Overview

This course provides business professionals with a strategic understanding of how blockchain is reshaping the financial services industry. You'll begin by building a solid foundation in blockchain fundamentals, including how digital assets, smart contracts, and decentralized systems work. Next, you’ll explore how blockchain is powering the rise of decentralized finance (DeFi), offering new models for asset exchange, identity, and compliance—while addressing long-standing inefficiencies in traditional financial infrastructure. Finally, you’ll examine how blockchain is being applied across fintech, from stablecoins and securities tokens to decentralized insurance, global payments, and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in blockchain economics. By the end of the course, you’ll be equipped to evaluate real-world blockchain use cases, assess risks and opportunities, and make informed decisions about integrating blockchain-based solutions in financial contexts. This course is non-technical (i.e. no coding required) and is intended for a broad audience. It draws on remixed content from our "Blockchain Revolution in Financial Services Specialization" our “Web3 and Blockchain in Global Commerce Specialization,” and our "Generative AI and Blockchain" course.

Syllabus

Blockchain Fundamentals for Fintech

What exactly is blockchain, and why does it matter for the future of finance? In this module, you'll explore the core building blocks of blockchain systems and how they underpin the emerging Web3 ecosystem. You'll learn how blockchain establishes trust without intermediaries, how digital assets and smart contracts work, and what design principles shape blockchain architecture. By the end of this module, you’ll have a solid foundation in blockchain infrastructure and a clear understanding of how these technologies are setting the stage for innovation in fintech.

The Rise of Decentralized Finance (DeFi)

This module examines how blockchain is driving the rise of decentralized finance (DeFi) - a movement that is transforming the foundations of the global financial system. We'll examine how blockchain is being used to address long-standing inefficiencies in the global financial system—from costly settlement delays to fragmented identity verification. You’ll gain insight into how tokenization, distributed identity systems, and smart contracts power decentralized alternatives to traditional financial infrastructure. With attention to regulatory and business implications, this module equips you to critically evaluate the opportunities and limitations of blockchain and DeFi within the evolving fintech landscape.

Blockchain Applications in Fintech

In this final module, we move from theory to practice. You’ll explore real-world use cases of blockchain in fintech, including stablecoins, securities tokens, decentralized insurance, and international payments. You’ll also examine how AI is shaping blockchain-based economic models, from adaptive tokenomics to dynamic incentive systems. Through case studies and applied frameworks, this module equips you to analyze blockchain’s role in driving new business models and creating smarter, more inclusive financial services.