UNSW Master of Financial Technology
UNSW Master of Financial Technology
UNSW Master of Financial Technology
Financial Technology
Respond to the technological
revolution in finance
CRICOS Provider Code 00098G
Program overview 03
Program details 06
Entry requirements 07
Get in touch 08
Course descriptions 09
Global top 50
university
UNSW is ranked 43rd
overall in the world.
Employer demand for the right mix of finance and technology expertise is
growing faster than the Australian labour market can fill. In addition, 45% of
leaders in FinTech companies believe attracting qualified or suitable talent is
one of their major challenges.1
The online Master of Financial Technology program is for ambitious working professionals who are familiar
with the finance industry. They can imagine the data and technology to innovate, evaluate, communicate
and implement new ideas. They are ready to capitalise on opportunities in the growing FinTech industry.
This program is designed and delivered by Australia’s top ranked school of Banking and Finance, at UNSW
Business School.
¹EY FinTech Australia Census Report 2018, Ernst & Young Advisory Services, 2019
The advent and growth of technology, in all facets, is changing the way we
work. Develop a comprehensive understanding of how technology is enhancing,
reimagining and disrupting financial services and markets.
Understand the relevant regulatory frameworks and gain an overview of the types
of requirements that apply to modern financial corporations and the core systems
that are deployed to address these requirements.
Learn about key concerns emerging from crises and scandals within the banking
and finance world. How regulators have implemented more stringent regulations,
improved monitoring and detection capabilities, and imposed expectations to
enhance detection of internal and external misconduct.
Apply key concepts and themes to real-world problems that require a technological
solution. Team up with fellow students to prepare and propose a solution, which can
then be presented to a FinTech accelerator for validation and discussion. The projects
will be developed in collaboration with financial services companies. This provides
an opportunity for you to develop and apply problem-solving skills learnt in Problem
Solving Methods and integrate various tools throughout the program.
To help you graduate from one of the world’s leading universities, we’re
here to support you, every step of the way. The design of our online
learning environment seamlessly fits into your busy lifestyle. You’ll
have access to course resources on any device, at any time.
Our academics are some of the best in the world, so you can take
confidence in knowing that your online learning experience will have
the same high standard as the on-campus experience.
Visit our website for up-to-date information. Fees apply to 2021 only.
Fees are adjusted on an annual basis and these fees should only be used as a guide.
Nested qualifications
The Master of Financial Technology also includes a Graduate Certificate in Financial Technology and
a Graduate Diploma in Financial Technology. The Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma are both
entry and exit points for the program.
For those who do not qualify for direct entry into the master’s program, you may be eligible for entry
into the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma. You can articulate from this into the master’s
program (upon successful completion of the Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma). Alternatively,
if for whatever reason you choose not to continue to complete the master’s program, you can exit with
a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma.
Study plans and completion times might vary depending on elective choice, RPL, leave and subject availability.
For more information, speak with a Student Advisor.
Get in touch
Our Student Enrolment Advisors are here to help you with all
your program and enrolment queries.
studyonline.unsw.edu.au
future-student@studyonline.unsw.edu.au
Have a question?
Book a 15-minute chat with Schedule a call
a Student Advisor
This course gives an overview of significant changes that have recently occurred
in the financial services industry. It includes a series of discussions of the major
disruption concepts in this space, highlighting the main categories of business
models adopted, the skills required to succeed in this industry, and the future
career opportunities available.
Decentralised
Finance
Course overview
This course gives students an introduction to blockchain and cryptocurrency. The course
begins with a brief history and overview of this new paradigm, and it aims to highlight
decentralisation as the key difference to traditional finance.
The second half of the course provides an overview of new developments and
financial applications in the ecosystem such as raising capital, trading, credit and
decentralised organisation.
This course focuses on the set of rules, controls, policies, and resolutions put in place to
dictate corporate behaviour in the FinTech industry.
The last few decades have seen rapid growth in regulations, aimed at addressing key
concerns emerging from crises and scandals within the banking and finance world.
Regulators have implemented more stringent regulations, improved their monitoring and
detection capabilities, and imposed expectations on participants to improve their detection
of internal and external misconduct.
The growth in the finance industry and the move towards electronic banking needs a system-
based approach to regulation management. This course is designed to provide an overview
of the types of requirements that apply to modern financial corporations and the core
nature of systems that are deployed to address these requirements.
