ITF 460 | Course Introduction and Application Information - Department of International Trade and Finance

Course Name

New Financial Ecosystem and FinTech

Code	Semester	Theory (hour/week)	Application/Lab (hour/week)	Local Credits	ECTS
ITF 460	Fall/Spring	3	0	3	5

Prerequisites	None
Course Language	English
Course Type	Elective
Course Level	First Cycle
Mode of Delivery	face to face
Teaching Methods and Techniques of the Course	Lecture / Presentation
National Occupation Classification	-
Course Coordinator	Prof. Dr. C Coşkun KÜÇÜKÖZMEN
Course Lecturer(s)	Prof. Dr. C Coşkun KÜÇÜKÖZMEN
Assistant(s)	Arş.Gör. MERT SAĞSÖZ

Course Objectives	With the development of digital banking and communication tools global financial sector is increasingly facing huge disruption. Additionally, with the change in consumer preferences, young generation will prefer mostly mobile technologies for their financial needs rather than face to face to meet. The Fintech is short for finance & technology and is a disruptive issue in the field of financial services. This course aims to provide students with the basic and intermediary level of knowledge and skills required by the Fintech as an emerging discipline. This course also aims to explore how finance is re-shaped by the advances in communication and technology.
Learning Outcomes	The students who succeeded in this course; Describe the major technological innovations and digital transformation trends shaping the global financial services industry. Explain key concepts and mechanisms underlying FinTech, including blockchain, open banking, digital payments, and AI-based financial applications. Analyze how technology drives changes in financial intermediation, market competition, and regulatory frameworks. Identify emerging areas of innovation and evaluate their potential impact on the structure and future of the financial system. Assess the risks, challenges, and opportunities created by technological disruption in finance, including ethical and sustainability aspects.
Course Description	The course contains the new financial ecosystem and the future of financial services. The course is supported by real-world cases and best-practices illustrating the themes of technology, business, and finance. These cases take an in-depth look at relevant topics to help describe and analyze the full breadth of the FinTech field.
Related Sustainable Development Goals

Course Category	Core Courses
	Major Area Courses	X
	Supportive Courses
	Media and Management Skills Courses
	Transferable Skill Courses

Week	Subjects	Related Preparation
1	Introduction to FinTech: Evolution of Financial Intermediation; FinTech 1.0–4.0	Survey of Fintech 2026 Release Chapter 1
2	Thinking FinTech through Financial Functions: Platforms, Data, Embedded Finance and the New Financial Firm	Survey of Fintech 2026 Release Chapter 1
3	Ledger, Trust and Settlement: Blockchain/DLT, Consensus, Finality, Interoperability and Smart Contracts	Survey of Fintech 2026 Release Chapter 2
4	Digital Payments, Open Banking, API Economy and Digital Identity	Survey of Fintech 2026 Release Chapter 3
5	Bitcoin, Crypto-assets, Ethereum and DeFi: New Market Structures	Survey of Fintech 2026 Release Chapter 5
6	Stablecoins, CBDCs and Digital Money Architecture	Survey of Fintech 2026 Release Chapter 6; Tokenisation of Money From Fiat Currencies to Stablecoins pg 491-501
7	AI/ML and the Transformation of Financial Intermediation	Survey of Fintech 2026 Release Chapter 8
8	Midterm Exam
9	GenAI and Agentic Finance: From Algorithms to Autonomous Financial Agents	Survey of Fintech 2026 Release Chapter 8-9
10	Cyber Risk as Financial Risk: AI, Fraud, Operational Resilience and Digital Contagion	Survey of Fintech 2026 Release Chapter 8-9
11	Tokenisation of Financial and Real-World Assets, Tokenised Deposits, Securities, Collateral and Programmable Finance	Tokenisation of Money From Fiat Currencies to Stablecoins pg 451-471
12	BigTech, Platform Finance, RegTech/SupTech and Financial Inclusion	The Regtech Book, 2019 Chapter 11
13	FinTech, Geopolitics and Financial Sovereignty: Türkiye ,Central Asia and Digital Financial Rails , Post-FinTech: Finternet, Programmable Finance, Autonomous Finance	Survey of Fintech 2026 Release Chapter 14
14	Case Competition & Project Presentations
15	Case Competition & Project Presentations
16	Final Exam

