The Globefin class
The Globefin class is a set of resources to use for the study of financial innovation and comparative financial services. The class includes elements of Financial Technology and Venture Finance. Versions of this class have been taught by Shane Hadden at the University of Kentucky since 2017. The class is designed for various types of learning, including study abroad and COIL.
COIL: UK/UPC
The first COIL version of the Globefin class was taught in the Fall of 2025 by Shane Hadden at the University of Kentucky and Jorge Aquije at Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC) in Lima, Peru. The class was made up of 20 students from both UK and UPC. The UK students were in person with the UPC students on Zoom. Both Professor Hadden and Professor Aquije traveled to the other school for in-person teaching. The students studied how to create a fintech start-up in Lima, Peru and Lexington, Kentucky. The students were placed into bi-national groups of four at the beginning of the semester and prepared a start-up pitch for the final presentation. During the semester the students compared Lexington and Lima in terms of financial problems, financial services and the start-up process. The students also learned the basics of financial technology and venture finance.
Example Syllabus Components for a General Class
This is for a class that is taught without a focus on specific countries as would be done in a COIL or a study abroad class.
Description
This course examines how countries around the world design and govern financial services. Students explore how economic conditions, historical experience, and cultural values shape financial products, institutions, and regulatory frameworks. The course spans core areas of finance—including banking, lending, payments, insurance, and investments—with particular emphasis on financial technology (fintech) and the processes that drive innovation. Students are introduced to key fintech developments such as peer-to-peer payments, decentralized currencies, challenger banks, digital identity, behavioral “nudges,” embedded finance, and AI-driven financial agents.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Explain how economic, historical, and cultural factors influence the design of national financial systems.
- Compare and contrast financial products, institutions, and regulations across countries.
- Identify and describe major forms of financial innovation and financial technology in banking, lending, payments, insurance, and investments.
- Analyze how values and public policy choices shape financial inclusion, consumer protection, and access to credit in different countries.
- Evaluate the benefits, risks, and unintended consequences of financial innovation in a global context.
- Apply comparative reasoning to assess why similar financial problems are solved differently across countries.
- Interpret real-world examples of global fintech firms, financial reforms, or regulatory approaches using course concepts.
- Communicate clearly, in writing and discussion, about global financial systems and innovation using appropriate terminology and evidence.
Study Guides
Computing and Big DataHash Functions
Payments Technology
Public Key Cryptography
Bitcoin
Bitcoin Vocabulary
Decentralized Finance Vocabulary