The National University of Singapore School of Computing and the IBM Center for Blockchain Innovation, a part of IBM Research, are collaborating to jointly develop a module on financial technology.

With Singapore pushing ahead as the premier fintech hub in Asia, a new effort to better equip students with essential knowledge and skill sets in this area has been launched.

The new module on financial technology is expected to be introduced in January 2018, and will focus on blockchain and distributed ledger technologies, IBM said in a media release.

National University of Singapore (NUS) faculty members will co-develop the curriculum of the new module with IBM researchers at IBM Center for Blockchain Innovation (ICBI) to enable students to learn about the latest developments in blockchain technology, and encourage them to contribute to developing the technology further.

Smart Financial Centre

According to IBM fifteen percent of banks and 14 percent of financial market institutions intend to implement full-scale, commercial blockchain solutions in 2017. 65 percent of banks are expecting to have blockchain solutions in production in the next three years.

The Singapore government’s strategic goal to become a Smart Financial Centre has put focus on blockchain for Singapore. Through its Financial Sector Technology & Innovation (FSTI) scheme, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has committed $157 million over a five-year period to provide support for the creation of a vibrant fintech ecosystem. 

«Blockchain is one of the most disruptive technologies in computing today, and it is impacting many industries including financial services, this collaboration with the National University of Singapore School of Computing will help prepare a future workforce that is born on blockchain,» said Robert Morris, Vice President Global Labs, IBM Research.