Course Notes/Textbooks

Survey of Fintech by John Nofsinger, Sean Stein Smith and Yosef Bonaparte, 2026

Lecturer’s Notes

Suggested Readings/Materials

The FINTECH Book: The Financial Technology Handbook for Investors, Entrepreneurs and Visionaries, Susanne Chishti & Janos Barberis, Wiley ISBN: 978-1-119-21887-6

The Wealthtech Book, Susanne Chishti & Thomas Puschmann Wiley, 2018 ISBN-10 : 1119362156

The RegTech Book Editor(s):Janos Barberis, Douglas W. Arner, Ross P. Buckley, 2019 ISBN:9781119362142

Fintech for Dummies, Steven O’Hanion & Susanne Chishti, A Wiley Brand, 2020

FinTech Innovation: From Robo-Advisors to Goal Based Investing and Gamification, Paolo Sironi, Wiley, 2016

BIS Website (subject to frequent updating and to be informed by the Course Lecturer)

Semester Activities	Number	Weigthing
Participation
Laboratory / Application
Field Work
Quizzes / Studio Critiques
Portfolio
Homework / Assignments
Presentation / Jury	1	20
Project	1	40
Seminar / Workshop
Oral Exams
Midterm	1	40
Final Exam
Total

Weighting of Semester Activities on the Final Grade	2	60
Weighting of End-of-Semester Activities on the Final Grade	1	40
Total

Semester Activities	Number	Duration (Hours)	Workload
Theoretical Course Hours (Including exam week: 16 x total hours)	16	3	48
Laboratory / Application Hours	16		0
Study Hours Out of Class	16	2	32
Field Work			0
Quizzes / Studio Critiques			0
Portfolio			0
Homework / Assignments			0
Presentation / Jury	1	10	10
Project	1	30	30
Seminar / Workshop			0
Oral Exam			0
Midterms	1	30	30
Final Exam			0
		Total	150

#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	* Contribution Level
#	Program Competencies/Outcomes	1	2	3	4	5
1	To be able to identify and analyze problems in the field of trade and finance, and to develop solutions.	-	X	-	-	-
2	To be able to apply theoretical and practical knowledge of international trade and finance to real-world professional contexts.	-	-	X	-	-
3	To be able to critically analyze global market developments and evaluate their implications for business and policy.	-	-	-	X	-
4	To be able to collect, analyze, and interpret financial and economic data by using digital and information technologies effectively.	-	X	-	-	-
5	To be able to understand and interpret legal frameworks, regulations and practices relevant to international trade and finance.	-	-	-	-	-
6	To be able to anticipate, define, and manage financial and trade-related risks through informed decision-making.	-	X	-	-	-
7	To be able to acquire and use verbal, written, and numerical skills effectively for the nature of international trade and finance program.	-	-	-	-	-
8	To be able to obtain, synthesize, and report trade- and finance-related information clearly and effectively.	-	-	-	-	-
9	To be able to contribute effectively as individuals, team members, and leaders in multidisciplinary environments.	-	-	-	-	-
10	To be able to evaluate trade and finance issues from ethical, social, and sustainability perspectives.	-	-	-	-	-
11	To be able to collect data in the areas of International Trade and Finance and communicate with colleagues in a foreign language ("European Language Portfolio Global Scale", Level B1).	-	-	-	-	-
12	To be able to speak a second foreign at a medium level of fluency efficiently.	-	-	-	-	-
13	To be able to relate the knowledge accumulated throughout human history to their field of expertise.	-	-	-	-	-