In 2020, the number of High Net Worth Individuals grew by 6.3%, while HNWI wealth grew 7.6% just falling shy of US$80 trillion. Capgemini’s World Wealth Report notes that UHNWIs and HNWIs are keen to explore new asset classes such as cryptocurrencies and other digital assets such as NFTs.  While these asset classes might not add up to a significant portion of HNWIs portfolio yet, they are increasingly being seen as a new avenue for investments.

Here are 3 new types of wealth be created in the investment world:

1. Cryptocurrencies:

Crypto is a digital currency designed to work as a medium of exchange through a computer network that is not reliant on any central authority to manage it, for e.g a bank. Research from the deVere Group finds that 68% of high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) will have invested in cryptocurrency by 2022. While more individuals move towards the digital assets wave, some private banks are catching up. The Swiss bank has already announced a partnership with fintech firm SEBA CRYPTO in February 2019, offering storage, transaction and investment solutions for digital assets.

2. NFTs:

NFTs can represent various properties, including artworks, collectibles, virtual reality and gaming items, domain names, and ownership records using digital wallets that are compatible. This is an increasingly growing field of investment interest in digital assets, with trading in NFTs reaching $22bn in 2021, compared with just $100m in 2020. To add to that, the floor market cap of the top 100 NFTs ever issued – a measure of their collective value – was $16.7bn.

3. DAOs:

DAO, or decentralised autonomous organisation, is an organisation taking roots from distributed ledger technology that is frequently administered by a native crypto token. Many investors are taking an interest in these assets with billionaire Mark Cuban, calling them “the ultimate combination of capitalism and progressivism.”

How does this impact Private Bankers?

Generally, UHNWIs and HNWIs make investment decisions with a personal relationship manager. In 2021, 49 % of advisers indicated that clients had asked them about investing in cryptocurrencies in the last six months, up from 17 percent in 2020. These numbers will only go upwards providing an opportunity for private bankers and wealth management professionals to understand digital finance and its investment opportunities for the mass affluent, HNWIs, family offices and corporate investor.

Essentially, a growing trend in the demand for private wealth solutions for digital asset investing in the coming years. This is based on a combination of the attractive demand level from mass affluent, HNWIs, family offices and corporate investors and the fact that neither current digital asset platforms or incumbent wealth managers are structured to meet their needs.

With this in mind, at CFTE we are designing a new, unique programme for the modern private banker. A programme to help uncover the new wealth of digital finance and be fluent in the new language of Fintech and digital assets so bankers can effectively communicate with their clients. If you are interested you can pre-register today, and if you would like to help us with your feedback, we’ll offer you a free course on NFTs!

The post New Types of Wealth in Private Banking appeared first on CFTE.

From gold to silver; from oil to gas, tokenization is in full swing! Read now to find out: How, Why and What? 

What is Asset Tokenization?

Asset tokenization is the process of digitising both tangible and intangible assets and transforming them into tokens that may subsequently be kept on the blockchain. One asset does not always equal one token: assets are frequently divided down into smaller portions, resulting in a large number of tokens.

Once an asset has been tokenized and entered the digital realm, it is feasible to hold and exchange it fractionally or entirely, as well as transfer it to other proprietors.

The most basic example is cashing out a bank account. Tokenization is the process of replenishing virtual money at a cashier counter or ATMs, and tokenized assets are the virtual money received. However, it is claimed that any type of financial assets has the capacity to be tokenized.

It is said to include three essential components: the input asset (£100 in cash), entity’s substitution mechanism (bank’s internal infrastructure) and the virtual output (updated balance on the card). When a distributed ledger is used to tokenize an asset, the ledger replaces the bank infrastructure, and cryptocurrency tokens replace conventional digital currencies. In every other way, the procedure is similar to the tokenization of cash within the banking ecosystem, Forex instruments or equity. 

Benefits of Tokenization

To put it another way, the blockchain’s ability to tokenize assets is what sets it apart from banks and traditional financial exchanges. All of these distinctions may be boiled down to the following benefits.

1. Divisibility:

The capacity to break blockchain technology into fractions of various coins is another key feature. It is now feasible to make the market liquid, which was previously impossible. Tokenization divides investment shares into quantities that are accessible to a large number of people (potentially unlimited). The real estate business is the finest illustration of asset divisibility. You don’t have to rent or own the entire property to invest in it.

