Fintech is short for financial technology, and it encompasses the myriad of ways that the digital age is transforming the finance industry. The convergence of the internet, mobile phones, the cloud, and other technologies have made it possible to deliver financial services more easily, at lower costs, and in new ways. Understanding the capabilities of fintech, as well as the regulations governing their use, is thus important to understanding finance today whether you’re working at an established bank or a startup.

While the fintech ecosystem is complex and steadily expanding, most applications fall into one of two categories. Many important areas of innovation in fintech are focused on enhancing the convenience and efficiency of traditional financial services, including payment processing, online lending, investment management, and credit technology. However, there is also a growing interest in more disruptive applications that make it possible to bypass legacy institutions altogether, such as crowdfunding investment and lending platforms as well as cryptocurrencies enabled by blockchain technology.

The fintech ecosystem is so wide-ranging that the accounting services multinational PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) breaks down the players into “the As, Bs, Cs, and Ds.” As include large, established financial institutions like Bank of America and Allstate; Bs are big tech companies active in financial spaces, including Apple, Google, and Facebook; Cs are companies providing infrastructure for credit cards and other transactions, such as MasterCard, Fiserv, and exchanges like NASDAQ; and finally, Ds are disruptors focused on innovation in a specific process, such as PayPal, Prosper, and Lemonade.

Having expertise in fintech can help advance your financial services career anywhere in this ecosystem, regardless of your experience or background. If you’re a seasoned professional in banking, investment management, or accounting, fintech can help give you new ways to meet the needs of your customers and clients and stay ahead of your competitors. If you’re coming from a background in tech, fintech is a fast-growing field to apply your skills, whether at an incumbent market leader or at an entrepreneurial venture.

Yes. Coursera offers a wide range of finance and technology courses, including both individual courses and Specializations focused on fintech specifically. And because these courses are offered by highly-ranked schools like the Wharton Business School at University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan, Copenhagen Business School, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, you won’t have to sacrifice the quality of your education to learn online.

In addition to being able to learn about fintech remotely from world-class universities from wherever you live, the ability to complete course materials on a flexible schedule makes Coursera a perfect fit for working financial services professionals or entrepreneurs working on a startup. These courses are also available at a significantly lower cost than on-campus alternatives, making them a smart choice for any budget.