The estimated market size of global FinTech today is trillions of US dollars. With this huge potential, pouring much money and effort into this area is necessary to get an edge over the competition.
The thing about FinTech is that it isn’t just about apps or web tools development. It’s also about technologies that can help develop business operations, boost sales, and build a competitive market edge. It covers a wide range of innovations that’ll make finance easier and better.
If you’re just getting started, we’ve got you covered. Listed here are some of the high-rated courses that can be your best entry points into FinTech.
ACCA’s Cert FinTech
The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) offers Certificates in FinTech for Finance and Business Leaders (Cert FinTech). This professional certificate gives practical insights into FinTech innovations that integrate to transform business models and finance operations in successful organizations. 
It mainly consists of three courses about:  ​
- Managing cyber threats;
- Machine learning with Python; and
- AI and robotic process automation for finance.
These three courses cover around 50 hours of learning, depending on your pace. Since the ACCA offers them, they’re greatly helpful to accountancy and finance professionals, but they can still be relevant for other learners. Its certificate formally recognizes your learning, which is not only for demonstrating your skills to your current or future employers but also as verifiable continuing professional development (CPD).
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Coursera’s FinTech Innovations Specialization
If you’re looking for a beginner-friendly program, consider The Financial Technology (Fintech) Innovations Specialization by Coursera and the University of Michigan. It aims to help learners be familiar with FinTech’s genesis, use cases, and innovations.
At the end of the course, learners are expected to learn about the following:
- Differences between legacy payment systems and payments innovations;
- Credit score and its determinants;
- Smart investing techniques;
- The payment technologies’ future;
- Pros and cons of disruptive capital-raising technology;
- Evolution of AI investing;
- Online wealth management; and
- AI and machine learning’s roles in making trading decisions.
Since it covers varied topics, the course can last up to four months. Although the enrollment and content are free, the course is not. The good news is that there are available scholarships for a selection of learning programs. Plus, on top of the certificates, the assignments, quizzes, and programming homework are all graded with peer feedback will definitely ensure you’ll upskill.
Wharton’s FinTech: Foundations & Applications
If the four-month course on Coursera isn’t your cup of tea, but you still want to learn a similar broad-based course, consider the course FinTech: Foundations & Applications. The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania offers it for all learners at all skill levels who want to learn about FinTech’s foundational understanding.
It covers core finance areas, including:
- Peer-to-peer lending;
- Crowdfunding;
- Portfolio management;
- Modern Investing;
- Technology use for financial regulation;
- Insurance and technology (InsureTech);
- Robo-advising; and
- Blockchain.
The course will provide you with many options in your FinTech career. At the end of it, you’re expected to learn the fundamental building blocks of FinTech and its real-world applications. You can learn from simple aspects like taking out CreditNinja cosigned loans by yourself to more complex ones like blockchain applications. More importantly, its certificate is highly rated and recommended for FinTech, especially beginners.Â
Harvard’s FinTech Certification
This formal certification from Harvard is recommended for those interested in finance, ranging from enthusiasts to professionals. Although it’s an executive-level course meant for top management, business decision-makers, or bankers, it’s an excellent networking opportunity to connect with other fellow students who are finance professionals.
It generally covers:
- How FinTech transformed the banking and payments industry (from how it started to now);
- FinTech’s bleeding edge: lending and crowdfunding;
- AI (artificial intelligence) and machine learning in personal finance; and
- How blockchain and cryptocurrencies affect finance.
The course is fully online. It comes with a brochure with meaty modules, all downloadable on this page. It lasts approximately six weeks, around eight hours per week or shorter, depending on your dedication. The best part is that you can get certified by one of the world’s leading universities for free without traveling halfway across the globe.
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CFTE’s Fintech 360 Programme
The Fintech 360 Programme is an online course designed by the Centre for Finance, Technology, and Entrepreneurship (CFTE), a vocational school in London, England. Unlike Harvard’s FinTech Certification, it’s beginner-friendly. It’s great not only for financial professionals and students but also for non-techies.
Its topics are about:
- FinTech;
- Digital Payments;
- AI and Finance;
- Open Banking; and
- Regulatory Technology (RegTech).
CFTE – Fintech 360 Programme is also shorter than FinTech Certification from Harvard. For 30 days, students must unlock 15-minute daily courses. Besides bite-sized videos that can fit most learners’ busy schedules, the course also comes with online self-paced resources, including quizzes, reading materials, interviews with experts, and real-life case studies. Above all, the course is free, but only within CFTE’s THINK platform 7-day Free Trial.
Final Thoughts
The Fintech industry is rapidly growing and evolving. It’s important to keep up with it to stay ahead of the game and avoid missing out on significant career opportunities. Consider taking any or all of these courses in this post that align with your career goals. While they may take your time and money, they’re personal and career development investments.Â
