FinTech Ethics and Risks

Introduction: Ethics of Finance and Emerging Technologies This module will provide a historical and broad perspective of ethical issues relating to finance and the introduction or adoption of emerging technologies. Blockchain and its Governance This module will expand off the Introduction to FinTech course (https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-fintech), to consider the most relevant and ethical ways such technology should be implemented, in a number of different industries or product segmentation. In particular, data collection, customer privacy, and transactional issues will be covered in this module. Cybersecurity & Crimes FinTech can make it easier and cheaper for banks to monitor and control financial transactions, thus reducing fraud and reducing bank costs. But at the same time, these tools can be used to steal money and other corporate secrets, hide illegality (including purchases of weapons, drugs, etc.), and finance terrorists and other criminal organizations. Accordingly, this module will consider the implications of such important issues. AI & FinTech In this module we will consider the implications of building our own concepts of human morality into amoral machines, as well as a consideration of whether human biases and prejudices can or will be built into such mechanisms, whether purposefully or unintentionally. Institutionalization vs. Decentralization One of the key reasons people are calling for FinTech is for its decentralized nature, thus democratizing finance, and allowing regular people to participate more fully and affordably in financial transactions through technologies like cryptocurrencies, non-government issued IDs, and P2P lending. In this module we will address some large questions, considering whether FinTech should lead to a decentralized, democratized system of finance. Or whether existing institutions will adopt FinTech strategies to cement their existing hold on the financial markets. Big Questions Relating to the Introduction of FinTech In this final module, we will consider some of the many outstanding questions and purposes of introducing FinTech to the world, exploring the many ways that FinTech can both and hurt society. We will discuss financial inclusion, sustainable development, and many other positive aspects of FinTech development. Conversely, we will also consider how these same technologies and solutions could potentially be used to inhibit access to financial markets, or worse.