MGMT 655: FINTECH, CRYPTO, & BLOCKCHAIN
Spring 2026 · Section 001 · CRN 25345
We consider the financial services industry in an era of rapid disruption. We analyze how firms like Square, PayPal, Stripe, Affirm or Robinhood are disrupting the value chain in financial services. Why are traditional incumbents missing out on innovation opportunities? What drives the development of new disruptive platforms for processing payments, loans or investments? What are the sources of funding for disruptors? How are Asian fintech dragons redefining financial services through e-commerce and social payments? How are these new technologies democratizing access and improving financial inclusion? A wave of new technologies is accelerating the disruption: blockchain, cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence and robotics. In November of 2021, the market capitalization of crypto assets briefly surpassed the $3 trillion mark. With massive monetary stimuli around the globe because of the pandemic, bitcoin has attracted the attention of investors who consider it a reserve asset. Blockchain, the underlying technology of cryptocurrencies, is often characterized as the internet of value. Understand the design principles of the blockchain economy. Explore its potential impact on financial services and how it may empower new decentralized business models. Study the main types of crypto assets (bitcoin, ethereum, tokens, stablecoins and privacy), and how they are issued and held. Analyze the potential application of this “protocol of truth,” beyond currency. Understand the implementation challenges ahead. Look into the next wave of technologies which are likely to further accelerate the disruption: embedded hardware IoT, API-based open connectivity, genAI and biometrics.
- Credits
- 75
- Instructors
- Manolo Sanchez Rodriguez