Fintech: Blockchain in the New Economy (BUSA90524)

Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5On Campus (Parkville)

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Overview

Availability(Quotas apply)
August
FeesLook up fees

This course will cover the emergence of the peer to peer economy in which buyers and sellers, borrowers and lenders and other partners to transactions deal directly with one another, bypassing intermediaries such as retailers and banks. Students will be introduced to different types of peer to peer markets and will learn the theory and application of different financial instruments and technology infrastructures that facilitate the operation of the peer to peer economy. These include digital currencies, cryptographic tokens, Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and blockchains. Students will learn how these new instruments and technologies are disrupting traditional ways of doing business, successful and unsuccessful, applied in the peer to peer economy. Students will learn how different sectors of the economy can function without intermediaries while depending on consensus and distributed ledgers. The course will start by explaining the nature of money and traditional payment and banking systems. It will then study the emergence of stateless, decentralized, cloud-based digital currency systems since 2009, and progress to investment products, derivatives, and innovations such as initial coin offerings within the peer to peer economy. Other related issues to be discussed include marketing, smart contracts, investment risk and return, governance, and regulation.

Intended learning outcomes

Upon completion of the subject, student will be able to:

  • Describe the traditional role of money and payment systems and the emergence of stateless, decentralized, cloud-based digital currency systems
  • Explain the nature and operation of digital currency in comparison to traditional payment and banking systems.
  • Describe blockchain technology, distributed ledgers, mining and consensus models.
  • Describe the structure of smart contracts and applications
  • Describe the process of token/coin sales, and of capital fund raising using ICOs. Additionally, survey related applications and projects.
  • Be able to evaluate the trade-offs between risk and return for investments in cryptocurrency and ICOs.
  • Determine the state of current and future blockchain and ICO relevant governance and regulation in Australia
  • Design and operationalize a blockchain system for the reconceptualization of a traditional business model into a peer to peer format, without intermediaries.

Last updated: 4 March 2025

Eligibility and requirements

Prerequisites

Prerequisite

Option 1

87.5 credit points from

Code Name Teaching period Credit Points
BUSA90480 Leadership
Summer Term (On Campus - Parkville)
March (On Campus - Parkville)
March (On Campus - Parkville)
September (On Campus - Parkville)
June (On Campus - Parkville)
 6.25
BUSA90481 Managerial Ethics & Business Environment
September (On Campus - Parkville)
March (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
Summer Term (On Campus - Parkville)
June (On Campus - Parkville)
 6.25
BUSA90060 Data Analysis
September (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
June (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90224 Managing People
July (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
September (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90243 Marketing
September (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
June (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90001 Financial Accounting
April (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
June (On Campus - Parkville)
September (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90093 Finance
June (On Campus - Parkville)
September (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90193 Managerial Economics
June (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
September (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5

AND

25 credit points from

Code Name Teaching period Credit Points
BUSA90026 Business Strategy
June (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90227 Operations
January (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
September (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
June (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5

Note: these subjects may be taken concurrently (at the same time)

OR

Option 2

106.25 credit points from

Code Name Teaching period Credit Points
BUSA90482 General Management 1
September (On Campus - Parkville)
 62.5
BUSA90483 General Management 2
January (On Campus - Parkville)
 43.75

AND

25 credit points from

Code Name Teaching period Credit Points
BUSA90227 Operations
January (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
September (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
June (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5
BUSA90026 Business Strategy
June (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
April (On Campus - Parkville)
January (On Campus - Parkville)
 12.5

OR

Option 3

Admission into one of the following: MC-ENTRPSP Master of Entrepreneurship, MC-ETRENH Master of Entrepreneurship (Enhanced)

Corequisites

None

Non-allowed subjects

None

Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)

The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.

Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home

Last updated: 4 March 2025

Assessment

DescriptionTimingPercentage

Syndicate assignment

  • 700 words
Week 320%

Syndicate final project

  • 800 words
Week 930%

Individual assignments

  • 1500 words
Throughout the semester20%

Final examination

  • 120 minutes
Hurdle requirement: students need to pass the final examination to pass the subject		End of term30%

Last updated: 4 March 2025

Quotas apply to this subject

Dates & times

  • August
    Mode of deliveryOn Campus (Parkville)
    Contact hours30 hours
    Total time commitment170 hours
    Pre teaching start date27 July 2025
    Pre teaching requirementsstudents are required to complete approximately 15 hours of readings to prepare for the subject during the pre-teaching period
    Teaching period 3 August 2025 to 31 August 2025
    Last self-enrol date20 April 2025
    Census date 8 August 2025
    Last date to withdraw without fail22 August 2025
    Assessment period ends 7 September 2025

What do these dates mean

Visit this webpage to find out about these key dates, including how they impact on:

  • Your tuition fees, academic transcript and statements.
  • And for Commonwealth Supported students, your:
       -  Student Learning Entitlement. This applies to all students enrolled in a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP).
     

    Subjects withdrawn after the census date (including up to the ‘last day to withdraw without fail’) count toward the Student Learning Entitlement.

Last updated: 4 March 2025

Further information

  • Texts

    Prescribed texts

    There are no specifically prescribed or recommended texts for this subject.

  • Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students

    This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.

Last updated: 4 March 2025