The University of Lodz in Poland has welcomed the first 100 graduates to a new degree course in 'Digital Banking and Finance'.
The three-year programme is sponsored by Polish direct bank mBank in partnership with Accenture under an initiative to school a new generation of graduates with the skills required to understand the changing nature of banking in the digital age.
Offered under the University's Faculty of Economics and Sociology, students can opt to take one of two modules: Banking 3.0 or IT in Finance. The courses covers all aspects of modern financial services and the disruptive forces that are reshaping the industry, offering a deep dive into the digital economy, Web programming, financial analytics, markets and products.
The programme has proved popular with tech-literate Polish youth, attracting 300 applicants for the 100 place on the course.
"Business2universities programmes are a valuable part of growth strategies for the biggest companies all over the world," says mBank head of retail banking Cezary Kocik "mBank joined this wave because we understand that in order to remain on the upswing it is necessary to have constant access to the best-educated and experienced people. And we have to think of our future today before valuable human resources bypass banking and transfer to other competitors."
Earlier this year, The Open University began accepting applicants for a new 50-hour online 'Fintech 101: Understanding Financial Technology' course in partnership with UK trade body Innovate Finance. The curriculum examines the 'origins of FinTech and its role in transforming the financial services landscape since the economic crash of 2008'.