Introduction to Fintech

Part 1: Economic analysis

• The role and the shortcomings of the financial system in a modern economy
• The role of information in the economy
• Innovation in economic growth
• The 5-factor analytical framework: technology changing the financial section by innovating along four dimensions: data, inference and cognition, processes, trust and values. 
   

Part 2: Fintech Toolbox

Technologies and tools that allow for or support financial innovation.

• Building prototypes of Fintech solutions with agentic AI
• Design as success factor 

Part 3: Fintech business models

• Disintermediation, network economies, (lower) transaction fees, crypto models, generation and sale of data
   

Part 4: The fintech market place and the startup playbook

• Incumbents and disruptive innovation
  • Business innovation, process innovation, and deep tech innovation
• Case study: learning from successful startups
• Fintech startups: creation, funding, growth
• Regulation and innovation

Fintech is the solution of economic problems with technology. The goal of this course is to equip students with the theoretical framework and practical skills to analyze and create fintech solutions. 

After this course students will be familiar with the key factors driving the fintech revolution: the shortcomings of the traditional financial system that are met by key technological and business innovations. They will be able to analyze FinTech projects in the four-factor framework (information and inference, processes, trust and values). They will be able to ideate, prototype and pitch FinTech solutions.

In presence

• The course features weekly sessions of 4 hours, with introductions to new topics as frontal lectures, followed by case studies, practical PC labs and group working sessions. 
• At the end of the course, students prepare a pitch with demo for a (hypothetical) Fintech startup. The course concludes with a pitching contest.

Part 1 (25%) –  Individual presentation

• Presentation and analysis of a successful fintech company

Part 2 (75%) –  project (groups of 3-4 students)

• Pitch of a fintech idea (50%) consisting of
  • Creation – ideation, value proposition, business model, prototype
  • Presentation – pitch
  • Prototype
• Written deliverables (25%)
  • Deal memo about one project (not your own) presented in class (15%)
  • Founders diary (10%)