AlmaU and HKU Law launch the Russian-language version of the world’s largest FinTech online course on edX

“Introduction to Fintech” is the world’s largest FinTech online course hosted by the University of Hong Kong (HKU) on the platofrm edX with over 100,000 learners from 209 countries.

Almaty Management University (AlmaU) and HKU, via its HKU-Standard Chartered Foundation FinTech Academy, LiteLab@HKU and Faculty of Law, has launched a Russian-language version of the online course on the edX platform, supported by Kazakhstan’s Astana International Financial Centre – Tech Hub.

“Introduction to Fintech” has six modules on topics such as the basics of “FinTech” and “RegTech”, peculiarities of electronic money circulation, blockchain technologies, smart regulation, artificial intelligence in finance, the financial ecosystem, the activities of financial organizations and startups. As a part of the course, leading practitioners, experts, researchers, and academics provide trainees with an opportunity to learn about historical milestones and cutting-edge advances in financial technology.

“It is very exciting to be working with Almaty Management University in Kazakhstan to broaden the reach of our FinTech education to the learners in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. We hope the launch of the course in the Russian language will serve as a catalyst to further collaborations and knowledge exchanges in the region,” said Douglas Arner, Kerry Holdings Professor of Law at HKU. Professor Arner leads the HKU FinTech team that also offers Professional Certificate in FinTech hosted on the edX platform.

For his part, the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Tech hub MFCA Bekzhan Mutanov said: “In transforming the financial sector, fintech legitimately transforms our daily life. Financial technologies significantly reduce the “costs” of financial institutions at the expense of gradual automation of many processes, especially by reducing the cost of financial services provided. Significantly increases the speed of service and their customer orientation. So, properly disposing of a large array of data, fintech companies are able to pick up financial products personally for each client. Therefore, it is important to introduce the necessary skills to young professionals starting from undergraduate degrees.” Tech Hub of the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) is a partner in the project. It is tasked to develop “a more diverse and knowledgeable fintech space in Kazakhstan”.

“AlmaU’s participation in this project has made it possible to create new areas of growth, exchange experience and knowledge in such promising and relevant areas as FinTech and RegTech. We believe that the presented Russian version will increase the course availability for the Russian-speaking learners from the Eurasian region, especially from the academia. Specialists and experts from the AlmaU International Cooperation Department and the AlmaU School of Engineering Management took part in the implementation of this project. The course “Introduction to FinTech” is integrated into the educational process to prepare specialists in the interdisciplinary approach of  IT and Finance within AlmaU programs,” said Acting Rector of AlmaU Gulnara Kurenkeyeva.

AlmaU implements the educational trajectory “Financial Markets and FinTech” in the bachelor’s degree program “Finance”. Fintech Lab has been operating in AlmaU since March 2019, which was initiated with the aim of training domestic specialists in information technology (blockchain, machine learning), finance, investment, and financial services, who are interested in improving their qualifications, supporting the consistent development of economic and financial science, as well as international research activities. Within the professional business education, AlmaU is running the MBA “Financial Engineering” program, which has successfully passed the international certification by GARP (Global Association of Risk Professionals) and is the only MBA program in Kazakhstan with global accreditation AMBA. Almaty Management University expresses its gratitude to the partners – Faculty of Law HKU and Tech Hub AIFC.

AlmaU Project coordinators:

• Assel Nurgazina, Director of International Office
• Kuanysh Abeshev, Dean of School of Engineering Management

The course is available via https://www.edx.org/course/introduction-to-fintech

* AlmaU, Almaty Management University – is the first private business university in the CIS, founded in 1988.

• AlmaU MBA programs are the only ones in Central Asia that are globally accredited by the MBA Association (AMBA).
• The joint Executive MBA program of AlmaU and St. Petersburg State University was ranked 22nd among the joint programs of the international QS Executive MBA Rankings 2021: Joint Programmes and the 2nd in terms of student profile?. 
• MBA programs – in the top 250 QS World University Rankings: Global MBA 2021.
• MBA programs – in the top 35 QS World University Rankings Asia: MBA 2021.
• AlmaU – No. 2 in the rating of business schools in the CIS according to the Russian analytical center “Expert”.
• AlmaU is ranked # 601-800 in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings (2021).
• Programs “Public Relations”, “Marketing”, “Economics”, “Law”, “Restaurant and Hotel Business” and “Logistics” are included in the top 10 of the national rating of Atameken (2021).

The Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong (HKU) traces its origins to 1969, when a Department of Law was established within the Faculty of Social Sciences. The law school at HKU was designed to increase the supply of lawyers, train lawyers in Hong Kong law rather than just English law and make formal legal education available without the need for students to go overseas. Always international in composition and outlook, the faculty now consists of over 70 full-time academic staff from 17 jurisdictions around the world and has some 2,300 students, many from outside Hong Kong. The faculty is an internationally recognized centre of research in various areas of law, including public law, comparative Chinese law, commercial and financial law, intellectual property and IT law, international economic law and medical ethics and law. The Faculty is a leading legal education provider in Hong Kong.

Tech Hub AIFC  is a meeting point for global startups, entrepreneurs, investors, industry’s top experts and great talent pool.

Our role is to help develop a more diverse and knowledgeable fintech space in Kazakhstan and the region with a pipeline of opportunities for venture capital funds and financial institutions.

Course Introduction to Fintech – in this course, through a series of video lectures, case studies, and assessments you will explore the major areas of FinTech including, beginning with What is FinTech before turning to Money, Payment and Emerging Technologies, Digital Finance and Alternative Finance, FinTech Regulation and RegTech, Data and Security, and the Future of Data Driven Finance, as well as, the core technologies driving FinTech including Blockchain, AI and Big Data. These will set the stage for understanding the FinTech landscape and ecosystem and grappling with the potential direction of future change.