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Open Data and Intelligent Finance

Saïd Business School, University of Oxford

Open Data and Intelligent Finance

This course is part of AI in Financial Services: Foundations through future trends Specialization

Instructor: Pinar Ozcan

1,553 already enrolled

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5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

31 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

5 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

31 reviews

Beginner level

Recommended experience

2 weeks to complete

at 10 hours a week

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Explain the principles of Open Data, Open Finance, and Smart Data, and how they shape modern financial ecosystems
Evaluate how AI powers real-time, intelligent financial services and the ethical and regulatory risks involved
Design inclusive, data-driven financial systems using platform infrastructure and responsible innovation practices

Skills you'll gain

Tools you'll learn

Details to know

Shareable certificate

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Assessments

4 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

91%

of learners achieved a positive career outcome

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the AI in Financial Services: Foundations through future trends Specialization

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 5 modules in this course

Financial services are changing, from how they’re designed to how they’re delivered. Increasingly, the tools we use to bank, borrow, save, and invest are powered by artificial intelligence, delivered through platforms, and built on open data infrastructure. But what happens when finance becomes invisible? When decisions are automated? When users don’t realise they’re engaging with a financial product?

This course explores the rise of intelligent, data-driven finance and how to design systems that are not only efficient but also ethical and inclusive. You’ll learn how Open Data and Open Finance enable cross-sector innovation, and how AI transforms static products into real-time, personalised services. You’ll explore embedded finance models and platform architectures, and examine real-world case studies from global leaders like the UK, India, and Brazil. Along the way, you’ll investigate risks, from consent fragmentation and data inequality to black-box decision-making and regulatory blind spots. Through hands-on activities and a final design project, you’ll apply your learning to propose responsible, user-centred innovations for the future of finance. By the end of the course, you will be able to: • Define the principles and evolution of Open Data and its relationship to Open Banking and Open Finance. • Analyse the key technical, legal, and ethical components that support intelligent, data-driven financial ecosystems. • Evaluate how AI and blended data sources can improve personalisation, credit access, and service delivery. • Interpret global Smart Data initiatives and policy frameworks in countries like the UK, India, Brazil, and Australia. • Identify risks and governance challenges associated with AI, privacy, consent, and data inequality in finance. • Design responsible, inclusive data-sharing strategies that align with transparency, fairness, and innovation goals. This is the third course in the 'AI in Financial Services: Foundations through Future Trends' specialization. We recommend completing 'AI Fundamentals in Financial Services' and 'Designing the Future of Finance' courses first for a strong foundation before exploring open data and intelligent finance.

Module details

This course examines how Open Data, platform ecosystems, and AI are reshaping financial services. You will explore how intelligent systems use open infrastructure to deliver more personalised, embedded, and data-driven experiences. Through global case studies and critical reflection, you will build the tools to engage with the future of ethical and intelligent finance.

What's included

6 videos15 readings1 assignment9 plugins

6 videosTotal 8 minutes

Welcome from Professor Pinar Ozcan2 minutes
Open Data as public infrastructure2 minutes
Example: Amira’s smart dashboard 1 minute
Australia CDR 2 minutes
Illustration: blended data and the power of financial visibility1 minute
Designing consent for smart data systems2 minutes

15 readingsTotal 131 minutes

Your learning journey 10 minutes
Before you begin: reflect on your learning goals 10 minutes
Important note about course communication1 minute
Open Data in the digital economy 10 minutes
Why Open Finance is a launchpad 10 minutes
Sector convergence and the rise of smart data ecosystems 5 minutes
From Open Finance to Open Data: the strategic shift 10 minutes
Introduction: the state as a data platform 10 minutes
Government as enabler: trust, standards, and equity 10 minutes
Introduction: more data, better decisions 5 minutes
Why blended data matters for inclusion 10 minutes
Introduction: balancing promise and risk 10 minutes
Privacy, consent, and control 10 minutes
Data inequality and the risk of exclusion 10 minutes
Key insights and personal reflections 10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 20 minutes

