Strong fintech research topics focus on one product, one market and one measurable outcome. Current themes include open banking payments, regulated buy now pay later, stablecoins, AI credit scoring, embedded insurance and mobile money. This page lists over 90 topics for dissertations, theses and projects.
Introduction:
Fintech, short for financial technology, is a rapidly growing industry that focuses on using technology to improve the efficiency of traditional banking and financial services.
Fintech companies specialise in developing software and other tools that automate banking processes and make it easier for businesses and individuals to manage their finances.
The products created by these companies include mobile apps to track spending, online payment systems, digital wallets, and blockchain technology.
Researching fintech is a critically important exercise for students of finance and technology alike. The growing importance of fintech as an innovation sector has made it an ever-evolving field, requiring researchers to stay abreast of the trends to keep up with its rapid pace.
Fintech dissertation topics require an understanding of the underlying concepts and a clear grasp of the practical applications and emerging trends in the industry.
However, for students researching fintech dissertation topics, there are some inherent challenges associated with this task.
Due to its highly specialised nature, staying up-to-date on relevant topics can be difficult as a lot of new information appears each day that needs sifting through and digesting.
How to Choose the Best Fintech Dissertation Topic:
When selecting a fintech topic, the process of researching and choosing a dissertation topic can be both exciting and daunting. Therefore, students need to take their time researching potential topics before settling on one.
The following are some tips that can help streamline this process:
- First, Have a general understanding of what areas the student would like to explore in fintech. This will give them a better sense of the topics most applicable to their project or paper.
- Next, Look into industry publications and journals, as these are great resources for finding relevant content and cutting-edge information about fintech advances.
- Students should look at current trends in the field that might be of interest. Next, they need to identify areas where there may be gaps in knowledge or new opportunities that have not yet been explored.
Fintech Thesis Topics With Research Aims
Topic 1: Commercial Variable Recurring Payments as an Alternative to Direct Debit: Adoption by UK Billers and Consumers
Research Aim: This study examines what leads UK utilities, lenders and public bodies to offer, or plan to offer, variable recurring payments through open banking, and how consumers compare them with Direct Debit and card payments.
It will combine interviews with payment managers and a consumer survey on control over payments, trust and protection when something goes wrong.
Topic 2: Primary Account Status at UK Digital Banks: Salary Deposits, Trust and Full Account Switching
Research Aim: This research investigates whether customers of UK digital banks use them as their main account for salary and bills or as a secondary spending account, and what explains the difference.
A survey of account holders will test the roles of trust, deposit protection awareness, branch access, overdraft needs and the Current Account Switch Service.
Topic 3: Credit File Reporting of Buy Now Pay Later Borrowing and Access to Mainstream Credit for Young Adults
Research Aim: This study examines how the reporting of buy now pay later agreements to credit reference agencies affects the credit scores and later borrowing options of adults aged 18 to 30.
It will combine a survey of users with an analysis of lender and credit reference agency policies on how these agreements are treated in credit assessments.
Topic 4: Machine Learning Credit Scoring for Thin-File Borrowers: Predictive Accuracy and Fairness Across Demographic Groups
Research Aim: This research builds and compares logistic regression, gradient boosting and neural network credit scoring models for applicants with little credit history.
Using a public lending dataset, it will measure predictive accuracy, test whether error rates differ by age and gender, and assess how far explanation methods can justify individual decisions.
Topic 5: Stablecoins for Cross-Border Remittances: Cost and Speed Compared with Money Transfer Operators on Major Corridors
Research Aim: This study compares the full cost and delivery time of sending money with dollar stablecoins against banks and money transfer operators on corridors such as the UK to Nigeria and the Gulf to the Philippines.
It will use World Bank remittance price data and collected exchange fees, including the cost of converting to and from local currency.
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Latest Fintech Research, Thesis and Project Topics by Theme
Fintech moves quickly, so these topics follow products and rules in use or being introduced: instant payment schemes, digital bank licences, regulated instalment credit, crypto-asset authorisation, identity checks, embedded insurance, AI models and mobile money. Most can be researched with public data, a survey or a prototype.