For example, a $300,000 house may be split into tokens, drastically lowering the investment barrier for many. However, blockchain tokenization is not confined to real estate, artwork, and collectibles, among other assets that have benefited greatly from the technology.

2. Enhanced Accessibility:

The division of the asset into tokens and the ability to partially own an asset after it has been tokenized reduces entry barriers for new investors and for those with smaller investment capacity.The benefit of enhanced accessibility allows a broader investor base to participate in the investment process. 

3. Disintermediation:

When it comes to buying stock on the stock market, there are so many middlemen to trust before making a successful purchase. Each share purchase seems to have a middleman, which raises transaction complexity, costs, and decreases trust and security.

Asset tokenization on a blockchain, on the other hand, eliminates middlemen because the technology is trustless and does not require human verification. This reduces the expense of middlemen, accelerates the investment process, and eliminates the possibility of human error.

4. Transparency:

Blockchains have a technology composition comprising cryptography, mathematical models, economic models, and algorithms. The underlying distributed ledger system makes blockchain technology safe and open to inspection. The blockchains are also immutable. So valid transactions cannot be deleted or changed as any such attempt would leave an easily detectable trace. 

Types of Tokenized Asset

Awareness precedes choice and choice precedes results. Now that we know what asset tokenization is all about, get ready to know the many faces of this process. Broadly, there are four types of tokenized assets each characterised by their different use. These are: 

1. Security Tokens

While the term ‘securities’ is quite well known in the financial world as tradable financial assets, not everyone can access these assets making them difficult to trade and value. However, through various software solutions, these financial assets can now be turned into tokens on a blockchain. Once they’ve been created, these tokens can enter global markets with a low barrier of entry for investors.

2. Utility Tokens

Tokens need not only be about representing a share in a company, it is possible to extend the functions of tokens. This is what ‘Utility tokens’ are all about, they are programmed with additional rules to improve their functionality, or as rightly named, utility. 

3. Non-fungible tokens

A non-fungible token is a non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a blockchain, a form of digital ledger, that can be sold and traded. Types of NFT data units may be associated with digital files such as photos, videos, and audio. Because each token is uniquely identifiable, NFTs differ from blockchain cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin.

4. Currency Tokens

Indeed, innovation has no limits! Today, humanity can build an entire monetary system through tokens by creating a program or as we like to call it, a smart contract. This program is created on a blockchain in which tokens can be traded. This has its limitations by not being the native token of the blockchain on which it operates.

Some companies have used this as a way to create tokens that are artificially stable in value, called stablecoins, so they can more easily be used for payments.

Over the past decade, currency tokens have come and gone. While some people have created them in the endeavour to create a nemesis for Bitcoin, many others have just done so to explore the less travelled paths.

Challenges of Tokenization

What is life without a few challenges? Every little step of progress is often tainted with the challenges of risks. Similarly, while asset tokenization has a lot to offer, it has its own share of challenges. These are: 

1. Data security and privacy:

Privacy issues regarding tokenization may arise due to a blockchain’s distributed structure, involving the sharing and storing of sensitive user data across multiple blockchain nodes. Blockchains are secure, but the security of individual nodes in the network cannot be always guaranteed.

2. Technological reliability:

In the eyes of many investors and asset owners, blockchain is still a relatively new technology. After Bitcoin, several other blockchains have maintained a successful record. However, smart contracts and other blockchain applications have not yet reached a desired level of reliability in some industries.

3. Legal and regulatory uncertainty:

Security regulations do not generally take into account the underlying technology. This means that the technology must adapt to existing regulatory and legal boundaries. In the case of tokenized assets, some of them can fall under the full scope of relevant regulations, and these may vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Regulatory uncertainties slow down the initiation and trading of tokenized assets.

With this, we conclude our take on the ever evolving tokenization of assets. In a nutshell,  tokenization means the digitalization of real-world tradable assets.  This digitalization which seemed like a far fetched future, now stands as a reality. With its many faces now before you, it is up to you to continue observing and maintain your distance or venture into it with full momentum.

The post Asset Tokenization Explained: A Glimpse of the Various Facets appeared first on CFTE.

Stablecoins are digital currencies backed by secure assets such as the US Dollars, fiat currencies, other cryptocurrencies, or gold. As a result, their values are stable. These coins’ prices remain consistent due to their stable assets, which make them less sensitive to price changes. A computer program is also used by certain stablecoins to keep their value relatively stable.