Module quiz20 minutes

9 pluginsTotal 140 minutes

Introduction to Open Data 15 minutes
Open Data Principles 10 minutes
What Open Finance built 10 minutes
Why interoperability is the next frontier 15 minutes
Case Studies: Smart Data UK & IndiaStack 30 minutes
The role of Open Government Data 15 minutes
Blended data use cases across finance and beyond15 minutes
Policy objectives: What Open Data in finance can achieve 15 minutes
Blended data, fragmented responsibility 15 minutes

This module explores how AI and real-time data are transforming traditional financial services into intelligent, personalised, and adaptive systems. From budgeting tools that adjust to income shifts to AI-powered lending platforms that assess risk in milliseconds, you'll examine how smart technologies are reshaping credit, savings, and investment. You’ll also learn to critically assess the design, benefits, and risks of these systems, including the role of automation, personalisation, and decision speed in building financial resilience or exclusion.

What's included

1 video5 readings1 assignment4 plugins

1 videoTotal 2 minutes

Introduction: cheaper, better, faster 2 minutes

5 readingsTotal 60 minutes

How AI enables intelligence 10 minutes
Risks and design challenges 10 minutes
Use case: instant credit and loan approvals 10 minutes
Infrastructure and data challenges 10 minutes
Key insights and personal reflections 20 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 20 minutes

Module quiz20 minutes

4 pluginsTotal 60 minutes

What makes a financial service ‘intelligent’?15 minutes
From one-size-fits-all to hyper-personalisation 10 minutes
The need for speed 15 minutes
Use cases: Risk modeling and dynamic pricing20 minutes

Finance is no longer limited to banks or dedicated apps, it’s becoming embedded into the digital platforms we use every day. This module unpacks how financial services are delivered through platforms, super apps, and modular ecosystems using open APIs and real-time data. You'll explore how payments, lending, and insurance are becoming invisible, and the new roles of infrastructure providers, BaaS partners, and API aggregators. The module also surfaces the regulatory, ethical, and competitive risks as financial access becomes platform-mediated.

What's included

3 videos8 readings1 assignment5 plugins

3 videosTotal 6 minutes

How Open Finance enabled Embedded Finance1 minute
What happens when you tap 'Pay Later'1 minute
The hidden risks of invisible finance3 minutes

8 readingsTotal 90 minutes

From Open Finance to Embedded Finance 15 minutes
Why Embedded Finance matters 15 minutes
API Aggregators: stitching the ecosystem together 10 minutes
Where the gaps are 10 minutes
Who’s responsible? 10 minutes
Emerging regulatory responses 10 minutes
Market power and the platform risk 10 minutes
Key insights and personal reflections 10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 20 minutes

Module quiz20 minutes

5 pluginsTotal 85 minutes

Overview and definitions 20 minutes
How platforms power the future of finance 20 minutes
Banking-as-a-Service (BaaS) 15 minutes
Super apps: the new financial gatekeepers? 15 minutes
Consumer risk in invisible finance 15 minutes

AI-driven finance has the power to expand inclusion, or deepen inequality. This module focuses on the human impact of intelligent financial systems, exploring case studies where design intent shaped user outcomes. You'll examine how incentives, algorithms, and interface design can empower or exploit users. By comparing inclusive innovations with harmful missteps, you’ll learn how to design for fairness, transparency, and long-term wellbeing. The module also introduces practical governance tools and ethical design strategies to guide responsible financial innovation.

What's included

2 videos3 readings1 assignment3 plugins

2 videosTotal 4 minutes

The impact of disruption 2 minutes
Why intent matters2 minutes

3 readingsTotal 40 minutes

What makes AI in Finance so disruptive? 10 minutes
Beyond rules, toward responsibility 15 minutes
Key insights and personal reflections15 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 20 minutes

Module quiz20 minutes

3 pluginsTotal 65 minutes

Case studies: Rise and Robinhood30 minutes
Design as leverage point 20 minutes
AI guardrails and their purpose 15 minutes

In the final module, you’ll consolidate your learning and apply key concepts in a capstone assessment. You’ll revisit your reflections, explore the real-world implications of AI and data-driven finance, and design a fictional but plausible intelligent financial product. This final project invites you to connect data, design, and impact, demonstrating how Open Data, AI, and embedded delivery can be aligned with ethical, inclusive, and transparent financial innovation.