Course 2025-2026 a.y.

Classes: 31 (II sem.)

Instructors:
Class 31: ANNA EUGENIA OMARINI

None, in particular. Although it is suggested that students have attended the basic course in Financial Markets and Institutions in order to fully exploit the value of the course.

As digital transformation reshapes global finance, understanding FinTech has become essential for future leaders and professionals aiming to operate in an increasingly innovation-driven environment. The banking industry is undergoing a profound and continuous transformation. Financial digital technologies — including Open APIs, cloud computing, advanced algorithms, and Big Data — are reshaping the landscape of financial services, alongside evolving regulations and increasing competitive pressure. FinTech companies and financial technologies are both at the forefront of this change, driving innovation and creating new services, structures and business models. As a result, the industry is moving toward broader ecosystems that connect diverse and interdependent players across multiple sectors. In this dynamic environment, FinTechs, traditional financial institutions, and Big Tech firms are all redefining how value is created and delivered to customers. This course aims to offer an interdisciplinary understanding of how FinTech is transforming various segments of the financial industry — from payments and lending to investment and wealth management. Students will explore how market conditions and competitive dynamics are evolving and interacting with each other. They will also explore regulatory frameworks and the key managerial implications for businesses, stakeholders, and the industry as a whole.

The course provides students with professional knowledge and analytical tools to understand and manage the ongoing transformation of the financial services industry. It adopts a dual analytical perspective, addressing both professionals working within banks (particularly retail and private institutions) and FinTech companies, as well as students interested in developing their own FinTech ventures.

It is also intended for those who, for professional or academic reasons, collaborate with financial institutions as external partners — such as consultants, private equity and venture capital professionals, and technology providers.

 

The curriculum offers a comprehensive view of the banking industry's evolution, fostering a solid understanding of how banks and FinTechs are reshaping the sector, redefining competitive dynamics and introducing new challenges and opportunities.

 

The course is structured around major vertical areas — payments, lending, investments, and neobanking. Each area is examined through a detailed analysis of the market landscape and business models, exploring their evolution from current practices toward future configurations.

Through this learning path, students will gain insight into strategic frameworks, industry economics, and applied technologies, while understanding how competition and innovation are transforming business structures and customer expectations.

 

The course combines theoretical foundations with practical applications and adopts an interdisciplinary and interactive approach.

It aims to develop students’ critical thinking, strategic decision-making, and entrepreneurial capabilities.

 

Teaching methods include case studies, guest lectures from industry experts, and class discussions on emerging topics.

Active participation is strongly encouraged and constitutes an essential part of the learning process.

At the end of the course student will be able to...

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Understand the main forces driving digital innovation and financial transformation.

• Identify and explain the key domains of FinTech and their technological, economic, and regulatory drivers.

• Analyse the evolution of the FinTech market and articulate the main emerging trends and transformations in the sector.

• Outline and evaluate the major challenges and opportunities that FinTech companies and incumbent financial institutions will face in the coming years.

• Recognise how digital platforms and ecosystems are reshaping business models and customer relationships in financial services.

 

The course is structured into four main modules designed to:

1. Understand the fundamentals of the banking business and the current FinTech landscape — including industry drivers, key product areas (money and payments, lending, investments), and future industry trends.

2. Develop a comprehensive understanding of market structure and digital transformation — including supply-demand dynamics, value chains, and the roles of incumbents and new entrants.

3. Explore real-world cases of financial technologies to understand how innovation is transforming the customer banking experience.

4. Build a forward-looking perspective to interpret the new competitive frameworks and strategic challenges of the financial services industry.

 

By the end of the course, students will have:

• Acquired a conceptual and applied understanding of how digital transformation is redefining competition and value creation in financial services.

• Developed the ability to critically assess FinTech innovations and their strategic implications.

• Gained exposure to best practices from digital industries and learned how financial institutions are adapting to new competitive rules.

• Strengthened their interdisciplinary and critical thinking skills, enabling them to:

  • Identify the main forces of financial transformation.