What are Stablecoins?

Stablecoins are a type of cryptocurrency designed to provide greater stability than other cryptocurrencies. Some are backed by a reserve of the asset they represent, while others rely on algorithms or other techniques to keep their values stable.

How do stablecoins work?

• Endurance to Volatility: Stablecoins have the advantage of being constructed to endure volatility in a way that other cryptocurrencies are not. They can also provide mobility and accessibility. It is a more stable and decentralized cryptocurrency. This means that it is not a part of a centralized system or organization. As a result, it gains autonomy.

• Ease of Movement of Money: Stablecoins are popular with investors for a variety of additional reasons. It enables for speedier movement of money and offers anonymity of financial data. Stablecoins also help consumers to avoid paying fees for financial services.

• Stable Value: Stablecoins differ from other crypto assets in various ways. In terms of value, they’re made to stay put. This indicates that, while there will be no decrease in value, there will also be no increase. When comparing the USD coin to the Bitcoin coin, this becomes clear. The value of the US dollar coin has hardly changed since its introduction. In 2019, Bitcoin was worth $4,000, and by May 2021, it was worth $60,000.

• Unkown Risks: Stablecoins should be considered as a sort of digital cash. It is, nevertheless, still a cryptocurrency, despite its stability. As a result, it is still a relatively new entity with unknown risks. If you wish to put all of your savings in cryptocurrency, it can be a risky alternative. Approach stablecoins with an open mind and a desire to learn more about them. Stablecoins can also be used as a starting step towards investing in cryptocurrencies.

Types of stablecoins

Stablecoins come in a variety of shapes and sizes, depending on the asset that backs them and gives them some semblance of stability. These are the sorts of stablecoins that are currently accessible, according to Benzinga: Commodity-Backed Stablecoins, Cryptocurrency-Backed stablecoins, Fiat-backed Stablecoins, and Seigniorage-Style Stablecoins are examples:

1. Seigniorage-Style Stablecoins

Stablecoins of the seigniorage form, also known as algorithmic stablecoins or non-collateralized stablecoins, are ones whose prices are kept stable by an algorithm, a process, or even a working mechanis.

2. Commodity-Backed Stablecoins

According to Benzinga, commodity-backed stablecoins are “stabilized by physical assets such as gold or real estate.” Commodity-backed stablecoins are frequently made of gold, but other metals have also been employed. Examples of commodity-backed stablecoins include Tether Gold and Paxos Gold.

3. Cryptocurrency-Backed Stablecoins

In addition, cryptocurrency can be used to back up other cryptocurrencies. The quantity of this type of stablecoin is usually low. Wrapped Bitcoin is an example of a cryptocurrency-backed stablecoin.

4. Fiat-Backed Stablecoins

Stablecoins that are backed by fiat currencies, such as the US dollar, are known as fiat-backed stablecoins. Precious metals like silver and platinum, according to Benzinga, can also be deemed fiat. Examples of fiat-backed stablecoins are the USD Coin and Tether. The prices of both are based on the US Dollar.

How Safe are Stablecoins?

Usually Stablecoins are safer than other variant of cryptocurrencies. Stablecoins are appealing because they are designed to survive volatility in a manner that other cryptocurrencies are not, while still maintaining mobility and accessibility. A more stable cryptocurrency is still decentralized, which means it isn’t bound by centralized laws and regulations. This opens the door to the world of DeFi, with benefits such as speedier money transfers, access to financial services without the need for apps, the privacy of financial data, and the avoidance of financial service costs. Stablecoins with a centralized backing provide a digital choice backed by a traditional currency.

List of top 10 Stablecoins

According to CoinMarketCap, a cryptocurrency statistics and analytics firm, these are the Top 10 Trading Stablecoins by Market Capitalization.

The post What are Stablecoins and how do they work? appeared first on CFTE.

These digital assets could be picking-up speed that is fuelled by individuals looking for alternative investments or maybe just a way to brag about their new purchases. 

If you are intrigued to wrap your head around this bewildering new way to invest, then read on!

What are non-fungible tokens?

Technically a non-fungible token is a cryptographic asset on blockchain that has its own unique identification code that differentiates it from the rest of the NFTs out there. What primarily differentiates them from how other cryptocurrencies like bitcoin work, is that it is ‘non-fungible’, meaning it cannot be replaced or exchanged at equivalency. If this concept still seems to be going over your heads, let me break it down for you. A non-fungible token can be thought of as a ‘one-of-a-kind’ trading card. If you traded this card for another you’d get something completely different!

