Short courses designed specifically to help financial services professionals understand fintech disruption, like the University of Cape Town Graduate School of Business’s dedicated fintech course, address a genuine skills gap: experienced professionals in auditing, compliance and financial planning who never trained in the technologies now reshaping their industry.
Why financial professionals specifically need fintech literacy
Emerging platforms and decentralised technologies are changing how value gets transferred and how financial information gets analysed, creating new competition from agile startups that traditional financial services training never prepared incumbent professionals to understand or respond to. A course designed without assuming advanced maths or technical training makes this literacy accessible to people already deep in financial services careers, not just new graduates entering the industry.
What this kind of course typically covers
Beyond simply explaining what fintech is, effective courses for working professionals focus on practical application: identifying where a professional’s existing skills and training may already be falling behind, and building a genuine roadmap for staying relevant as roles in financial planning, governance, risk and compliance keep evolving. This kind of future-proofing focus matters more to a working professional than purely academic content.
Why this matters for small businesses providing financial services
Small accounting, advisory and financial services firms competing against increasingly automated and disrupted incumbents benefit directly when their own staff understand fintech disruption well enough to adapt services and advise clients accordingly. Businesses in this space should treat fintech literacy training as a genuine competitive investment, not an optional extra, given how quickly client expectations around digital financial services have shifted.
Frequently asked questions
Why do experienced financial professionals need dedicated fintech training?
Traditional financial services training never covered the emerging technologies now disrupting the industry, leaving a genuine skills gap for working professionals.
Do fintech courses for professionals require advanced technical or maths training?
Not necessarily; well-designed courses aim to be accessible to professionals without prior technical or advanced maths backgrounds.
What do fintech literacy courses for professionals typically focus on?
Practical application: identifying skill gaps and building a roadmap for staying relevant as roles in compliance, risk and financial planning evolve.
Why does fintech literacy matter for small accounting and advisory firms specifically?
It helps staff adapt services and advise clients effectively as digital financial services and client expectations continue to shift quickly.
Should fintech training be considered optional for financial services businesses?
No, given how quickly the industry is changing, it’s increasingly a genuine competitive investment rather than an optional extra.
Originally published in April 2018. Updated September 2026.
Financial sector oversight via the South African Reserve Bank.
Further reading
Originally published in April 2018. Updated September 2026 to confirm the fintech literacy gap this course targeted has only widened as more everyday banking has shifted onto digital and messaging-based channels.
