UK’s first Fintech course launches at Strathclyde

A new Masters in Financial Technology is to launch at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow which the institution says will support the digital transformation of Scotland’s financial sector.

The MSc in Financial Technology (Fintech) will give students the financial, programming and analytical skills needed to help companies accelerate transactions and enhance security – and further establish Scotland’s position as a leader in financial innovation.

The move comes after research found Fintech has the potential to create nearly 15,000 jobs in Scotland over 10 years.

The intensive, 12-month programme, starting in September 2017, will combine a rigorous, core academic curriculum with the entrepreneurial and innovative elements of Fintech, including financial method, data analytics, regulation, and the applications of technologies such as blockchain and distributed ledgers.

Daniel Broby, director of Strathclyde’s Centre for Financial Regulation and Innovation, said: “Fintech is developing rapidly, utilising software and programming code in innovative ways. It is driving efficiency up and costs down and the digitalisation of transactions is now a cross- disciplinary science.

“The Scottish financial sector needs to capitalise on Fintech or miss out. Our new course will equip students with the essential skills and knowledge for a career in this field; it combines theory, intensive practice and industrial engagement.

“We are delighted to have received such overwhelming support from the sector in the development of the course. It has been designed to give graduates a clear understanding of what businesses need, and fast-track them into successful careers in the finance sector.”

The new course is being run by Strathclyde Business School, which was named the UK’s Business School of the Year by the Times Higher Education in November. Students will be taught by staff from the Department of Accounting and Finance - which was first in the Complete University Guide Subject League Tables for both 2016 and 2017 – and the Department of Management Science.