NFTs are redefining the value of distinctive items we own. These tokens that can be used to represent any item that is unique or ‘one-of-a-kind’, ranging from things like art, collectables and even real estate, and could even help you earn millions through the value they accrue over time.

How do non-fungible tokens work?

So how can you really make that piece of digital art you created months ago worth millions in a matter of days? 

To help you grapple with the functioning of this eccentric concept let’s get down to the basics. If an artist wishes to sell his art, they would need to ‘create’ or rather ‘mint’ a NFT that will certify ownership for the piece created. These NFTs are stored on an open blockchain ledger, allowing ownership, number of copies, prior sales prices, to be tracked. With blockchain technology safeguarding the identity of original assets, selling fakes is next to impossible, unlike the tragedy of forgeries we see in the real world. 

Currently, most NFTs are a part of the Ethereum blockchain (erc721), but there are various other blockchains that can also implement their own versions of NFTs. Some have already begun incorporating them, like TRON. 

What baffling items can you expect to see at a NFT Auction? Here are some non-fungible token examples:

• Virtual Real Estate: Yes you heard that right, digital lands are selling for millions as a NFT. Decentraland – an ethereum-based blockchain platform that allows users to partake in a world built on virtual reality – recently sold for a million bucks!

• Digital Art: From psychedelic digital illustrations to gifs of nyan cat – they are all in for minting the big bucks too. 

Here’s a pretty little picture of CryptoKitty and it just sold for $170K.

Image: CryptoKitties.co

If this didn’t set your mind off into an explosion, let me tell you about another JPG file made by an artist known as Beeple that was sold on an online auction by Christie’s for $69.3 million! 

There are several other digital art pieces that are shaking things up in the NFT world, you can check some out here.

Image: The New York Times

• Limited Edition Fashion: A unique, limited-edition sneaker  was put up for auction joining in the realm of new-age NFT fashion. These hypercrafted sneakers could be used physically in real life and could also be held in a digital format as an avatar, in a virtual world.

Image: MetaGrail

• Digital Trading Cards: Just like the old days, when having a physical pokemon trading card gave you a superior sense of ownership, today, digital trading cards are making it to the long list of NFTs that people are flocking to get a piece of. Sorare is a fantasy football trading game where NFTs in the form of cards of real players can be traded to make money.

These are just some examples scrapped off the surface of possible non-fungible token use cases. After Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Twitter, decided to sell his first-ever tweet as a NFT, it only reinstated the endless possibilities that this modern digital token opens up. Scads of people are swarming to buy Jack’s precious digital asset, with the highest bidder offering $2.5 million. 

So are NFTs on track to become the future of finance?

The exclusive arena of NFTs are currently seeing a new breed of  investors who are looking to buy these digital assets to profit from the value they accrue over time, as their worth fluctuates with demand. People are buying, selling and trading these NFTs like they would do for stocks on the stock market. But can NFTs tread outside of the investment ecosystem? Possibly, yes. But just as anything that lives on the internet, not everything sticks around. The bubble could pop. Any blockchain could go down and take a slew of NFTs down with it. Being hacked is just another threat that’s on the radar as well. But this is all just speculation. With cryptos recently climbing up the charts, maybe NFTs could be the modern token that’s here to stay.

Spread the knowledge! Here’s an Infographic to share with your network!

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Cryptocurrency users today are showered with benefits of feature-rich technology that make cryptocurrency software and hardware wallets much simpler to use as compared to only a decade ago. Though we do owe thanks to Satoshi Nakamoto, who engineered the first cryptocurrency wallet back in 2009, which proved resilient for years to come and ultimately iterated to wallets that exist today.

Today, with the ease of access to digital currencies, a speculated maturity in the market along with booming popularity fuelled by Elon Musk – cryptocurrency wallet users are exploding in numbers.

68 million wallet users exist worldwide as of 2021, a quantity that was just a few thousand 10 years ago, according to Statista. With these currencies taking full form in today’s digital world, if you are an outsider looking in to get your hands dirty and experiment, it is essential to understand what are cryptocurrency wallets and how blockchain technology makes transacting with them so easy.

What is a cryptocurrency wallet?

