This course will provide the underpinning rationale for financial regulation and evaluate the post-Global Financial Crisis reforms in this light, noting adaptions that were required due to systemic nature of the crisis and the need to ensure private sector compliance. It then applies these rationales and lessons learned to current topics in Fintech and the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The objectives of this course are to: Identify the goals of financial regulation and understand the conditions under which regulation would make the financial system safer and more efficient and when it could be counterproductive. Identify the precursors and vulnerabilities that give rise to financial crisis, including historical contexts, technological developments, and private sector responses to previous regulation. Understand the main tools currently in use to mitigate stand-alone risks in individual financial institutions as well as stability risks to the financial system as a whole and evaluate their effectiveness, noting unintended consequences. Apply the basic rationales and goals for regulation to technological financial innovations (e.g., fintech) and how the post-2008 reforms have influenced the ongoing responses to the financial implications of the COVID pandemic. ---- “Understanding how financial regulation evolved following the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, and how it shaped the financial industry, is vital for regulators and for the financial practitioners they regulate. This course provides the underpinnings for a critical assessment, challenging us to think through how regulation needs to adapt to today’s challenges.” -- Dr. Ben Bernanke, former chair of the Federal Reserve

Taught by instructors with decades of experience on Wall Street, Electronic Trading in Financial Markets is a comprehensive study of the impact of technology on financial market systems. This economics and finance course provides students with a foundation in market structure (what is ‘liquidity?’) before building to introduce electronic trading fundamentals (order books) and advanced electronic trading techniques (algorithmic trading). Learners will study the history of technology in markets, the details of electronic trading protocols and the impact of innovation on market structure. This course is broken down into 6 modules: Module 1: Fundamentals of Market Structure Module 2: Fundamentals of Electronic Trading Module 3: Mechanics of an Order Book Module 4: Advanced Electronic Trading Module 5: Electronic Trading in Fixed Income Module 6: Innovation Guidelines Upon completion of this course, participants will receive a certificate bearing the New York Institute of Finance (NYIF) name. A NYIF certificate, highly valued in the financial industry, will bolster a resume or LinkedIn profile and prove the skills you’ve gained to potential employers.

This IMFx course is designed to strengthen participants' abilities to assess why Public Financial Management (PFM) is important; and how it supports macroeconomic stability, economic growth, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Presented by staff of the International Monetary Fund whoprovide advice to countries on their PFM institutions and reform plans, the course provides a practitioner's view to PFM starting with what PFM is, and why it is important. Over five parts, the course modules cover all stages of the budget cycle, and discuss key concepts from budget preparation, to government accountability in budget execution, and reform implementation. You will explore these topics through video lectures, relevant readings, and testimonies from senior policy-makers and civil society. During the lectures, presenters will use examples from countries at different stages of economic development. Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to engage with fellow participants from around the world, and with course staff through the discussion forum. Assessments in each course module will test your understanding of key concepts, allowing you to track the progress of your understanding. A case study at the end of the course brings together the different aspects of how governments should manage their money, and deliver public services. This course is offered by the IMF, with financial support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The IMF’s online learning program receives financial support from the Government of Japan.

Demand is a simple yet challenging concept that is essential to understanding how markets function. In this economics course, you will gain a solid understanding of demand, its underlying principles, major determinants and how they are beneficial for individuals, decision makers inside the firm, and policy makers. During your time in this course, you will discover how managers can better understand the impact of pricing changes on units sold, revenue and the relationship between products in order to inform strategic planning. You will learn how many programs and policies are designed to change how individuals and businesses interact in the market and you will gain the tools to identify them. Models of consumer choice and demand will guide you in thinking about how individual incentives change and what the likely impact will be of those changes. All people respond to changing market conditions, but the type and magnitude of those responses can be better understood through the economic model of consumer demand. You will learn how business strategy can benefit from a strong appreciation of elasticity, determinants of demand and how consumers make decisions.

Our present system of global capitalism is flawed. While it has produced immense wealth and economic growth in nearly all regions of the world, it has also prioritized profits over people and harmful consumption practices over the needs of our planet. Sustainable development must bring about a new world order to replace the vices of global capitalism, ensuring development, human wellbeing, and environmental security. This course presents Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals as the necessary successor to laissez faire-style capitalism, and emphasizes the urgency of embracing sustainable development objectives to transform our economy into a more reactive, efficient, inclusive, and environmentally-conscious system. This 8-week massive open online course (MOOC) provides an in-depth look at the shortcomings of our current and past global economies, and shows why and how sustainable development has become the universally-prioritized agenda for the future of our world. The topics covered range from market economics to education, gender equality, international trade, financing, and more. This course is for: Policy professionals who want to understand frameworks for SDG planning Development practitioners seeking information on goals-based development Advanced undergraduates and graduate students interested in economics, development, and other key concepts related to the SDGs

