Over the course of the past decade, the world has witnessed the rise and many falls of Bitcoin. The promise of cryptocurrency and the initial wave of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) led many to tout the underlying blockchain technology as “revolutionary”—the next major disruptor of the global financial system. Following declining values in most cryptocurrencies, […]
Financial Technology, or FinTech, has gained significant traction in recent years, especially as digital transformation becomes a core priority for effective business development within financial institutions. According to Accenture, the global FinTech sector has attracted more than $50 billion in investment since 2010. Indeed, many developed countries around the world are emerging as start-up hubs, […]
View the full report, “Inclusive Digital Transformation in India: Improving Digital Financial Services for the Poor Through Human-centered Design.” Gandhali, a farmer living in rural Bihar, India, doesn’t own a mobile phone; she borrows her son’s to talk with her brother in the next village. She has a bank account, but resents the half-day trip […]
Just getting started learning about blockchain? This primer from DI professor, Karim Lakhani is the place to start. In this HBR Whiteboard Session, Professor Lakhani explains how the blockchain works and why we should care. Finally, Lakhani provides a brief roadmap for leaders looking to implement the promising technology within their own organizations.
With a finance empire spanning mobile/online payments, wealth management, digital-first banking, credit scoring, and yes, cryptocurrencies, Ant Financial is one of the most influential fintech companies in the world. This case from DI professor Feng Zhu on how Ant Financial has managed its growth strategy is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the current state of fintech innovation today.
Cryptocurrency certainly has its appeal. The lack of middle men or local regulatory bodies make it an efficient transaction method, and many in the finance industry now see digital currencies as the natural and unavoidable future. But is the new technology worth the hype? Professor emeritus James Haskett takes a look back at the meteoric rise of another trend in finance – hedge funds – and determines that the answer is ‘maybe’.
In a way, 2017 was the year of the ICO. 2017 saw over 700 initial coin offerings will almost $5 billion raised according to ICO Data (compared with less than $1 billion in 2016). It is no surprise then that this fundraising phenomenon has left the finance world and VC firms in particular with a lot to talk about. This article from Harvard Business Review highlights some of the advantages and disadvantages of this disruptive new fundraising tactic.
Blockchain is one of a handful of technologies poised to transform a multitude of industries, and yet its promise remains relatively unrealized. However, HBS alumnus Yezi Peng (MBA 2017) thinks that the blockchain platform Ethereum might just have the power to usher blockchain into widespread usage.