A cryptocurrency wallet is a software programme or application that allows its users to store and access their digital assets or currencies like bitcoins, somewhat like a bank account. So just as we store our physical cash in a wallet, these cryptocurrencies are located digitally, on our mobiles or computer desktops. In theory this stands true, but practically cryptocurrencies are not stored anywhere! Every individual who has some balance in their crypto wallet can access their coins through a private key or a ‘classified number’ that corresponds to that specific wallet’s address (public key).

How do cryptocurrency wallet transactions work?

Before we jump into the process, it’s worth understanding how the ‘public key’ and ‘private key’ of a crypto wallet works. Whenever you create a crypto wallet you are given a private key and public key associated to your wallet, that is a string of alphanumeric code. This could simply be compared to how you would send and receive emails. The email address could be seen as the public key that allows individuals to send you emails, but the email address would not allow just anyone to access your email. That is only possible with your password, and in the case of crypto wallets, your ‘private key’. 

But how exactly do these keys help carry out pseudo-anonymous transactions from your wallet that publicly reveal transaction amounts, while keeping transactors encrypted? Let’s get into the process step-by-step.

The individual executing the transaction must have access to their public and private key. They use their wallet to transfer funds, like a specific amount of bitcoins, to another wallet by utilising the public key or address of the wallet that will receive the digital currency. 

The transaction is now pending while it is sent to the cryptocurrencies network where it is queued up, awaiting to be added to the public ledger. This is the process of confirming transactions, which is done by the computers maintaining the network, also known as ‘miners’. Once the transaction is verified, it is stored on a public ledger by a process known as ‘mining’. Many transactions or ‘blocks’ of them are added to the ledger at once by miners. Each block is added sequentially which is why the ledger and the tech behind it is known as ‘block – chain’. 

Once added to the blockchain, the individual who’s cryptocurrency wallet address is associated with the transaction amount will receive the cryptocurrencies and is free to spend it!

Though the basis of executing transactions are essentially the same across cryptocurrency wallet platforms, the wallet you hold on your mobile compared to the one on your desktop are not all the same! There are a few types of wallets that exist today.

So, what are the different types of cryptocurrency wallets?

Desktop Wallets 

As the name suggests, a desktop wallet is a software that can be downloaded onto your desktop and execute locally on your computer. These wallets act as an address for the wallet owner to send and receive digital coins. These types of wallets also give you full control over your keys and allow you to store your private key as well. Some examples of desktop wallets are, Electrum and Armory.

Mobile Wallets 

Though quite similar to their desktop counterparts, these wallets are built primarily for an alternative utility. These wallets are stored on your mobile as an application and allow you to transact through a ‘ touch-to-pay’ mechanism made possible through near field communication (NFC) by scanning a QR code. These wallets allow for daily and more frequent transactions. Trust Wallet is a good example for a mobile wallet.

Web Wallets 

Web wallets offer the convenience of accessing your wallet from anywhere through a web browser or mobile device, without the need to install anything. However, this could be dangerous in some cases, as certain providers store and manage your key online on your behalf. Coinbase and Blockchain are some popular web wallet providers.

Hardware Wallets 

Hardware wallets are physical wallets that are considered to be the safest alternative to range digital wallets. Though it could be argued that they are relatively less user friendly, they do offer the benefit of being practically immune to virus attacks! These devices can be plugged into your computer device like a USB and have keys stored within themselves. However, these wallets are the only ones that are not free of cost and could range from $100 to $200.

Today crypto wallets go well beyond staching your cryptocurrencies. Its growing momentum in the ecosystem could lead it to end up being nearly as predominant as the browser is to the web. Financial institutions like MasterCard and Bank of America are capitalising on the rampant growth of these currencies to introduce crypto wallets of their own. In today’s digital era, it is impossible to escape the fact that all these trends beckon us to a single unspoken truth – cryptocurrencies are here to stay if not change the payments landscape forever.

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If you’re looking for a Fintech course to improve your skills, learn how to get into Fintech or to gain a foundation for a Fintech career, you’re on the right track to success. There’s no other way to pick up the knowledge needed other than sitting down and learning first-hand. We highlighted these online Fintech courses as they represent the very best in terms of contributions from experts, quality, programme structure and networks. You can look through the list and find which one addresses what’s important to you.

