DCU’s Irish Institute of Digital Business has launched a new book that explores how technology is disrupting and transforming the financial services.

The book, entitled Disrupting Finance: FinTech and Strategy in the 21st Century, is published by Palgrave Macmillan. The publication is the second volume in Palgrave Studies in Digital Business & Enabling Technologies.

This new book was edited by Prof. Theo Lynn (DCU), Prof. John Mooney (Pepperdine University), Prof. Mark Cummins (DCU) and Dr Pierangelo Rosati (DCU). It features 18 Irish and international authors focusing on fintech innovations such as crowdfunding, algorithmic and high frequency trading, cybercurrencies, regtech, insurtech, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Each chapter focuses on a specific financial technology and presents the insights and current thinking on how these technologies are disrupting and transforming financial processes and outcomes.

Disrupting Finance is an open access book, meaning that it can be purchased in hard back for $31 but is free to download from Palgrave Macmillan’s website.

In Association with

The book was officially launched today (February 26) at a function in the Davenport Hotel in Dublin. Among those speaking at the launch was Prof. Lynn, who is director of the Irish Institute of Digital Business.

“Today, we are seeing the advent of a new generation of fintech built on near-ubiquitous access to the internet through mobile and cloud computing, machine learning, artificial intelligence and blockchain,” said Prof. Lynn.

“These technologies are resulting in significant disruptive changes to the financial services sector, not least opening up the sector to increased competition and empowering customers in ways unthinkable just a decade ago.”

Prof. Lynn added that Ireland is now a leading hub worldwide for financial services and technology. “Understanding how fintech creates, captures and delivers value is key to Ireland’s future success in both growing our indigenous industrial base and attracting foreign direct investment.”

Also speaking at today’s launch was Robert Mulhall, managing director (consumer banking) with AIB. “Disruptive technology brings both challenges and opportunities to the financial services industry, and real benefits for customers,” he said.

Prof. Anne Sinnott, executive dean of DCU Business School, was also present for the book launch. “Irish business schools need to be at the forefront of curating knowledge on the state of the art in emerging technologies and how these technologies will impact the wider ecosystem,” she said.

“This book is both topical and timely but, more importantly, through Open Access is available for free to businesses, scholars, policymakers and the general public.”

Photo: (l-r) Professor Theo Lynn; Lory Kehoe, ConsenSys; Robert Mulhall; Dr. Mark Cummins; and Dr. Pierangelo Rosati