National economies have grown substantially since the Industrial Revolution of the 19th century yet people have not necessarily seen an increase in opportunities to find decent work or earn a decent income. In fact, in some places, the increased productivity and rising profits associated with automation have directly impacted the availability of decent jobs. According to the International Labour Organization, more than 204 million people were unemployed in 2015, and more than 600 million new jobs are needed by 2030 just to keep pace with the growth of the working-age population. We also need to improve working conditions for the 780 million women and men who are employed but not earning enough to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. In addressing these core issues we will not only see increasing decent work opportunities but also more robust, inclusive and poverty-reducing growth. This course explores the past and future of work in the context of the SDGs, particularly SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth. It examines the state of income and employment around the world, barriers to employment, policies to promote economic opportunity, and the future of work in our rapidly changing world. Encouraging entrepreneurship and job creation are key to achieving the SDGs, as are effective measures to eradicate forced labour, slavery and human trafficking. With these targets in mind, the world can achieve full and productive employment and decent work, for all women and men, by 2030. This seven-module massive open online course (MOOC) provides an in-depth look at the issues of inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all. The topics covered include structural shifts in economies and work; informality, gender and child labor, the modern welfare state; the future of work, and more. The course concludes with a special module by the ILO on realizing decent work for all and achieving SDG 8. This course is for: Policy professionals who want to understand frameworks for SDG planning Development practitioners seeking knowledge on goals-based development Advanced undergraduates and graduate students interested in economics, development, and other key concepts related to the SDGs

FinTech has started a global revolution in the financial services industry, and the transformation will only increase in coming years. There are many ways in which FinTech can improve the lives of people around the world; however, those same technologies can also be used to enslave, coerce, track, and control people. Accordingly, it is appropriate and necessary to consider the implications of the introduction of these technologies so that they are utilized properly, regulated sufficiently, and their adoption does not come at the expense of societal growth. This 6-week online coursecovers 6 modules, representing the full spectrum of finance, technology, and the introduction of FinTech solutions globally. We will ask questions that are not often asked or addressed when new technologies are adopted. Why should we adopt FinTech solutions, and what are the best ways to introduce disruptive technologies? How does blockchain technology change the way we provide financial services, and how should blockchain technology be governed? Is FinTech creating risks in cybersecurity and how can technology help us prevent financial crimes? As Artificial Intelligence (AI) is developed and adopted, will human biases and prejudices be built into such mechanisms? And at a larger scope, should FinTech lead to a decentralized, democratized system of finance, or will existing institutions adopt FinTech strategies to cement their existing hold on the financial markets? Through discussing and attempting to answer these questions, you will understand better how the introduction of these technologies can benefit or harm society. And through considering the proper application or introduction of such technologies, you will learn to make better decisions as an individual and organization when facing the question: is FinTech our savior or a villain?

Over the past couple of years, the Chinese government has finally started to open China’s financial system and its equity and bond markets to the outside world. Onshore assets are now part of the main global and emerging market indices. But most investors openly admit they are putting money to work in a market they mistrust and do not understand well enough. In this course you will learn how China’s financial markets truly work. You will see how its state-owned commercial banks control the flow of domestic savings and how Chinese companies became the global leader in mobile payments. You will understand the nature of the Chinese stock market and the Chinese bond market, how Chinese investors trade and what the driving forces of these markets are. Foreign investors will learn how to recognise investment opportunities and guard against the idiosyncratic risks. You will understand the role of the State Council, the People’s Bank of China – its central bank, and the Ministry of Finance – its Treasury, in setting monetary policy, interest and foreign exchange rates and supervising China’s banking system and financial institutions. Unbiased analysis, real-life examples and practical guidance will equip you with the analytical frameworks and tools to apply to your investment decisions, risk assessments or policymaking. You will learn directly from Enodo Economics’ team of experts, who together have over 250 years of experience focused on China’s economy, its politics and markets and its culture. We make use of our own bespoke online teaching videos that are produced to a high professional standard. The material, carefully tailored to bring to life the content of each course, includes interviews with relevant figures whose personal stories make real the concepts being taught. Imaginative visual aids and animation are designed to enhance the learning experience – and make it fun.

In this macroeconomics course, you will learn to predict macroeconomic variables such as inflation, growth or consumption, and to create statistical models in economics and use them to predict responses to economic policy. You will learn from hands-on demonstrations of model-building, forecasting and policy analysis, using data sets from a wide variety of countries. Demonstrations and applications will be conducted using EViews —a popular software for estimating and simulating forecasting models on Windows. Free, temporary licenses for EViews will be made available for the duration of the course. Macroeconometric Forecasting is offered by the IMF with financial support from the Government of Japan.

In this course, you will learn about sample surveys with the concepts of samples and populations. In addition, we will discuss possible problems(bias) of the surveys based on practical examples and concept of probability errors in sampling. This course will familiarize you with statistical inference, the process by which data is used to draw a conclusion or uncover a scientific truth about a population from a sample. You can learn how to obtain confidence intervals and estimate the population percentage using sample percentage. We will also cover statistical inferences using sample average to estimate the population average with the concept of standard error and measurement error. Finally, you will learn fundamental idea and process of significance test to determine whether the observed difference is real or simply accidental. Test for difference in average between two groups and Chi-Square test will be discussed in depth in this course.