Technical Tools
for FinTech
Course overview
This course deals with implications of technological advances on the current and future state
of the financial services industry.
Course overview
This course applies the techniques and methodologies covered in ZZBU8504 Technical Tools
for FinTech to solve real problems in the financial services industry. A hands-on approach to the
course helps students to develop their toolkit for solving problems in derivative valuation, risk
analytics, and standard statistical modelling.
In addition, advanced topics on time-series data, sentiment analysis, and graphical visualisation
methods will be covered. This course emphasises applications in finance.
Data Management
for FinTech
Course overview
This course covers the implications of technological advances on the current and future state
of the financial services industry. It introduces the main financial databases and the methods to
manage such data.
This course examines the various algorithms used by robo-advisors to generate automated
investment solutions. It covers a wide range of financial models in the areas of investment analysis,
portfolio theory, portfolio risk management, and investment style analysis.
The methods examined include the Markowitz approach, the Black-Litterman model, and a mix
of quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The course also examines the implementation
challenges associated with these methods and discusses the disruption potential that still exists in
this FinTech subdomain.
Lastly, this course analyses the most recent academic research on this topic, to better understand
the promises and pitfalls of robo-advisors.
Course project
example:
The project for this course will be to create
a robo-advisor from scratch then challenge
students to propose relevant extensions to the
baseline algorithm.
This course provides an in-depth exposition of payment and transfer systems as related to technological
changes. Payments and transfers are one of the fastest-growing segments and are at the forefront of
FinTech evolution.
The course covers a brief history of payments and transfers, starting with barter up to discussing the most
recent digital advancements. This is a case study-driven course with industry practitioners providing an
insight into relevant challenges and solutions. Here we cover payment gateway providers and underlying
disruptive technologies, right through to the domain of digital cash messages and crypto platforms.
Tech Disruption in
Funding and Lending
Course overview
This course deals with funding and lending from a financial perspective in the age of constant
technological change. It includes the theoretical underpinnings of pricing and valuations of capital
raising, funding and lending from the perspective of financial institutions and is supported by
academic research.
Students then proceed to explore state-of-the-art technologies relevant in this space. Topics
included, but not limited to, are IPOs, ICOs, crowdfunding, neo-banks and technological companies
entering the banking sphere. These are explored in detail with the provision of real-world case
studies.
Finally, the course aims to expand on previous discussions by looking at applied funding and lending
use cases as seen from the customer perspective, either as an individual, small business enterprise,
or a large corporation. Extensive use of academic research is used to highlight practical attributes
of technological changes across capital raising, funding and lending. Guest lecturers provide
constructive scenarios to enhance and enforce the main points of the topics covered.
This course covers financial risk management from a FinTech perspective culminating into a specific
area of insurance, InsurTech. Financial risk management is prone to tech disruption. This course begins
with financial theories related to pricing, hedging and risk management followed by an in-depth look
into the practical mechanics of applied risk management case-studies and relevant academic research.
The second part of the course aims at exploring a specific field, insurance. Guest speakers are asked
to highlight particular areas prone to disruption across insurance specialisations. Knowledge of
technologies used in InsurTech is of ever-increasing importance for market practitioners and ultimately
customers to comprehend. The course elevates the notion that it is the core financial risk management
theories that drive technological change in addition to pure technological advancement.
The course concludes with a critical assessment and analysis of one InsurTech company from a
financial risk management standpoint.
Assessment example:
The course concludes with a critical assessment
and analysis of one InsurTech company from a
financial risk management standpoint.
Course overview
This course intends to expose students to the challenges associated with creating and managing a startup
in the FinTech industry. It covers the typical requirements for any startup firm, such as the design of a
business plan, fundraising, mentoring, among others.
(i) the governance issues faced by startups in the heavily regulated FinTech space
(ii) the competitive mass that is needed to enter into spaces already dominated by large organisations
(iii) the design of cost-effective marketing strategies to capture early adopters, when there is
typically a narrow window to scale up
(iv) the cybersecurity and data privacy issues, which are especially crucial for FinTech firms
(v) other issues, such as recruiting strategies, and tactics to create sustainable cash-flow profiles.
Applied FinTech
project*
Course overview