perspectives on the opportunities and challenges of technological disruption in finance.