Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, is a world leader in financial executive education and delivers a unique experience for leading professionals and organisations to drive forward the fintech agenda by studying online.

The global fintech sector is expected to reach a market value of £228 billion ($305 billion) by 2025 – and Oxford Saïd is at the forefront of preparing professionals to meet the future challenges head-on.

The School, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, is proud of the key figures and organisations that have already enjoyed the benefits of studying remotely in a format which suits them, while at the same time not missing out on the unique Oxford experience.

All its programmes are founded on critical thinking from Oxford Saïd and the wider University of Oxford and offer unique development options for professionals and organisations.

Community

Oxford Saïd and the University have helped to foster internationally successful fintech offerings including Accomable, Banco Mare, Funding Circle, Onfido, Seedrs and Zoona.

This makes Oxford the natural place to study the world of fintech and join a vibrant network operating within this burgeoning sector. The community is also proud to include some of the most influential women in fintech; Shefali Roy, Janine Hirt, Lucy Demery, and Bijna K. Dasani.

Partnerships

Partnered with Esme Learning, the AI-powered digital learning platform, the School offers a wide-ranging variety of industry-leading, cutting-edge programmes which can be studied from anywhere in the world.

The relationship has led to the creation of the recently launched Oxford Digital Finance Executive Series: a dynamic set of six-week online executive education programmes.

The series sees executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals supporting the corporate, financial and professional services sectors take a choice of three out of five courses to help them navigate the most critical challenges facing their industry in coming years.

The programmes are taught using a blend of video instruction, AI coaching, and small-group collaborative learning.

Caroline Williams, Director, Open Executive Education, Oxford Saïd, says: “Experience has shown change is accelerated through cross pollination of perspectives”.

The launch of this critical development pathway showcases the benefit of acquiring multidisciplinary lenses to seize opportunities or navigate challenges successfully within a transformational environment.’

Dynamic research

Online programmes are taught by faculty members at the School who have worked in the fintech industry and have a lens on what’s happening right now, with a constant eye on the future. Pinar Ozcan is Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and co-director of the Oxford Fintech Programme, the Oxford AI in Fintech and Open Banking Programme, and director of the Oxford Digital Disruption and Platforms Programme.

Speaking about the real-world application of the Oxford AI in Fintech and Open Banking Programme, Pinar said: “In a world where big data and consequently data-driven businesses are disrupting all markets, it is critical for those working in finance to have a clear understanding of how data and AI are transforming their industry and what they can do about it”.

Pinar, who specialises in entrepreneurship and strategy in technology markets, is also director of the Oxford Future of Finance and Technology (fintech) Initiative.

The initiative represents a partner- ship between Oxford Saïd and industry, exploring how technology disruption in the financial sector is leading to global changes in business, policy and society and progressing research to aid the development of government policies and industry best practices.

Its latest research includes profiling female founders of fintech ventures around the world as more and more women progress in the area, and how the banking sector will develop considering Open Banking regulations.

The teaching team

Let us introduce you to other key faculty members whose valued voices add rich texture to the online fintech programmes at Oxford Saïd.

  • Nir Vulkan is Associate Professor of Business Economics and co-director of the Oxford Fintech Programme, with Pinar. Nir is a leading authority on fintech, e-commerce and market design, and on applied research and teaching on hedge funds.
  • Martin Schmalz is Associate Professor of Finance and co-director of the Oxford Blockchain Strategy Programme with industry expert Meltem Demirors, and co-director of the Oxford AI in Fintech and Open Banking Programme with Pinar. Martin is a financial economist with a particular interest in how finance interacts with other fields of economics, including industrial organisation, labour economics, behavioural economics, monetary economics and micro-economic theory.
  • Sadie Creese, Professor of Cyber Security, is Programme Director of the Oxford Cyber Security for Leaders Programme. Sadie investigates how public and private sector stakeholders can detect and identify cybersecurity threats in advance, alongside a wide range of research topics.
  • Thomas Hellman, DPWorld Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, is among the research team behind the Oxford Future of Finance and Technology (Fintech) Initiative. Thomas’s research spans a spectrum of entrepreneurial finance, corporate finance, economic theory, empirical data analysis, innovation and strategic management.
  • Alan Morrison is Professor of Law and Finance. A former banker, Alan’s areas of expertise include bank regulation, investment banking, bank supervision and corporate governance.
  • Alex Connock is Fellow in Management Practice. Alex brings a wealth of experience, including creating and growing several media companies, and from 2012-17, enjoying the position of Managing Director of TV at digital production business Endemol Shine North (now Workerbee). He has worked for BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and People Magazine, and for hundreds of commercial clients and broadcasters via his production companies and is a voting member at BAFTA.
  • Felipe Thomaz, Associate Professor of Marketing. Felipe recently received an Outstanding Reviewer Award from the Journal of Consumer Research, and his well-respected research focuses on empirically modelling marketing strategy issues. Currently, this research is leading to the incorporation of social networks into the understanding of black markets (digital or otherwise) and strategies developed to stunt their growth and proliferation.

Learn more about Esme Learning and Oxford Saïd’s partnership, and the programmes on offer, here.