| Unit name | Financial Technology |
|---|---|
| Unit code | ACFIM0030 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Ho |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | School of Accounting and Finance - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Why is this unit important?
Financial technology, often referred to as fintech, is becoming increasingly important in today's rapidly evolving economic landscape. Students of this unit will obtain a comprehensive overview of the fintech industry and will be able to identify differences between services provided by traditional financial companies and fintech companies. The knowledge from this unit equips students with a solid understanding of fintech concepts and business models can increase career opportunities in areas such as AI-empowered financial analysis, data science, digital payments, peers-to-peers lending and blockchain technology, just to name a few. Understanding fintech innovations is essential for staying relevant and competitive in the modern economy.
Students with a good grasp of fintech concepts can identify new business opportunities in the market, therefore, learning about fintech can empower students to become entrepreneurs, and contribute to the evolution of financial services. Understanding about these fintech innovations is also critical for individuals and businesses to protect themselves against new risks arising in a digitalized world.
In summary, learning about financial technology is crucial for students because it equips them with the knowledge and skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing financial landscape.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit introduces a wide range of services provided by financial technology firms, and then focuses on evaluating the benefits and potential risks involved with new financial technology innovations and traditional financial services. This harmonizes well with different accounting and finance programmes in terms of enhancing their ability to apply finance and accounting knowledge in evaluating the benefits and risks of new financial innovations and suggesting solutions to mitigate those risks.
An overview of content
This module first lays the foundation for understanding the fundamentals of financial technology by introducing a wide range of services provided by financial technology firms. It then then focuses on evaluating the benefits and potential risks involved with new financial technology innovations and traditional financial services. The topics can include, but not limited to:
The topics may vary across years given the nature of rapid developments in the fintech landscape and regulation changes.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit
Students will gain a deeper awareness of the fintech innovations and business models. They will also learn how to evaluate the benefits and risks associated with some fintech business models and compare and contrasts with traditional financial services.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of the module, students will be able to:
Teaching includes a combination of lectures and smaller group workshops.
Tasks which help you learn and prepare you for summative tasks (formative):
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
1. Individual assignment (40%)
Students will be required to demonstrate their ability to analyse a question based on real-world case in the context of financial technology and write a 1500 word report to express their opinions about a list of questions related to the case.
Students will be assessed upon their ability to demonstrate their ability to critically reflect on the appropriate academic literature, apply appropriate analytical tools, and ability to critically evaluate benefits and drawbacks of a specific issue.
Relevant ILOs: ILO2, ILO3, ILO4
2. 2-hour Exam (60%)
The exam will examine students’ understanding of key fintech topics, and their ability to identify potential risks associated with new technology development in the financial markets. The exam will also test the students’ capability of analyse and critically discuss policy implications arising from rapidly growing fintech industry.
Relevant ILOs: ILO1, ILO2, ILO3, ILO4
When assessment does not go to plan
Any re-assessment required will be a like-for-like assessment. Students only have to resit the components they fail with a similar type of assessment with equivalent difficulty.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. ACFIM0030).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
