Financial Markets and Digital Currencies

Catalog description

FIN 3310 Financial Markets and Digital Currencies (Cat. I) This course introduces students to the financial innovations and digital assets that are significantly transforming the banking and financial services sector. The course exposes students to strategic skills and analytical tools that prepare them to thrive in this digital age. The immersive experience will also include an understanding of the changing dynamics in the global banking and financial services sectors and how leveraging fintech and analytics can drive innovation and digital transformation. The course will also explore how digital currency innovations are increasingly altering basic financial intermediation functions such as payment processing, risk management, information dissemination, price discovery, capital raising, consumer expectations concerning access to funds, and the timing of loan decisions. Students will also spend time exploring the emerging challenges presented by the FinTech revolution, including traditional and emergent competitors as well as demographic, social, ethical, and technological forces facing the industry. Students will have hands-on problem-solving experiences that can be useful in FinTech applications and innovation. Students will demonstrate their knowledge through exercises, exams, and a final project that explores the raising of financing through the decentralized finance ecosystem. Recommended background: Knowledge of Finance fundamentals (equivalent to that in FIN 2070). Basic knowledge of the financial industry would also be helpful (e.g., FIN 3300).