FBF introduces new courses

Front view of FBF

The Department of Economics of the Faculty of Business and Finance (FBF) introduced two new courses for the May 2018 intake, namely “UBEA2183 Money and Financial Technology” and “UBEA2173 Current Issues in Economics and Finance” under the Bachelor of Economics (Hons) Financial Economics programme.

“This is the first time the faculty is offering such courses. We are excited because it is a new course for us to explore with the students and we will be using a different teaching approach. Rather than the conventional teaching methods, we will look into methods that would allow students to express their creativity and help them develop the important skills. These courses will also expose students to the latest issues and keep them updated on the current trends of the industry that is changing due to the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” said Department of Economics Head Thavamalar Ganapathy.

Overseeing the “Money and Financial Technology” (Money and FinTech) course is FBF lecturer Dr Liew Chung Yee who mentioned that the course has become one of the most rapidly developed sectors in the financial industry.

“FinTech has arguably democratised financial services and allowed non-traditional firms to enter the financial market. It has also become a key player that can function well not only in firms operating in the financial services sector but in other industries as well. So with this course, we hope to further explore how FinTech impacts payment systems, the effectiveness of monetary policy and better understand the role of traditional banking system,” said Dr Liew.

The course will consist of two parts, which will first introduce students to the concept and functions of money and discuss the role of centralised financial intermediaries in the modern economy. The course will also draw attention to the transmissions of monetary policy and regulation of centralised financial intermediaries to avoid systemic crises.

The second part of the course will enable students to understand the evolving role of money and monetary policy along with the progress of financial innovation in the banking and payment systems in the past. Students will also be able to explore the development of financial technology in the recent years that has given rise to the de-centralised financial platforms that could reshape the landscape of monetary system and the conduct of monetary policy.

Learning outcomes of this course will also include students’ abilities to produce an analysis of report on various policy issues based on the concepts, theories and models of monetary economics, along with the ability to evaluate the roles and effects of public and monetary economics on real-world issues. The course will also focus on instilling students with transferable skills such as technical, research, problem-solving, time management and communication skills.

“This course will essentially help students to understand what industry players, within the financial sector, think about their core business models and how they embrace digital innovations. With this knowledge, students will have an added advantage as they work in the financial sector,” said Dr Liew.

Meanwhile, the “Current Issues in Economics and Finance” course, under the supervision of FBF lecturer Kuar Lok Sin, will enable students to explore various current issues happening in Malaysia in particular and the world in general. It will also enable students to keep themselves updated on the current issues that are important to economics and finance.

Learning outcomes of this course will include the ability for students to demonstrate understanding of the topical issues related to economics and finance along with its underlying mechanism, the ability to communicate their viewpoints on the issues effectively and the ability to evaluate the implication of the topical issues and appropriate policy responses.