Fintech focus can lead to future payoff

Undergraduate | Dec 20, 2016 | Gabelli School of Business

When’s the last time you used a credit card to pay for something? What about PayPal?

According to Frank Liddy, head of account management and strategic partnerships at PayPal, the credit card system, though deeply sewn into our culture, is outdated.

Liddy spoke with students about the culture shift taking place in finance in a recent discussion held by the Fordham Fintech Network, known as FiN for short. More businesses are turning to technologies including blockchain, data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence, and they’re utilizing resources like mobile devices.

A successful business, Liddy said, is created when maximal value is added for both the customer and the vendor, and these new technologies could improve the lives of consumers.

For students interested in fintech, that’s welcome news.

“We are in a time of accelerated investing in fintech-focused firms,” explains Brett Shear, MS ’17, the club’s co-president. “Most of the jobs people plan to do will be affected by technology, and it is an advantage to be on the forefront.”