Swinburne joins forces with Bendigo Bank to establish FinTech degree

Swinburne University of Technology has built on its ongoing partnership with Bendigo and Adelaide Bank to develop and deliver a Master of Financial Technologies (FinTech).

The first of its kind postgraduate course commenced in Semester One 2019, and is delivered through Swinburne’s Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship (AGSE).

“We are very pleased to have Bendigo Bank on board for this new, bold collaboration that is based on the industry co-creation model which runs across all AGSE postgraduate programs,” Director of the AGSE, Mr Alexander Kaiser says.

“This partnership supports Swinburne’s commitment to delivering courses that equip students with cutting-edge industry skills.”

Director of the Master of FinTech, Dr Dimitrios Salampasis, says students will benefit greatly from being taught by leaders in the FinTech space.

“Bendigo Bank will contribute to our students gaining the best of both worlds with industry practitioners – known as pracademics – teaching alongside Swinburne academics,” Dr Salampasis says.

“This practical application provides the ultimate innovative learning experience for our students in terms of relevance and professional exposure to a wide network of capabilities.”

Leading the way in FinTech education

The vision for the Master of FinTech is to meet current and future market demand for skills and qualifications in emerging technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence, while helping students translate technological developments into innovative business models. 

Dr Salampasis says that due to rapid growth in the industry, the course is centred on real industry cases and immersive learning taught by qualified academics and leading industry practitioners.

“Our approach to FinTech education encompasses the applied study of data-oriented, smart technologies and provides our students with comprehensive knowledge and specific, functional skills,” Dr Salampasis says.

“Partnering with Bendigo Bank allows us to move beyond the hype and develop a cutting-edge FinTech curriculum. Guest speakers, real-life case studies, on-site events, access to data, work-integrated learning and applied projects are just a few of the opportunities to arise from this co-creation model.”

Head of University Partnerships at Bendigo Bank, David Tudor, says its FinTech partnerships, innovation and strategic tertiary education partnerships, are proof of the bank’s Australian FinTech leadership.

“The advent of this new, hands-on Master of FinTech course will equip Swinburne students with practical skills and real-world experiences which they can draw on to accelerate their learning and career development.

“The co-designed and co-delivered course will also help us build on our own knowledge base and internal capability, improve productivity and customer experience, and assist in accelerating our vision to be Australia’s bank of choice,” Mr Tudor says.

Strengthening the existing partnership

This collaboration follows the launch of a Community Bank® at Swinburne, which will invest banking profits into projects, scholarships, clubs, and research at Swinburne. 

Swinburne’s Vice-President (Engagement), Jane Ward, believes the partnership with Bendigo Bank reflects the university’s strong commitment to innovating and creating positive social change.

“We seek partnerships where our values align and where there is ample opportunity to benefit our community through funding, research, student placements or other co-created projects,” says Ms Ward.

“Bendigo Bank’s strategic partnership with Swinburne is part of the continuing evolution of the Bendigo Community Bank® model and represents a further opportunity to strengthen our partnership with a leading Australian education institution and share value by feeding into the prosperity of the tertiary education sector,”  says Mr Tudor.

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