Program Overview

Program Overview

The University of British Columbia Sauder School of Business offers various programs and courses for students.

Academic Success

The school provides resources for students to achieve academic success, including:

• Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS)
• Presentation Coaching
• Research Support
• Communication Development Programs
• Math & Econ Coaching

Student Life

The school offers various student life activities, including:

• Orientations (Imagine UBC & The Spark)
• Student Experience Grants
• Indigenous Student Support
• Commerce Undergraduate Society
• Case Competitions
• Activate
• Health & Wellness
• Sauder Gives Back
• Student Engagement Hub (SEHUB)

Global Reach

The school has international exchange programs and opportunities for students to study abroad.

Career & Experience

The school provides career and experience resources, including:

• Career & Personal Exploration
• Gain Experience
• Networking & Events
• Resumes & Cover Letters
• Job Interviews
• COOL Career Platform
• Career Coaching & Advising
• Co-op Program

Courses, Money & Enrolment

The school offers various courses and programs, including:

• Academic Concession
• Dates and Deadlines
• Program Requirements
• Course Planning and Registration
• Options
• Elective Requirements
• Exams and Grades
• Specialized Academic Opportunities
• Minors and Concentrations
• Scholarships and Funding
• Graduation

Program Requirements

The school offers various program requirements, including:

• Combined Major in Business and Computer Science
• UBC Sauder – HKU Dual Degree Program
• General Program Requirements
• Transfer students

Options

The school offers various options, including:

• Accounting
• Business Technology Management
• Entrepreneurship
• Finance
• Early Start to the Finance Option
• General Business Management
• Global Supply Chain and Logistics Management
• Marketing
• Operations and Logistics
• Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources
• Real Estate
• Double Options

Specialized Academic Opportunities

The school offers various specialized academic opportunities, including:

• UBC SWIFT: UBC Sauder Women in Finance Training
• Commerce Scholars Program
• UBC Sauder Public Speaking Competition
• UBCO Cross Campus Mobility

Minors and Concentrations

The school offers various minors and concentrations, including:

• Minor in Arts or Science
• Minor in Commerce
• Business Analytics Concentration
• Business Law Concentration
• International Business Concentration
• Sustainability and Social Impact Concentration

COMM_V 376 - Financial Institutions I

The course focuses on the roles and operation of major financial institutions, including banks, and the financial markets and systems in which they function, including those involved in the creation and use of fiat and digital forms of money including cryptocurrencies.

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, students should have the ability to:

• Understand the roles of commercial banks, investment banks and related financial institutions in the economy.
• Detect how banks operate and how they are regulated while identifying their systemic risks.
• Analyze the role of central banks in regulating banks and conducting monetary policy.
• Classify payment systems into wholesale payment systems (among financial institutions) and retail payment systems (between consumers & businesses) and identify different payment methods under multiple categories, elaborating on the increasing importance of technology (credit & debit cards, “Apple pay”, distributed ledger, etc.)
• Understand the evolution of fiat money, including how it has developed to meet its functions and the role played by various financial institutions in this process.
• Assess the evolution of cryptocurrencies (e.g., Bitcoin, Stablecoins, Ethereum, etc.) and how they work (coin mining, proof of work, staking, etc.).
• Identify what functions of money different cryptocurrencies currently serve and are anticipated to serve, and analyze their key drivers of success/failure at a micro and macro level and their impact on financial systems, businesses, individuals and financial institutions.
• Examine the roles of governments, banks and other financial institutions across the world in coping with and driving the evolution of the digital era.

Prerequisite

Prerequisite: COMM 298.

Course Credits

Course credits: 3