IIM Bangalore launches FinTech Certificate Programme for Young Professionals
New online offering by IIMBx, supported by the Government of Karnataka, aims to democratize access to world-class FinTech education
11 August, 2025, Bengaluru: IIM Bangalore, through its digital learning arm IIMBx, announces the launch of the FinTech Certificate Programme for Young Professionals, a meticulously curated online offering designed to equip early-career professionals and students with both foundational and advanced knowledge of the rapidly evolving FinTech ecosystem.
The initiative forms part of the Skilling & Training pillar of the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Fintech, established by the Department of Electronics, IT, and Bt, Government of Karnataka, to nurture and accelerate the State’s fintech landscape.
The programme will be delivered in two tiers: a six-month Foundation Certificate, followed by a three-month Advanced Certificate, available upon successful completion of the first phase. Applications will be open from 11 August to 14 September 2025, on the IIMBx platform. Please visit http://iimbx.iimb.ac.in/fintech/
Supported by a generous grant from the Government of Karnataka, the programme is offered at a significantly subsidized fee, ensuring that high-quality, industry-relevant FinTech education is accessible to a broader demographic of aspiring professionals. “Karnataka continues to lead with bold, future-ready initiatives. This programme will empower our youth and professionals with the skills needed to thrive in the rapidly evolving fintech landscape,” said Shri Priyank Kharge, Hon’ble Minister for Electronics, IT & Bt, and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, Government of Karnataka.
“The Government of Karnataka has always been ambitious – be it on GCC policy, VLSI policy, gaming policy, IT & Bt policies, and more. Being ambitious is good, and we hope the FinTech CoE’s first major outcome will be the scaling of this FinTech certificate programme offered by IIM Bangalore. I particularly like the fact that it is a flexible programme and also has a focus on bringing women back into the workforce after a career break,” Priyank Kharge added.
Offering an overview of the programme offerings from IIMBx, Professor Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Director, IIMBx, said it was very exciting to work with the Government of Karnataka to design and deliver the fintech certificate programme and to incubate fintech startups at NSRCEL, the entrepreneurship centre at IIM Bangalore. “We look forward to making a big impact in the skilling space with this programme across the state,” he added.
The fintech certificate programme will be led by Professor G. Sabarinathan, retired Professor in Finance & Accounting area at IIMB, who serves as the Programme Director. “The curriculum has been designed carefully, with the right mix of content from academicians and leading industry professionals, to turn young graduates, across disciplines, into business professionals who can play a range of business roles across the entire Indian FinTech industry,” said Prof. Sabarinathan on the curation of the course. Describing the skilling programme announced by the Government of Karnataka a “far-sighted initiative”, Prof. Sabarinathan said it will make high quality education in the fintech space accessible to everyone in Karnataka.
Design & Delivery
Offered by IIMBx, a frontrunner in digital education, the programme will be delivered using a blended asynchronous model that prioritizes flexibility without compromising engagement. Participants will progress through courses hosted on the IIMBx platform, with a few courses released periodically, giving learners sufficient time to complete each set before the next release. “Through this initiative, we aim to create a strong foundation of skilled professionals who will fuel the fintech ecosystem and contribute meaningfully to Karnataka’s innovation agenda”, said Dr. Ekroop Caur, Secretary to the Government, Department of Electronics, IT, Bt, and S&T, Government of Karnataka. She also thanked Professor Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIMBx, who, she said, has been “instrumental in taking the initiative in launching this programme with the State government”.
These courses, whose transcripts are available in both Kannada and English, will be supplemented with synchronous sessions for interactive discussions, industry insights, and real-time problem-solving, wherever applicable. Dedicated doubt-clearing sessions and learner support activities will be incorporated to ensure smooth and seamless learning.
The curriculum integrates faculty-led lectures, additional reading, ungraded activities and graded assessments to reinforce learning outcomes, while the platform’s user-friendly interface ensures seamless navigation and consistent learner support.
“The FinTech programme typifies IIMBx's resolve to bring high-quality management education to the maximum number of learners,” said Professor Vasanthi Srinivasan, Chairperson, IIMBx. “We are determined to play our part in making Karnataka a FinTech powerhouse.”
The curriculum includes courses that cover conceptual bases such as business strategy, people management, finance and accounts, product management and regulation of financial services, as well as an exposure to all the major verticals of the fintech industry such as lending, insurance, payments and wealth management. Learners are expected to grow into diverse roles like strategists, product managers or even start their own fintech enterprises as entrepreneurs.
The sudden acceleration in the adoption of financial technologies has led to an increase in financial innovation and the democratization of financial services. For participants seeking exponential growth in the sector, the programme will provide a holistic, real-world curriculum that aligns with industry demands and open doors to exciting roles in one of the fastest-growing sectors.
About IIMBx
IIMBx Digital Learning Foundation (IIMBx DLF) is a company under the IIMB umbrella that houses the institute’s digital learning business. It curates courses for various industry sectors, government platforms and individual learners. Its courses and programmes are hosted on its own IIMBx platform, on the government’s SWAYAM and I-GoT, and on edX, the platform originally promoted by Harvard and MIT. The company also delivers IIMB’s online BBA-DBE (Digital Business and Entrepreneurship), the institute’s first undergraduate programme.
In the decade since IIMB started creating Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), it has catered to several million learners worldwide.