Here’s what’s available on the market today:

1. CFTE – Fintech Specialisation 

Summary: The Fintech Foundation Specialisation is an introductory course to learn about Fintech and digital finance from the Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship. It targets finance professionals, entrepreneurs, and technologists. It has been designed in collaboration with 4 senior lecturers and 16 industry experts from across finance, to give a comprehensive breakdown of main Fintech trends in a simple and concise manner.

CFTE offers Corporate Training for teams with our Fintech program.

Advantages:

• Taught in an easy-to-digest manner by 4 senior Fintech lecturers who between them have lectured at Singapore Management University, Imperial College London, Oxford University and The University of Hong Kong.
• Industry insights from 16 top experts working in Fintech, including the Global Head of Bank Research at Citi, Global Head of Innovation at HSBC, CEO of Ping An Technology, and many more
• Accreditation from the Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF)  and SkillFuture in Singapore. Singaporean candidates may benefit from subsidies provided by IBF Standards Training Scheme (IBF-STS). Also accredited by CPD in the UK and by the ACT.
• Be part of a global community of over 70,000 professionals and entrepreneurs
• Events to network and free online lessons with key people in FinTech to stay updated

Key lecturers:

• Huy Nguyen Trieu (CEO – The Disruptive Group | Co-Founder – CFTE | Associate Fellow – Oxford)
• Andrei Kirilenko (Director – Centre for Global Finance and Technology | Imperial College London)
• Janos Barberis (Founder – Supercharger | Head of Entrepreneurship – CFTE | Research Fellow – Hong Kong University)
• Dan Liebau (Founder – Lightbulb Capital | Instructor Fintech & Innovation – Singapore Management University)

Key Statistics:

• 40,000+ Learners Enrolled
• 4 Senior Academics
• 16 Fintech Guest Experts

Level: Beginner/Intermediate

Cost: £360 or 3 payments of £120.

Certificate: CPD Accredited Certificate of Completion

Study Structure/Method:

• Course Format: 100% Online
• Course Access: 6 months access to content from the start date
• Course Model: Instructor-Led

2. CFTE – Fintech 360 Programme

Summary: The Fintech 360 Programme by CFTE is an online course designed for those hungry to learn, but with little time to spare. The programme is perfect for anyone from students, financial professionals, non-techies and those looking to learn more about fintech. Fintech 360 helps one build a fundamental understanding of financial technology with short 15-minute daily courses to fit the learner’s busy schedules. The programme will cover topics from Fintech, Payments, AI, Open Banking and RegTech, through a variety of formats, whether it be video lessons, interviews with experts, quizzes, real-life case studies or reading material.

Advantages:

• Bite-sized Courses: You can easily fit in 15 minute bite-sized courses into your your busy daily schedule
• Learn form top executives: You will gain knowledge directly from leading experts like Anne Boden, CEO of Starling Bank, Rob Frohwein, CEO & Co-Founder of Kabbage, Jean-Philippe Desbiolles, Global VP for Data, Cognitive & AI at IBM, among other leading experts.
• Gain all-rounder Knowledge: This programme will help you cover all the fundamentals of Fintech, AI in Finance, Open Banking, Payments, and RegTech
• Learn to apply technologies on real projects: The course will help you build the right skills to identify the technologies that influence the provision of fintech and financial services, and be able to confidently apply such technologies appropriately and effectively
• Detailed case studies: Be able to evaluate the applications of technology in financial services through relevant and detailed case studies

Key lecturers:

• Anne Boden, CEO of Starling Bank
• Rob Frohwein, CEO & Co-Founder of Kabbage
• Jean-Philippe Desbiolles, Global VP for Data, Cognitive & AI at IBM
• Shameek Kundu, Former Chief Data Officer at Standard Chartered and Head of FS & Chief Strategy Officer at Truera
• Ayesha Khanna, Founder & CEO of ADDO AI
• Mellisa Guzy, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Arbor Ventures

Level: Beginner/Intermediate

Cost: Start learning for free with a 7-day Free Trial on CFTE’s THINK platform

Certificate: On successful completion, you will receive a sharable badge that certifies the completion of the course

Study Structure/Method:

• Online self-paced with 30 days worth of learning content.
• On starting the programme unlock bite-sized 15-mins videos everyday.
• Go beyond traditional learning by interacting with experts and learners with forums and discussions. 

