FINANCE AND FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGIES

The course provides students with a solid foundation in Corporate Finance, Financial Markets, and the role of Fintech companies, covering the internal and external factors that shape both centralized and decentralized financial systems. Students will develop an understanding of the tools used for investment and financing decisions, the functioning of financial markets, and the mechanisms through which organizations create value and securities are traded. The second half of the course focuses on evaluating the opportunities generated by emerging technologies, whether decentralized or not. Through practical applications, students will acquire basic skills to design, articulate, and present the business plan of a decentralized startup while developing a critical and analytical approach to assessing organizations, strategies, and innovation in the financial sector.

Financial Accounting; Financial Mathematics; Basic Statistical concepts.

The course will provide a solid knowledge of finance. In particular, the intended learning outcomes are reported below in greater detail. Knowledge and Understanding: The course covers the theoretical and methodological foundations of corporate finance, financial markets, and decentralized finance, enabling students to evaluate financing and investment decisions. It introduces the functioning of financial markets, the role of Fintech institutions, and provides practical tools to manage real financial problems. Applying Knowledge and Understanding: Students will be able to quantify the value of projects, companies, and financial assets while considering innovative financing methods and market dynamics. They will compute expected changes in asset prices, understand financial market mechanisms, and evaluate the impact and operations of Fintech companies. Written tests and simulations will reinforce learning. Making Judgments: Using the methodologies acquired, students will collect and interpret real financial data to analyze investment decisions and assess value creation processes at both the corporate and market levels. The course emphasizes solving real business cases, including scenarios involving decentralized finance and Fintech innovation. Communication Skills: Students will develop the ability to communicate financial analysis with precision using the technical and business vocabulary of finance, financial markets, and Fintech. Through lessons, case study discussions, practical exercises, and presentations, students will enhance written and oral communication, critical analysis, and the ability to propose concrete solutions individually and in teams. Learning Skills: Students will acquire analytical tools to approach financial problems in complex and evolving contexts, particularly within financial markets and Fintech environments. They will gain theoretical and practical knowledge to evaluate the functioning of companies and markets, enabling independent study, further academic pursuits, and application of these skills in the workplace.

Time value of money: Present Value and Future Value Bond and stock valuation Investment decisions Risk and return and CAPM Fintech, Decentralized Finance and new technologies

Brealey, R. A., Myers, S. C., and F. Allen, Principles of Corporate Finance, 14th edition, McGraw-Hill Additional literature such as scientific articles and professional websites Professor’s presentations (PDF slides) will be available on the course website. Suggested extra readings: Pedersen N Financial Technology. Korgan Page.

Lectures, exercises, practical cases, professional testimonials.

Attending students: Intermediate Exam (50%), Group project presentations (25%), final exam (1 multi-choice question and 2 open questions) 25%. Non-attending students: written exam (100%) (4 multi-choice questions and 4 open questions) The failure to achieve at least the score of 18/30 will result in failure to pass the exam. The student will be also evaluated on the basis of the individual scores achieved on other activities (eg: participation in class, seminars, practical exercises) through which to understand students' independence of judgment other skills useful for achieving the training objective.

Research Proposal/only empirical