Young Talent Programme for AI in Finance (YTP-AIF)
Completed
Academic Lead
Randall E. DURAN
Senior Lecturer of Information Systems,
Coordinator, BSc (IS) Financial Technology Track, SCIS
Industry
Institute of Banking and Finance Singapore
Singapore's national accreditation and standard-setting body for the banking and finance industry, and co-developer of the national Skills Framework for Financial Services.
Bloomberg
A global provider of financial data, analytics, news, and trading tools for finance professionals.
Prudential
A multinational insurance and financial services company offering life insurance, health, and asset management products.
Greenlink Digital Bank
A digital wholesale bank licensed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore, offering commercial banking and supply chain financing to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
OCBC
A Singapore-headquartered bank offering retail, corporate, and investment banking services across Asia.
Why this Collaboration
IBF approached Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) with a recommendation to collaborate with Financial Institutions (FIs) on developing a programme like YTP-AIF. SMU is the leading IHL for this programme, collaborating with NTU, with both universities recognising the curriculum for academic credit. The course builds on Prof's existing Blended Learning 1.0 materials — which were largely theoretical — with the goal of scaling them by weaving in real industry context and relevance. CTE joined hands with Prof to help design and produce this more industry-connected learning experience, aligned with the i.Connect model.
Industry Involvement
Industry experts from partner FIs such as IBF, OCBC, Prudential, and Bloomberg are involved in a blended format: each expert records an interview covering foundational, industry-grounded concepts — for example, how AI/LLMs show up in their line of banking or finance work. The same expert then leads a live in-class session, giving students the chance to apply concepts, discuss real cases, and interact directly with industry practitioners.
Student Learning Experience
This SMU-X course is designed as a blended learning experience for YTP-AIF students.
Pre-class — Students watch the interviews and work through online exercises using AI tools such as AWS Kiro and BQuant, alongside Prof's materials, building foundational understanding at their own pace.
In-class — The same expert leads a live in-class session, giving students the chance to apply concepts, discuss real cases, and interact directly with industry practitioners. Class time is freed up for application: case discussions, interactive exercises, and direct engagement with both faculty and the industry expert.
In Their Own Words
Faculty
"Preparing students for a changing world means giving them opportunities to work with emerging technologies and learn from people applying them in practice. In YTP-AIF, we bring AI tools, industry perspectives and classroom discussion together. We want students to develop the judgment and adaptability to keep learning as AI transforms the way finance professionals work."
- Randall E. DURAN
Partner(s)
"The opportunity to collaborate with Professor Randall (SMU) and Professor Zhang (NTU) under the YTP-AIF initiative was highly rewarding for me, and I learned a lot in the process as well. I am grateful for the opportunity to spend a couple of hours with their respective classes, sharing my experience on taking AI prototypes to a live solution and interacting with many of their curious students. It was a genuinely enjoyable experience, and I appreciate being able to contribute to bridging academia and industry through initiatives like this."
– Miklos Morada, Prudential
Get involved with i.Connect
Whether you teach at SMU or work in industry, tell us what you have in mind. CTE will explore what could fit and follow up with you.