Payments and Open Banking Topics
- Confirmation of Payee Warnings and Customer Decisions to Proceed with Bank Transfers
- Tap to Pay on Mobile Phones and Card Acceptance Among UK Sole Traders
- Credit Lines on the Unified Payments Interface and Small-Value Borrowing in India
- QR Code Payment Links Across Southeast Asia: Use by Tourists and Small Merchants
- Pix Instant Payments in Brazil: Substitution Away from Cash, Cards and Boleto Payment Slips
- Mobile Wallets at the Point of Sale: How UK Banks Respond to Apple Pay and Google Pay
Digital Bank and Neobank Topics
- Deposit Stability at Digital-Only Banks: Customer Responses to Changes in Savings Rates
- Account Freezes and Financial Crime Controls at UK Digital Banks: Customer Experiences of Blocked Accounts
- Small Business Lending by UK Digital Banks: Approval Speed and Pricing Compared with High Street Banks
- Digital Bank Licences in Singapore and Hong Kong: Customer Acquisition Against Incumbent Banks
- Paid Subscription Plans at Digital Banks: Customer Uptake and Perceived Value
- Round-Up and Savings Pot Features in Banking Apps and Short-Term Saving by Young Adults
Digital Lending and Buy Now Pay Later Topics
- Late Fees and Missed Payments in Buy Now Pay Later: Characteristics of UK Borrowers in Difficulty
- Peer-to-Peer Lending Platform Withdrawal from Retail Investment in the UK: Causes and Investor Outcomes
- Interest Rate Disclosure by Digital Lending Apps in India Under Central Bank Lending Rules
- Debt Collection Practices of Online Lending Apps in the Philippines and Regulatory Responses
- Earned Wage Access Products and Employee Financial Stress: Evidence from UK Employers
- Licensing of Digital Credit Providers in Kenya and Over-Indebtedness Among Mobile Borrowers
Crypto-Asset and Stablecoin Topics
- Authorisation Requirements for UK Crypto-Asset Firms and Market Exit by Smaller Exchanges
- Retail Investor Demand for Crypto Exchange-Traded Products After Regulatory Approval
- Dollar Stablecoin Use for Savings in High-Inflation Economies: Argentina, Turkey and Nigeria Compared
- Crypto-Asset Promotion Rules and Risk Warnings: Effects on First-Time Investors in the UK
- Liquidation Risk in Decentralised Finance Lending Protocols During Sharp Price Falls
- Retail Central Bank Digital Currency in Nigeria and India: Usage Levels and Barriers to Adoption
Regtech and Financial Crime Technology Topics
- Electronic Identity Verification at Onboarding: Customer Drop-Off and Fraud Detection in UK Fintech Apps
- Deepfake and Voice Cloning Attacks on Remote Identity Checks: Preparedness of Financial Firms
- Data Sharing Between Banks and Payment Firms to Detect Money Mule Accounts
- Regulatory Sandbox Participation and Time to Market for UK Fintech Start-Ups
- Safeguarding of Customer Funds at E-Money Institutions: Lessons from UK Firm Failures
- Sanctions Screening False Positives and Payment Delays for Customers with Commonly Matched Names
Insurtech and Embedded Finance Topics
- Telematics Motor Insurance and Premiums Paid by Young Drivers in the UK
- Embedded Insurance at Online Checkout: Take-Up and Claims Experience for Travel and Gadget Cover
- Index-Based Crop Insurance Sold by Mobile Phone: Uptake Among Smallholder Farmers in Kenya
- Embedded Lending in Accounting and E-Commerce Software: Working Capital Access for Small Firms
- Wearable Device Data in Life and Health Insurance: Willingness to Share and Premium Discounts
- Financial Services Inside Super Apps: Cross-Selling of Credit and Insurance in Southeast Asia
AI in Financial Services Topics
- Generative AI Chatbots in Retail Banking Apps: Accuracy of Answers to Customer Queries
- AI-Assisted Claims Assessment in Motor Insurance: Settlement Speed and Dispute Rates
- Large Language Models for Analysing Earnings Calls: Forecasting Value for Equity Analysts
- Credit Scoring as a High-Risk Use Under the EU AI Act: Compliance Preparation by Digital Lenders
- Machine Learning Detection of Card-Not-Present Fraud: Model Performance on Imbalanced Public Datasets
- Predicting Financial Ombudsman Complaint Outcomes from Published Decisions with Text Classification Models
Financial Inclusion and Mobile Money Topics
- Mobile Money Interoperability and Transaction Costs for Low-Income Users in Ghana and Tanzania
- Gender Gaps in Mobile Money Account Ownership: Evidence from the Global Findex Database
- E-Wallet Use Among Sari-Sari Store Owners in the Philippines: Payments, Credit and Record Keeping
- Account Aggregator Data Sharing and Credit Access for Small Businesses in India
- Mobile Money Agent Liquidity Shortages and Service Reliability in Rural Uganda
- Raast Instant Payments and Merchant Acceptance Among Small Retailers in Pakistan
List of Fintech Dissertation Topics
- Understanding blockchain and fintech
- Embracing digital transformation with fintech
- The impact of fintech on financial innovations
- Smart investing with fintech tools
- The impact of fintech on businesses
- The future of fintech
- Digital finance and fintech: current research and future research directions
- Fintech: ecosystem, business models, investment decisions, and challenges
- How do banks interact with fintech startups?
- The Impact of fintech startups on financial institutions’ performance and default risk
- Fintech Growth in the Middle East and North Africa: Regulatory Challenges and Market Prospects
- How digital finance and fintech can improve financial inclusion
- Data security and consumer trust in fintech innovation
- Artificial intelligence in fintech: understanding robo-advisors adoption among customers
- VaR and market value of fintech companies: An analysis and evidence from global data
- Is the sustainability profile of fintech companies a key driver of their value?
