• A comprehensive curriculum equips students with practical and industry-ready skills.
• Guest talks and lectures keep students up-to-date on industry trends.
• The school’s location in Singapore means more career prospects and networking opportunities.

From sending money to a friend and investing in mobile apps to the world of cryptocurrencies, fintech is rapidly permeating our lives.

With advances in blockchain, the Internet of Things (IoT), and a growing trend toward embedded finance, the field’s potential is limitless.

In fact, according to estimates by Deloitte, the industry in 2023 is worth approximately US$180 billion, nearly double its size in 2017.

To meet the growing demand for specialized skills in this area, business schools like ESSEC have introduced a technical Fintech Track under the Master in Management (MiM) program.

Exclusive to the Asia-Pacific campus, the Fintech Track equips students with the skills to thrive in the burgeoning sector and succeed across various roles.

An Introduction to Both Finance and Technology

Students can expect to be exposed to various digital tools and technologies such as blockchain, machine learning, and big data analytics, all of which are increasingly becoming essential in the finance industry.

This broad focus aligned perfectly with MiM student Rahul Sharma, who hopes to become a financial analyst in a quantitative hedge fund.

“I’m particularly interested in insurtech and electronic foreign exchanges, and I felt the Fintech Track would support me by covering a wide array of topics ranging from financial markets to the latest fintech trends,” he shares.

Although Rahul is engineering trained, he notes that “courses aren’t too tech-focused, and you don’t need any coding experience as you can learn them during the course.”

And true to ESSEC’s learning by doing pedagogy, classes are taught with real-life applications in mind, making them “extremely practical” and valuable for him to pick up industry-ready skills, he says.

“ESSEC professors do an excellent job connecting theories or methods taught in class to business cases.

They made it easier for me to interpret results and how they make sense in business,” Rahul’s classmate, Yuchen Wu, affirms.

Opportunities Abound in Singapore, a Global Financial Hub

Having the Fintech Track at the ESSEC Asia-Pacific campus also comes with advantages. Singapore was recently ranked as the best financial center in Asia and is considered a thriving hub for fintech.

Over 40 Innovation Labs and 1,000 fintech firms operate in the country, with approximately US$3.9 billion invested in the industry—all of which brings the potential for exciting fintech careers.

Besides this, MiM students also have abundant exposure to the industry through talks with guest speakers and lecturers.

These sessions enable students to build a network of contacts within the industry, which can be valuable when seeking employment opportunities after graduation.

“I was impressed by the quality of the speakers. It was really different from just going through theoretical knowledge in class,” Yuchen says, adding that to him, these events have been a significant highlight of the program.

“Interactions with experts allowed me to broaden my scope and gain a deep insight into my career goals,” Rahul agrees.

“My favorite experience was when guest lecturer Mr. Hai Ling Poh taught us Digital Financial Platforms and Intermediation. It was exciting to hear about the market trends and how past actions affected the industry!”

Valuable Guest Talks and Lectures

To Yuchen, data skills, industry exposure, and potential opportunities are all why he chose to join the Fintech Track despite being interested in a career in consulting.

“I’ve learned about different coding languages, which I believe will make me more comfortable using data at work and improve my ability to identify trends as a consultant,” he says.

In addition, he notes that the topics covered are relevant in other industries. “In a consulting case I did last year, I saw logistics companies using blockchains to transmit information for better shipping transparency,” he explains.

“Learning about topics like this can enhance my technical background and improve my overall skills.”

So, who is the Fintech Track of the MiM program suitable for?

His answer is: “Anyone from a business background and hopes to gain technical skills. The track is a great combination of finance and data science, which affects almost all fields of business.

Whether you are considering moving into a technical role or just interested in improving your data analytical skills, this course is for you.”