  • Explain the origins and drivers of the FinTech phenomenon.

  • Evaluate the features transforming financial services.

  • Discuss the impact of FinTech on financial markets and institutions.

  • Reflect on the consistency of FinTech business models and the role of digital ecosystems.

At the end of the course student will be able to...

At the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Analyze the structural transformations occurring in the financial sector and their implications for industry participants.

• Assess the impact of key environmental forces — such as technological innovation, regulation, and competition — on the strategies and performance of both banks and FinTech companies.

• Evaluate the social and economic role of FinTech firms within modern financial systems.

• Examine and compare the resilience and sustainability of different FinTech business models under changing market conditions.

• Conduct independent research and critical reviews of academic and professional literature in the field of banking and FinTech, identifying and evaluating relevant insights for managerial and strategic decision-making.

• Apply theoretical and empirical knowledge to real-world case studies, learning from the experiences of leading financial and technological organizations facing digital transformation challenges.

 

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Collaborative Works / Assignments
• Interaction/Gamification

The learning experience of this course combines face-to-face lectures with case discussions, group work, real-world examples, and interactions with guest speakers from the banking, FinTech, and technology industries.

 

Lectures introduce and explain the main topics covered in the syllabus, integrating readings, case studies, and assignments. Class sessions are designed to be interactive: students are expected to prepare the required materials in advance and to actively participate in discussions. The objective is to deepen understanding of the economics and management of FinTech, while fostering both creative and entrepreneurial thinking.

 

Guest speakers include industry professionals such as consultants, founders of early-stage startups and established FinTech firms, executives from technology companies and financial institutions, and venture capitalists. These sessions provide direct exposure to current challenges and innovation practices in the industry.

 

Group projects offer students the opportunity to apply the concepts and tools introduced in class to real or simulated business contexts. Several project formats are available and will be explained in detail during the first session. Group work enhances students’ ability to collaborate, analyse complex problems, and propose innovative solutions.

	Continuous assessment	Partial exams	General exam
Written individual exam (traditional/online)			x
Collaborative Works / Assignment (report, exercise, presentation, project work etc.)	x

Students may choose the attending status, which provides a distinct learning experience and an alternative evaluation structure.

 

The final grade is based on the following components:

• Group assignments (55%) – Students will complete two group projects, each with a different weight, focus and specific evaluation criteria. Together, they account for 55% of the final grade. The assignments are designed to assess students’ ability to:

  • apply the tools and methodologies learned during the course;

  • collaborate effectively within a team environment;

  • organise, synthesise, and present results clearly and professionally.

• Final written exam (45%) – The final assessment consists of open-ended (essay-style) questions aimed at evaluating the student’s overall understanding of key concepts, analytical frameworks, and managerial implications discussed during the course.

 

Detailed guidelines and grading criteria will be provided during the first class session.

The final grade is based entirely on an individual written exam covering the topics included in the syllabus.

 

The final assessment consists of open-ended (essay-style) questions aimed at evaluating the student’s overall understanding of key concepts, analytical frameworks, and managerial implications as per the syllabus.

 

Additional instructions will be provided during the first lesson in class, and on the course platform.

• Book: Omarini A., 2019, Banks and Banking: Digital Transformation and the Hype of Fintech. Business impacts, new frameworks and managerial implications, McGraw-Hill publisher

The book is available in both a paper and an ebook version.

 

• Other relevant materials (articles, cases, class notes, news articles, slides) are posted on the Bboard and/or handed out in class.

 

 

Further details will be provided during the first lesson in class and on the course platform.

 

• Book: Omarini A., 2019, Banks and Banking: Digital Transformation and the Hype of Fintech. Business impacts, new frameworks and managerial implications, McGraw-Hill publisher

The book is available in both a paper and an ebook version.

 

• Other relevant materials (articles, cases, class notes, news articles, slides) are posted on the Bboard.

 

 

Further details will be provided during the first lesson in class and on the course platform.