MAI STUDIESLearning for Life

Faculty

Faculty of Fintech & Financial Innovation

Payments, open banking and digital assets, taught as a practitioner discipline.

This faculty teaches how money actually moves through modern systems. Students begin with account structures, card and bank rails, and the UK/EU regulatory backdrop, then progress to designing open banking and embedded finance products, and finally to advanced work in digital assets, tokenisation, custody models and treasury operations. Every level is assessed through applied briefs modelled on real product and operations decisions.

Focus areas

Payment rails and settlement
Open banking and APIs
Embedded finance and wallets
Digital assets, stablecoins and tokenisation
Financial product design

Where graduates go

Fintech product analyst
Payments operations specialist
Open banking implementation consultant
Digital assets analyst

Curriculum pathway

Three levels, each with its own aim, entry expectations and assessed outcomes.

Level 1 — Fintech Foundations

Typically 8 weeks

Understand how accounts, payments and regulated financial products work end to end.

Assessed outcomes

Explain card, bank and instant payment rails
Describe the UK and EU regulatory perimeter
Map a payment journey from initiation to settlement

Entry expectations

Open to all. No prior finance or coding experience required.

Programmes at this level

Accounting Information Systems

A beginner-level Mai Studies programme in accounting information systems, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 80 hours

Included with membership

Cloud Accounting with QuickBooks and Xero

A beginner-level Mai Studies programme in cloud accounting with quickbooks and xero, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

6 weeks · 60 hours

Included with membership

Financial Data Visualisation with Power BI and Tableau

A beginner-level Mai Studies programme in financial data visualisation with power bi and tableau, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

6 weeks · 60 hours

Included with membership

Certificate in Managerial Accounting

A beginner-level Mai Studies programme in certificate in managerial accounting, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

6 weeks · 48 hours

Included with membership

Certificate in Tax Planning and Compliance

A beginner-level Mai Studies programme in certificate in tax planning and compliance, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

6 weeks · 48 hours

Included with membership

Certificate in Auditing Principles

A beginner-level Mai Studies programme in certificate in auditing principles, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

6 weeks · 48 hours

Included with membership

Certificate in Forensic Accounting

A beginner-level Mai Studies programme in certificate in forensic accounting, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

6 weeks · 48 hours

Included with membership

Certificate in FinTech and Financial Innovation

A beginner-level Mai Studies programme in certificate in fintech and financial innovation, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

6 weeks · 48 hours

Included with membership

Level 2 — Fintech Practitioner

Typically 9 weeks

Design and evaluate open banking, embedded finance and wallet products.

Assessed outcomes

Design an open banking integration and consent flow
Assess embedded finance commercial models
Produce a product risk and compliance brief

Entry expectations

Completion of Level 1 or equivalent industry experience.

Programmes at this level

Financial Modeling in Excel

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in financial modeling in excel, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 80 hours

Included with membership

Data Analytics for Accounting

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in data analytics for accounting, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 80 hours

Included with membership

Python for Finance

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in python for finance, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

10 weeks · 100 hours

Included with membership

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems for Finance

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in enterprise resource planning (erp) systems for finance, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 80 hours

Included with membership

Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Accounting

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in blockchain and cryptocurrency accounting, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 80 hours

Included with membership

Diploma in Financial Accounting

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in diploma in financial accounting, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 72 hours

Included with membership

Diploma in Budgeting and Financial Control

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in diploma in budgeting and financial control, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 72 hours

Included with membership

Diploma in Cost and Management Accounting

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in diploma in cost and management accounting, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 72 hours

Included with membership

Diploma in Financial Analysis for Managers

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in diploma in financial analysis for managers, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 72 hours

Included with membership

Diploma in Treasury Management

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in diploma in treasury management, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 72 hours

Included with membership

Diploma in Banking and Financial Services

A intermediate-level Mai Studies programme in diploma in banking and financial services, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 72 hours

Included with membership

Level 3 — Advanced Fintech & Digital Assets

Typically 10 weeks

Lead work on digital assets, tokenisation, treasury and settlement architecture.

Assessed outcomes

Evaluate custody and tokenisation models
Design settlement and treasury controls
Defend an architecture decision to a risk committee

Entry expectations

Completion of Level 2 and a completed applied project.

Programmes at this level

R for Statistical Financial Analysis

A advanced-level Mai Studies programme in r for statistical financial analysis, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

10 weeks · 100 hours

Included with membership

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in Finance

A advanced-level Mai Studies programme in robotic process automation (rpa) in finance, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

8 weeks · 80 hours

Included with membership

Advanced Diploma in Corporate Finance

A advanced-level Mai Studies programme in advanced diploma in corporate finance, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

10 weeks · 96 hours

Included with membership

Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Management

A advanced-level Mai Studies programme in postgraduate diploma in financial management, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

10 weeks · 96 hours

Included with membership

Executive Diploma in Investment Analysis

A advanced-level Mai Studies programme in executive diploma in investment analysis, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

10 weeks · 96 hours

Included with membership

Advanced Certificate in Risk and Financial Management

A advanced-level Mai Studies programme in advanced certificate in risk and financial management, taught with worked examples, assessed practical work and a portfolio piece you can show.

10 weeks · 96 hours

Included with membership