3. Saïd Business School, Oxford University — Oxford Fintech Programme

Summary:  A course specifically designed to achieve two outcomes. First, to arm students with a working knowledge of Fintech and second, to identify new opportunities for innovation in finance so that they are equipped to launch new Fintech ventures. Not for the faint-hearted as the course carries a heavy workload. Special mention: CFTE co-founder, Huy Nguyen Trieu is an Associate Fellow at Oxford and helped design this programme.

Advantages: Hands-on practical exercises that stretch your thinking about what’s possible in modern finance.

Key lecturers:

• Prof. Nir Vulkan (Associate Professor of Business Economics – Saïd Business School | Fellow – Worcester College, University of Oxford)

Level: Intermediate

Cost: £2,650

Certificate: Certificate of attendance from Oxford University

Study Method:  self-paced online learning, 6 weeks

4. Harvard Business School – Fintech Online Short Course

Summary: Offering an up-to-date overview of the Fintech industry, this course taps into experts’ insights to offer guidance about the changing landscape of the finance industry. It also looks at increased regulation in the industry, how traditional institutions are adapting to these rapid changes and the evolving strategies of start-ups in this space to remain profitable.

Advantage: Short course from one of the world’s leading educational institutes. Utilises innovative pedagogical approaches pioneered by the Harvard Business School and presents real challenges reflecting the constant change within the Fintech landscape.

Key lecturers:

• Lauren Cohen (L.E. Simmons Professor of Business Administration | Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research)
• Christopher Malloy (Sylvan C. Coleman Professor of Financial Management | Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research)

Level: Intermediate

Cost: US$3,600

Certificate: Premier Certificate

Study Method: Online, 6 weeks

5. Imperial College Business School — Fintech Programme

Summary: A 2-day course targeting senior bankers, it aims to give participants a strong grasp on how to implement Fintech within their own organisations. Focusing on the application of technologies such as distributed ledger technologies, digital money and digital identities and how they are impacting traditional business models. The course was co-designed by CFTE co-founder Huy Nguyen Trieu.

Advantages: Suitable for those with a focused interest in blockchain technology. Only takes 2 days to complete.

Key lecturers:

• Deeph Chana (Programme Co-Director Professor of Practice within Imperial College Business School)
• Stephen Hansen (Associate Professor of Economics at Imperial College Business School(
• Alfonso Delgado De Molina Rius (Emerging Tech Consultant and Computer Science Ph.D. student at Imperial College London)
• Jason Maude (Chief Technology Advocate at Starling Bank)
• Tom Stevens (Chief Commercial Officer for ETFmatic)
• Philip Nadler (Ph.D. Candidate at the Department of Computing and a consultant for the Data Science Institute at Imperial College London)
• José-Luis Peydró (Programme Director & Professor of Finance)
• Helene Panzarino (Director of the Digital Finance Portfolio)

Level: mid to senior-level professionals

Cost: £1,800

Certificate: N/A

Study Method: Online, 2 days

6. National University of Singapore – Fintech: Innovation and transformation in Financial Services

Summary: This programme has been designed for individual consultants, team leaders, product managers and those responsible for driving innovation and business outcomes. The course summary caters for the risks, opportunities and key considerations of applying FinTech to innovation. 

Advantages:

• Turn your learnings into a personalised action plan during the course

Key lecturer: 

• Dr Ernie Teo (Adjunct Senior Lecturer for the Department of Analytics and Operations at NUS Business School,  Co-founder of Dedoco, and Vice Chairman for Blockchain Association Singapore)

Level: Intermediate

Cost: USD 1,600

Certificate: Digital certificate at completion

Study method: Online, 2 months

7. The University of Hong Kong — Introduction to FinTech

Summary: Taught by leading academics, this online course is an excellent introduction to the world of Fintech. Co-developed by CFTE, the course also features 3 CFTE lecturers among the 6: Janos Barberis (founder of SuperCharger), Huy Nguyen Trieu (co-founder of CFTE) and Douglas W. Arner (Kerry Holdings Professor in Law at the University of Hong Kong).

Advantages: Targeted at beginners such as university students and fresh graduates, the course tackles key concepts in Fintech, from cryptocurrencies to RegTech, with lecturers providing clear explanations about the changing Fintech landscape. No prior knowledge is required, meaning that it is a useful platform for students to gain a basic foundation and understanding of Fintech.