IIM Bangalore launches FinTech Certificate Programme for Young Professionals
New online offering by IIMBx, supported by the Government of Karnataka, aims to democratize access to world-class FinTech education
11 August, 2025, Bengaluru: IIM Bangalore, through its digital learning arm IIMBx, announces the launch of the FinTech Certificate Programme for Young Professionals, a meticulously curated online offering designed to equip early-career professionals and students with both foundational and advanced knowledge of the rapidly evolving FinTech ecosystem.
The initiative forms part of the Skilling & Training pillar of the Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Fintech, established by the Department of Electronics, IT, and Bt, Government of Karnataka, to nurture and accelerate the State’s fintech landscape.
The programme will be delivered in two tiers: a six-month Foundation Certificate, followed by a three-month Advanced Certificate, available upon successful completion of the first phase. Applications will be open from 11 August to 14 September 2025, on the IIMBx platform. Please visit http://iimbx.iimb.ac.in/fintech/
Supported by a generous grant from the Government of Karnataka, the programme is offered at a significantly subsidized fee, ensuring that high-quality, industry-relevant FinTech education is accessible to a broader demographic of aspiring professionals. “Karnataka continues to lead with bold, future-ready initiatives. This programme will empower our youth and professionals with the skills needed to thrive in the rapidly evolving fintech landscape,” said Shri Priyank Kharge, Hon’ble Minister for Electronics, IT & Bt, and Rural Development & Panchayat Raj, Government of Karnataka.
“The Government of Karnataka has always been ambitious – be it on GCC policy, VLSI policy, gaming policy, IT & Bt policies, and more. Being ambitious is good, and we hope the FinTech CoE’s first major outcome will be the scaling of this FinTech certificate programme offered by IIM Bangalore. I particularly like the fact that it is a flexible programme and also has a focus on bringing women back into the workforce after a career break,” Priyank Kharge added.
Offering an overview of the programme offerings from IIMBx, Professor Rishikesha T. Krishnan, Director, IIMBx, said it was very exciting to work with the Government of Karnataka to design and deliver the fintech certificate programme and to incubate fintech startups at NSRCEL, the entrepreneurship centre at IIM Bangalore. “We look forward to making a big impact in the skilling space with this programme across the state,” he added.
The fintech certificate programme will be led by Professor G. Sabarinathan, retired Professor in Finance & Accounting area at IIMB, who serves as the Programme Director. “The curriculum has been designed carefully, with the right mix of content from academicians and leading industry professionals, to turn young graduates, across disciplines, into business professionals who can play a range of business roles across the entire Indian FinTech industry,” said Prof. Sabarinathan on the curation of the course. Describing the skilling programme announced by the Government of Karnataka a “far-sighted initiative”, Prof. Sabarinathan said it will make high quality education in the fintech space accessible to everyone in Karnataka.
Design & Delivery
Offered by IIMBx, a frontrunner in digital education, the programme will be delivered using a blended asynchronous model that prioritizes flexibility without compromising engagement. Participants will progress through courses hosted on the IIMBx platform, with a few courses released periodically, giving learners sufficient time to complete each set before the next release. “Through this initiative, we aim to create a strong foundation of skilled professionals who will fuel the fintech ecosystem and contribute meaningfully to Karnataka’s innovation agenda”, said Dr. Ekroop Caur, Secretary to the Government, Department of Electronics, IT, Bt, and S&T, Government of Karnataka. She also thanked Professor Rishikesha T Krishnan, Director, IIMBx, who, she said, has been “instrumental in taking the initiative in launching this programme with the State government”.
These courses, whose transcripts are available in both Kannada and English, will be supplemented with synchronous sessions for interactive discussions, industry insights, and real-time problem-solving, wherever applicable. Dedicated doubt-clearing sessions and learner support activities will be incorporated to ensure smooth and seamless learning.
The curriculum integrates faculty-led lectures, additional reading, ungraded activities and graded assessments to reinforce learning outcomes, while the platform’s user-friendly interface ensures seamless navigation and consistent learner support.
“The FinTech programme typifies IIMBx's resolve to bring high-quality management education to the maximum number of learners,” said Professor Vasanthi Srinivasan, Chairperson, IIMBx. “We are determined to play our part in making Karnataka a FinTech powerhouse.”
The curriculum includes courses that cover conceptual bases such as business strategy, people management, finance and accounts, product management and regulation of financial services, as well as an exposure to all the major verticals of the fintech industry such as lending, insurance, payments and wealth management. Learners are expected to grow into diverse roles like strategists, product managers or even start their own fintech enterprises as entrepreneurs.
The sudden acceleration in the adoption of financial technologies has led to an increase in financial innovation and the democratization of financial services. For participants seeking exponential growth in the sector, the programme will provide a holistic, real-world curriculum that aligns with industry demands and open doors to exciting roles in one of the fastest-growing sectors.
About IIMBx
IIMBx Digital Learning Foundation (IIMBx DLF) is a company under the IIMB umbrella that houses the institute’s digital learning business. It curates courses for various industry sectors, government platforms and individual learners. Its courses and programmes are hosted on its own IIMBx platform, on the government’s SWAYAM and I-GoT, and on edX, the platform originally promoted by Harvard and MIT. The company also delivers IIMB’s online BBA-DBE (Digital Business and Entrepreneurship), the institute’s first undergraduate programme.
In the decade since IIMB started creating Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), it has catered to several million learners worldwide.