Starting in spring 2018, Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business will offer a new elective course focused on fintech and blockchain. Specifically, FINC 258 will go into depth about how these technologies are disrupting financial systems and impacting business. The course has been designed to help students develop an understanding of the evolution and history of fintech and blockchain technology while also introducing other elements of financial technology.
John Jacobs, executive director of the Center for Financial Markets and Policy, will teach the course alongside Perianne Boring, founder and president of the Chamber of Digital Commerce. The class curriculum will center around case studies on how companies are using technology to solve problems within financial services.
“The intersection of technology and financial services is one of the fastest-growing areas today,” Jacobs in a news release. “It could be as important as the Internet was,” he said. “There’s a whole host of opportunities. We hope to arm students with the ability to analyze those opportunities, whether they work for a startup or a big organization.” He noted that student interest helped drive creation of this new elective.
The class will also feature guest speakers who work for fintech companies or who have used fintech in companies in other industries. In the end, Jacobs hopes that it will give students a better understanding of how quickly technology moves and, specifically, how fintech can revolutionize or disrupt the existing system.
“With the right frame of reference, students can see where authentic blockchain application is, whether that’s as big as the banking system of an African nation or as small as a payment customer interface,” explained Jacobs.
To learn more about FINC 258 and the other opportunities for students to explore fintech at Georgetown McDonough, including the Georgetown Fintech student club, visit the school website.