Key lecturers:

• Douglas Arner (Kerry Holdings Professor in Law –  University of Hong Kong / Academic Board Member – CFTE)
• Janos Barberis (Founder – Supercharger | Head of Entrepreneurship – CFTE / Research Fellow – Hong Kong University)
• Huy Nguyen Trieu (CEO – The Disruptive Group | Co-Founder – CFTE | Associate Fellow – Oxford)
• Henri Arslanian (FinTech & RegTech Lead – China and Hong Kong, PwC | Adjunct Associate Professor, Hong Kong University)
• Ross P Buckley (King & Wood Mallesons Chair in International Finance Law | Scientia Professor, UNSW Sydney)
• Brian Tang (Managing Director – Asia Capital Markets Institute)

Level: Beginner

Cost: FREE

Certificate: Verified certificate for £153

Study Method: Online and self-paced, 6 weeks

8. Duke University — Fintech Law and Policy

Summary: It may be a little out there, but hear us out. Success in Fintech doesn’t just rely on innovation, as desirable as that would be. A successful company should also have a firm grasp of the regulations and laws applicable to its operations. This course offers knowledge of critical policy and regulatory issues surrounding cryptocurrencies, ICOs, wealth management, and more, but do note that it covers primarily information about US Fintech regulations.

Advantages: A course that is US-focused that gives participants an insight into the nitty-gritty of the complex policies surrounding the US Fintech industry. It is also fairly light in terms of commitment, with the course taking a recommended 13 hours to complete.

Key lecturer:

• Lee Reiners, CFA (Executive Director – Global Financial Markets Center)

Level: Beginner

Cost: FREE

Certificate: US$49

Study Method: Online, with flexible deadlines

9. San Francisco’s Fintech School

Summary: Based in San Francisco, the Fintech School offers a number of blended learning courses aimed at introducing professionals to key topics such as Blockchain, Crowdfunding and Robo-Advisors. With a focus on practical Fintech training, these courses will walk you through a number of ‘101’ styled subjects with the intended purpose of providing participants a soft introduction to the industry. In addition to their online Fintech courses, the school organises several workshops across North America if you prefer a more immersive programme.

Advantage: There are a variety of Fintech topics on offer at a low price point, with content designed by Fintech entrepreneurs and subject matter experts.

Key lecturers:

• Gregory LaBlanc (Faculty Director – Berkeley Fintech Institute | Faculty Director & Instructor – UC Berkeley Executive Education)
• Patrick Baron (Founder & CEO – Blockchain Consulting Group)
• Neeraj Srivastava (CTO – DLTLabs)
• Khadija Khartit (Managing Partner – IFS Advisory | Faculty, Brandeis University)

Level: Beginner

Cost: Modules start from US$99

Certificate: N/A

Study Method: Online, self-paced

10. Copenhagen Business School – Digital Competition in Financial Services

Summary: This online course is designed for individuals that want to carve out a career in digital finance. Focusing on all digital aspects of the financial industry, it tackles the topics of transformation, platforms, ecosystems, open API and open banking. Instructors will lead using state-of-the-art examples and also share knowledge from their own research, giving you valuable insight into digital strategies in tomorrow’s world of finance.

Advantages: Covers everything you need to know about the digital transformation in finance. Offers a solid foundation to build on with more advanced courses in the future. Suitable for those short of time, taking just a recommended 16 hours to complete.

Key lecturers:

• Jonas Hedman (Associate Professor, Department of Digitalization – Copenhagen Business School)
• Stefan Henningsson (Associate Professor, Department of Digitalization – Copenhagen Business School)

Level: Beginner

Cost: 7-day free trial, US$49 per month after trial ends

Certificate: Certificate of completion

Study Method: Online, self-paced with flexible deadlines

Which Fintech course should I choose?

What Fintech course you choose really depends on what you’re looking for. Of course, we are slightly more inclined to recommend the Fintech courses which are close to us: CFTE, Hong Kong University, Oxford and Imperial College!

However, choosing the right course really comes down to your goals and what you want to learn. From the list above, it’s already clear that the world of Fintech is expansive – there is no course that covers all bases! For example, if you want to dive deep into Fintech and try your hand at testing a business plan, then the courses offered by Oxford or Harvard will be suitable for you. 

On the flip side, if you want a general introduction to Fintech, then the CFTE Fintech Foundation or Fintech 360 course is probably the right option for you, given the quality of the content and lecturers, and the format clarity. And if you are a student who would like to complement his/her education in finance, the HKU MOOC could be a great option. 

In all cases, learning Fintech is a must today, so good luck in your journey!

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