- Competition and cooperation between fintech companies and traditional financial institutions
- Bitcoin, blockchain and fintech: a systematic review and case studies in the supply chain
- How Blockchain can impact financial services–The overview, challenges and recommendations from expert interviewee
- How Can FinTech Impact Russia’s Development?
- A review of literature directions regarding the impact of fintech firms on the banking industry
- FinTech in India: An analysis of the impact of telecommunication on financial inclusion
- The impact of fintech innovation on green growth in China: Mediating effect of green finance
- How green FinTech can alleviate the impact of climate change—the case of Switzerland
- An empirical study of the impacts of perceived security and knowledge on continuous intention to use mobile fintech payment services
- The impact of fintech on the sustainability of Islamic accounting and finance education in Malaysia
- Research on Fintech development issues based on embedded cloud computing and big data analysis
- Fintech, digitalisation, and the law applicable to proprietary effects of transactions in securities (tokens): a European perspective
- The Problems of Consumer Protection in Fintech Peer To Peer Lending Business Activities in Indonesia
- Factors affecting continuance intention of FinTech payment among Millennials in Jakarta
- Banks and FinTechs: Friends or foes? What it takes for banks and FinTechs to successfully cooperate
- Effects of fintech on stock return: Evidence from retail banks listed in Indonesia stock exchange
- Fintech and Islamic finance: literature review and research agenda
- The Effect of FinTech on the Financial Institution in Six ASEAN Countries: Fama-French Five-Factor Asset Pricing Model Approach
- Data security and consumer trust in FinTech innovation in Germany
- Factors Affecting consumer acceptance of fintech products and Services in Malaysia
- What makes consumers trust and adopt fintech? An empirical investigation in China
- Toward Fintech Adoption Framework for Developing Countries-A Literature Review Based on the Stakeholder Perspective
- A detailed analysis of cryptography for financial markets
- An analysis of how different regulatory frameworks affect the growth and development of entrepreneurial fintech models in various regions.
- A Comparison of fintech models: peer-to-peer lending, robo-advisors, and blockchain-based solutions in terms of their sustainability, scalability, and impact on financial inclusion.
- The role of user experience (UX) design in shaping the adoption and usage of novel digital payment platforms.
- The potential of blockchain technology to revolutionise digital payments through decentralised platforms
- The impact of novel digital payment platforms on cross-border transactions and financial inclusion, particularly in underserved regions and developing economies.
- Explore how the adoption and diffusion of complex financial technologies influence socio-economic networks.
What is the Importance of Choosing the Correct Fintech Research Topic
When considering the research within the field of fintech, it is important to consider and select a relevant topic carefully. The chosen topic should be engaging and topical, enabling research to be conducted effectively. It is essential that the right decision is made in order to ensure that meaningful results are achieved.
Firstly, when researching within fintech, it is vital to ensure that the selected topic is related to current trends within the sector. When exploring a current trend or development, an understanding can be gained as to how this will impact existing businesses and services, thus beneficial for those researching this field.
Secondly, personal interest must also be taken into account when choosing a research topic; this increases motivation and ensures that data collection remains efficient throughout the project.
By selecting a fintech topic that aligns with current trends and their own interests, students can ensure that they’re getting the most out of their research. The key is to select a project that allows students to explore current topics and those that may become more relevant in the future. Students should also consider what resources they already have access to so they can use them to support their projects.
Related Dissertation Topics
This list focuses on fintech. You can also explore these related topic lists:
FAQs About Fintech Dissertation Ideas
Choose your topic once you know which module or pathway the project belongs to, what data you can access and who will supervise it.
Fintech products and rules change quickly, so check again shortly before you submit the proposal that the product still exists and the regulation is in force.
Pick one product, such as instant payments, digital lending or stablecoins, one market and one outcome you can measure, such as adoption, cost, default or fraud. Then confirm that data exist, whether from regulators, company reports, app reviews or a survey you can run.
Avoid topics that depend on confidential company data unless you have written permission to use it.
Free sources include the World Bank Global Findex Database, Bank for International Settlements payment statistics, publications from the Financial Conduct Authority and the Bank of England, UK Finance fraud reports and central bank data on instant payment systems.
Public blockchains can be analysed directly. For adoption studies, a well-designed survey or an analysis of app store reviews is often enough.
Yes. Computer science, data science and finance students often build a credit scoring model, a fraud detection classifier or a smart contract prototype, then evaluate it against a benchmark.
Use public or synthetic datasets, state the evaluation metrics in advance and discuss regulatory limits such as explainability and data protection.
Yes. For a master’s thesis, narrow the topic to one country and one dataset. For a PhD, extend it across countries or over time and add a causal design, for example by using the staggered introduction of instant payment systems or licensing rules.
MBA projects can take a single-firm case study approach, provided the company agrees to share information.
Yes. Complete the free topic form at the end of this page, or on our free dissertation topics page, and a subject specialist will send you a custom topic with an aim and justification.
If you also need a plan, our dissertation topics and outline service starts from £45.
