University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management has launched The Rotman Financial Innovation Hub in Advanced Analytics (Rotman FinHub).
The initiative will promote and develop initiatives for students and faculty in the area of financial innovation across all of the school’s programs, and was supported with a $1 million donation from TD. The Rotman Catalyst Fund, a venture fund that offers seed capital to initiatives within the Rotman School, has committed $1.3 million to the project, while the Global Risk Institute in Financial Services is contributing $150,000.
“Data is the engine that will empower Canada’s financial industry.”
– Christian Nelissen
“Given the radical changes currently affecting the finance sector, we believe that our Rotman FinHub initiative will enhance the Rotman School’s leadership position in financial management teaching and research,” said Peter Christoffersen, TMX Chair in Capital Markets. “It will also help us attract the best researchers as well as students who are interested in studying financial innovation.”
The Rotman FinHub aims to make space for new classes and learning opportunities for students working within a variety of expertise, including machine learning and blockchain in the school’s MBA, Master of Finance, and Master of Financial Risk Management. The university wants to support scholarships for students interested in the field and encourage research in financial innovation through engagement with the financial industry.
“Data is the engine that will empower Canada’s financial industry to develop deeper relationships with our customers. To do this, banks must face a fundamental challenge head-on – we must continue to put our data to work for our customers to give them even more information and more options to build their financial futures, ” said Christian Nelissen, SVP of enterprise data and analytics at TD.
“To do that, we need to foster the development of a strong culture of innovation and the talent to support it. Toronto’s FinTech ecosystem is among the best in the world and Rotman and the University of Toronto are leading financial educators – we think that’s a powerful combination. We are in this for the long-term and I’m personally very excited about where we’re headed and the partnerships, talent and innovations that are going to get us there.”