Singapore’s Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) and London-based Centre
for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CFTE) will jointly launch
an industry-led AI in Finance (AIF)
online course on June 24, 2018.
Through this course, both NP and CFTE hope to support and to
nurture talent in Fintech and to boost Fintech development in their respective
regions and around the world.
The course is accredited by SkillsFuture Singapore and is in
the process of obtaining accreditation with The Institute of Banking and
Finance Singapore. It aims to update finance professionals and technologists on
the AI revolution and create an online community of learners and experts in AI
to connect and network for future collaborations. Over 20 finance and
technology thought leaders and insiders will come together to share key
fundamentals and real-life case studies on how AI is reshaping the finance
industry worldwide.
The course is targeted at primarily finance professionals
including those in capital markets, front office, compliance, risk management
and insurance. It is also applicable to technologists, entrepreneurs,
regulators, lawyers, fintech educators, business writers, as well as students
from countries across the world including the UK, Singapore and other ASEAN
countries. Singapore Citizens/ Permanent Residents will enjoy 70%
government subsidy for the course fees
The course will be conducted entirely online, allowing
global participation and the flexibility for busy professionals to complete it
in their own time. Comprising 18 modules, the structured programme will cover a
wide range of topics, from the basics of AI technology to the implementation of
AI at the strategic level.
Mr Patrice Choong, Director for The Sandbox, NP’s innovation
and enterprise office that is spearheading the joint development of AIF with
CFTE, explained that though the course is designed to give participants an
understanding of the fundamentals of AI, it is not intended to be a theoretical
programme. Instead, it will provide an industry overview of AI, with
observations from industry insiders and thought leaders from the US to China.
Mr Choong said, “Participants will be exposed to industry
insights and real-life case studies to ensure that the content is relatable to
them. For example, there are already applications of AI in areas such as
insurance, credit scoring and customer service. All these case studies will
form part of the course content and discussion.”
The distinguished faculty comprises Co-Founder and CEO of
ADDO.AI Dr Ayesha Khanna (Singapore); Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer
at Ping An Technology Mr Jon-Tzen Ng (Shanghai); former global CTO at UBS Dr
Stephan Murer (Zurich); and Chief Technology Officer and Chief Data Scientist
at Flowcast Inc Dr Winnie Cheng (New York).
Guest speakers include Chief Data Officer of the Monetary
Authority of Singapore (MAS) Dr David Hardoon (Singapore); CEO of Behavox Mr
Erkin Adylov (London); Cohead Global Venture Investing at Citi Ventures Mr
Ramneek Gupta (San Francisco); Chief Data Officer of Standard Chartered Bank Mr
Shameek Kundu (Singapore); and Vice President Cognitive Solutions at IBM Watson
Group Mr Jean-Philippe Desbiolles (Paris).
AIF’s ecosystem would not only offer participants access to
thought leaders in the industry, AI startups and finance companies that have
adopted AI, but also provide them potential opportunities in the form of
internships and jobs along with a supportive community that possesses a wealth
of knowledge in the financial sector. Post programme, participants may get
opportunities to meet up with the featured industry professionals.
Two local banks, OCBC and UOB, have joined as anchor
sponsors for this programme.
OCBC Bank has committed up to 1,000 training places. “Thanks
to our pool of skilled employees, OCBC Bank has successfully rolled out
initiatives like AI-powered chatbots Emma, for home loans, and Buddy, for
employee’s HRrelated queries. The AIF programme will help us build on our
AI-edge by equipping more staff with such skillsets that are relevant to the
future of banking,” said Ms Yap Aye Wee, Head of Learning & Development,
Group Human Resources, OCBC Bank.
Ms Jenny Wong, Head of Group Human Resources, United
Overseas Bank (UOB) said, “Ensuring that our people have the relevant skillsets
and agile mindsets is a priority at UOB. The AIF will complement our suite of
training programmes aimed at deepening the digital capabilities of our colleagues.
Through the programme, our people will have a deeper understanding of AI in
order to harness the technology for enhanced performance and a more instinctive
customer experience.”
As Singapore’s SkillsFuture sector coordinator in financial
services, NP has been actively seeking opportunities to collaborate with
renowned partners to co-develop fintech courses.
NP’s Principal Mr Clarence Ti said, “AI is a technological
driving force that no industry can ignore. Some studies estimate that about 50
per cent of today’s tasks would be assisted by AI in the next 20 years. With
Singapore and London gaining recognition as leading fintech hubs of the world,
it is timely for NP and CFTE to launch an industry-led course that provides
finance professionals and others a practical guide to AI.”
Mr Huy Nguyen Trieu, co-founder of CFTE, commented, “CFTE addresses the
needs of professionals in finance and technologists to upskill in a rapidly
changing industry being transformed by emerging technologies. Our objective is
to equip students with the right skills to thrive in a world of digital
finance, and artificial intelligence is one of the single most important
drivers transforming finance.”
