Digital Banking and Finance

The overall objective of this course is to help you develop the knowledge and skills needed for a successful career in banking and finance, or a related field. A particular strength of our course is the focus on the practical application of key banking and finance concepts, financial reporting, risk management tools, and professional ethics in the banking industry. The structure of our course has at its core a collection of modules that examine various aspects and challenges of banking operations and management in the context of the new technologies (digital banking, online currencies, FinTech, data analytics, etc.) that are re-shaping the banking and finance landscape.

You’ll develop a sound understanding of the different types of banking and financial systems that exist globally, including those in emerging countries and countries in transition. The course also covers theory, methodology and research techniques within the dissertation module.

Throughout this Masters course, you’ll develop:

• a systematic understanding of key concepts and methods in banking and finance, such as operations and strategy, risk management tools and the regulatory framework for risk management, financial reporting and data analysis;
• critical awareness of current problems and new insights in banking and finance;
• practical understanding of the techniques of enquiry and research used in banking and finance, and how they are used to create and interpret knowledge;
• conceptual understanding for evaluating current research and scholarship in banking and finance.

The University of Stirling is accredited by AACSB International in recognition of our excellence in business education.

In REF 2021, 80% of our research impact in Business and Management Studies was classed as world leading or internationally excellent.

The Economics Division at Stirling Management School is committed to the pursuit of excellence in both research and teaching. The Division is ranked in the top 25 of institutions in the UK and Europe by RePEc (Research Papers in Economics).

A minimum of a second class Honours degree or equivalent. Applicants without these formal qualifications but with significant appropriate/relevant work/life experience are encouraged to apply.

Other routes of entry

If you don't currently meet our academic requirements, INTO University of Stirling offers a variety of preparation programmes that can earn you the qualifications and skills you need to progress onto some of our courses. Explore INTO University of Stirling to see the pathway and pre-masters routes available.

International entry requirements

View the entry requirements for your country.

If English is not your first language you must have one of the following qualifications as evidence of your English language skills:

• IELTS Academic or UKVI 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each sub-skill.
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) 60 overall with a minimum of 59 in each sub-skill.
• IBT TOEFL 78 overall with a minimum of 17 in listening, 18 in reading, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing.

If you need to improve your English language skills before you enter this course, our partner INTO University of Stirling offers a range of English language courses. These intensive and flexible courses are designed to improve your English ability for entry to this degree.

Find out more about our pre-sessional English language courses.

See our information on English language requirements for more details on the language tests we accept and options to waive these requirements.

This is a challenging and worthwhile course which will be ideal preparation for students wishing to work in the Banking and Financial sector.

Professor David Blanchflower, CBE, External member of the Bank of England's MPC 2006-09

Everything you do while studying here is designed to help you build the personal skills that will make you stand out to future employers.

You'll start your Masters course on our Flying Start leadership programme which will challenge your perspective of culture and develop your self-awareness, as well as team-working, problem-solving and presentation skills.

Find out more about how we prepare you for the world of work.

As a student on the MSc Digital Banking and Finance you’re given the chance to participate in regular guest lectures. These are typically held on a Wednesday afternoon and are delivered by eminent speakers drawn from leading financial institutions, think tanks, regulatory and professional bodies. Previous speakers include:

• Kweku Adoboli - Former Trader at UBS
• Dr Dimosthenis Archontidis – General Manager, Eurobank Ergasias SA
• Nick Bartlett - Director of Education at CFA Society of the UK
• Richard Dunbar - Head of Economic and Thematic Research at Aberdeen Asset Management
• John Goodwin - Executive Vice-President and CFO at Lego
• Ross Lorrimer - Client Service Associate at State Street
• Bill McCall – (Chartered Banker, FCIBS, Chartered FCSI) Principal, McCall & Partners Ltd.
• Colin McLean - CEO at SVM Asset Management
• Russell Napier - Co-founder and Chairman of ERIC (Electronic Research Interchange)
• Maxim Skorniakov - Investment Manager at Walter Scott Global Investment Management
• Dr Theodoros Stamatiou - Senior Economist, Economic Analysis and Market Research Division, Eurobank-Ergasias SA 
• Adrian Cudby - (MBA, Associate of the Chartered Institute of Bankers), Commercial banker with over 34 years working experience at RBS; Principal and Founder of That Was The River Ltd, a financial training and consulting company; author of the CBI textbook “Commercial Lending (Principles and Practice)”
• Stefan Pfitzamier – Consultant, DXC Technologies
• Dr Daniel Schmidt - Research and teaching assistant at the Chair in Banking and Financial Services at the University of Hohenheim in Germany; visiting Lecturer at the Chair of Banking and Finance at the University of Potsdam
• Dr Dimitris Gounopoulos - Professor of Accounting and Finance in the Accounting and Finance Group of the School of Management at the University of Bath; Senior Visiting Research Fellow in the School of Business, Management and Economics of the University of Sussex; visiting Fellow in the Newcastle University Business School
• Dr Santiago Carbo-Valverde – Professor of Economics at the University of Valencia; Head of Financial Studies and Executive Director of the Financial Digitalization Observatory of the Spanish think-tank FUNCAS. 
• Dr Gustavo Ordonez – Senior Director, Moody’s Analytics