Course Meetings Times
Lecture: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session
Prerequisites
MIT students needed the permission of the instructor.
Synopsis
This course is for students wishing to explore the ways in which new technologies are disrupting the financial services industry—driving material change in business models, products, applications and customer user interface. Amongst the significant technological trends affecting financial services into the 2020’s, the class will explore AI, deep learning, blockchain technology, and open APIs. We will then turn to four sectors of specific opportunities: payments, credit, trading and risk management. We will explore the competitive and strategic landscape amongst FinTech start-ups, incumbents from big finance and big tech in the U.S., China, India, and Europe. Students will gain an understanding of the key technologies, market structure, participants, regulation and the dynamics of change being brought about by FinTech.
COVID-19
This course was a half-semester course that was taught in the second half of the Spring 2020 semester. Set to begin at the end of March 2020, this course was conducted entirely online via Zoom, as the Covid-19 pandemic began in earnest in the United States.
Calendar
| Class # | Topic | key dates |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | Introduction and Key Technological Trends Affecting Financial Services | |
| Class 2 | Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Deep Learning | |
| Class 3 | Artificial Intelligence in Finance | Deadline to form groups for group research paper |
| Class 4 | Open APIs & Marketing Channels | |
| Class 5 | Blockchain Technology & Cryptocurrency | |
| Class 6 | Payments | |
| Class 7 | Credit & Lending | Individual business write-ups due |
| Class 8 | Challenger Banks | |
| Class 9 | Trading & Capital Markets | |
| Class 10 | Insurance | |
| Class 11 | Coronavirus Crisis & Finance | |
| Class 12 | Conclusion | Group research paper due |
Requirements
| Activity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Group Research Paper | 40% |
| Individual Business Write-Up Assignment | 30% |
| Class Participation | 30% |
See the Assignments section for details about each requirement.
