MAF716 - Fintech Foundations and Cryptocurrencies
Unit details
| Year | 2026 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Online Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 1: Mingyi Li Trimester 2: Fengfei Li |
| Previously: | Introduction to Fintech |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | Nil |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 1 x 2 hour on-campus (live streamed) lecture (recordings provided) each week and 1 x 1 hour on-campus seminar (recordings provided) each week |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | 1 x 2 hour recorded lecture each week and 1 x 1 hour online seminar (recordings provided) each week |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150 hours over the trimester undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include 3 face-to-face contact hours each week (1 x 3 hour seminar) for on-campus students. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
Content
This unit focuses on the connection between banking, finance and technology. Students will learn how this emerging sector uses the technology to improve and make financial services more accessible to the wider public. Topics such as digital payments and remittances, crowd funding, blockchain and cryptocurrencies will be covered. Case studies to be explored include P2P (Peer to Peer) funding, digital currency (Bitcoin), settlement (Blockchain) and financial advisory.
Learning outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Explain how banks and other financial service providers respond to emerging financial technology. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO2 | Compare and contrast diverse financial services and technologies to evaluate emerging practices for enhancing the quality of delivery. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO3 | Use Excel or other statistics software to develop, implement and evaluate an optimal trading strategy on cryptocurrencies. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO4 | Propose new solutions using emerging technologies to improve the delivery of financial services to the broader community. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
Assessment
| Assessment Description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: | Part A: 1000 words Part B: 2000 words | Part A: 20% Part B: 20% | Part A: Week 4 Part B: Week 7 |
| Assessment 2: (Group of 3) Case Analysis | equivalent to 3000 words | 30% | Week 9 |
| Assessment 3: (Individual) Project Proposal | 2000 words | 30% | Week 11 |
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
The texts and reading list for MAF716 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
To fully engage with Deakin's learning experiences, students must be able to access and use internet-connected devices as outlined in computing requirements at Deakin.
To support student success at Deakin, we have a bring-your-own-device (BYOD) learning environment that acknowledges that students and educators bring with them the digital tools they regularly use to complete academic tasks. These tools stay with you beyond the classroom, helping you to keep learning, explore ideas more deeply, and connect with knowledge in ways that matter to you.
Students requiring a loan device should visit our Loan Laptop webpage or students requiring longer-term assistance should visit our Student Financial Assistance webpage.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.