The Open University has teamed up with UK fintech trade body Innovate Finance to launch the world's first introductory course to financial technology.
The 50 hour online 'Fintech 101: Understanding Financial Technology' course will examine the "origins of FinTech and its role in transforming the financial services landscape since the economic crash of 2008," says the OU.
Innovate Finance, the industry body set up last year to be the voice of UK fintech, has helped shape the curriculum with input from its members, including startups such as The Real Asset Company, Percentile and Ratesetter and big firms MasterCard and Lloyds Bank.
Global investment in fintech-related activity has tripled in the last year from $4 billion to $12 billion across more than 730 deals and projections for annual global investment to reach $46 billion in 2020.
With the value of the industry estimated to be worth £20 billion to the UK economy, the Open University says that understanding fintech is vital for people seeking careers in financial services and that its course will target professionals seeking to gain insight into the technological changes shaping their future.
Liz Moody, senior lecturer, executive education, OU, says: "FinTech is changing rapidly with new sub-sectors emerging all the time, drawing in new names and organisations taking a customer centric view of financial services.
"The course is designed to provide a comprehensive overview for people either working in or interested in innovating in this space creating products and access to services supported by technology. Our job is to encourage critical thinking in students through learning they can readily apply in their workplace."