Top 10 courses on crypto, blockchain, fintech and more

10: Blockchain Basics

Title: Blockchain Basics 

Views: 281,800

Instructor: Jonathan Reichental, Ph.D.

Length: 57m

Accessibility: Beginners

Published: 14/07/2017

Finally, storming in at number one, book-ending our Top 10, and educating the masses is Jonathan Reichental with his Blockchain Basics. This non-technical look at the conceptual aspects of blockchain is useful for beginners to gain a deeper understanding of a cornerstone in the financial technology industry. 

The course explores the brief history of blockchain, examining its origins with Bitcoin, then touching on examples of blockchain “in action today”. Reichental offers suggestions for further research. He advises that learners should look into Ethereum, Smart contracts, Hyperledger as well as exploring companies like Bank of America and Goldman Sachs for further insights. Finally, Reichental explains some potential obstacles of blockchain but stresses the positive power of this technological advance, concluding that; “blockchain has the potential to be more impactful in the long run, than the internet itself.”

Learning Groups: National Association of State Board of Accountancy (for those who are interested in NASBA and want to connect with like-minded people).

Related course:  Blockchain: Beyond the Basics (the follow up course for learners wanting to expand their knowledge even further).

09: Foundations of The Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0)

Title: Foundations of The Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0)

Views: 151,400

Instructor: Jonathan Reichental

Length: 1hr 51m

Accessibility: Beginner to Intermediate

Published: 02/01/2019

Jonathan Reichental continues to dominate the most popular LinkedIn Learning courses for Fintech with this comprehensive course. Using stunning visuals to illustrate the material, Reichental sets the context of the revolution, taking us all the way back to the birth of earth, through human history and eventually to the present day. Reichental explains how the fourth industrial revolution will affect movement, cities, AI, driving and many more facets of everyday life. In this lecture-based series Reichental describes the “big picture change” and how best individuals, as well as organisations, can prepare for a transitioning world.

Learning Groups: AI and Machine Learning (a group solely for job interview tips in this area)

Related Courses: Smart Cities: Solving Urban Problems Using Technology (a short course - 14m - for learners to brush up on how technology can be used to solve the problems of density and waste in cities).

08: Algorithmic Trading and Stocks Essential Training

Title: Algorithmic Trading and Stocks Essential Training 

Views: 134,900

Instructor: Michael McDonald

Length: 1hr 29m 

Accessibility: Intermediate

Published: 03/14/2018 

The final one of Michael McDonald’s most viewed courses makes it into our top three. The course outlines algorithmic trading and is the foundation for the Algorithmic Trading and Finance Models course. McDonald explains how to use data to do basic algorithmic trading, how to test an algorithm and explains how big companies use data to make money on the stock market. McDonald makes sure to cover case studies of ETF pairs trading with algorithms, and dual share class pairs trading, giving the learner a full overview of algorithmic trading and stocks. 

Learning Groups: National Association of State Board of Accountancy (for those who are interested in NASBA and want to connect with like-minded people), Excel Learning Group (for those interested in discussing Excel further).

Related Courses: Finance Foundations: Business Valuation (how to valuate a business for selling, bringing on a partner, equity financing, or buying)

07: Financial Forecasting with Big Data

Title: Financial Forecasting with Big Data

Views: 129,000

Instructor: Michael McDonald

Length: 1hr 21m

Accessibility: Intermediate

Published: 19/07/2017

The second of McDonald’s courses that makes it into the Top 10 focuses on how professionals can learn to analyse big data with practical techniques for business forecasting. In this shorter course, McDonald describes predictive analytics and guides the learner through using this technique to forecast key performance indicators of interest. Whether the learner is looking at quarterly sales, projected cash flow, or optimised product pricing, McDonald demonstrates how Excel can be used to analyse and forecast trends.

Learning Groups: Project Management Institute (PMI) Prep (a group suited to those working towards a PMI certificate wanting to discuss elements of the prep), Financial Accounting Learning Group (for those learners wanting to discuss more courses on financial accounting).

Related Courses: Excel Data Analysis: Forecasting (led by Wayne Winston, learn how to use Excel’s data-analysis tools)

06: Algorithmic Trading and Finance Models with Python, R, and Stata Essential Training

Title: Algorithmic Trading and Finance Models with Python, R, and Stata Essential Training 

Views: 62,700

Instructor: Michael McDonald

Length: 2hr 8m

Accessibility: Intermediate

Published: 19/07/2019

This is the longest course in our Top 10 and one of the only courses that is project-based. However, our number five does have connections within our Top 10 as Michael McDonald, researcher and professor or finance at Fairfield University, is another key instructor within the fintech LinkedIn Learning community. McDonald’s courses hold three of the Top 10 spots and we’re loving it. McDonald’s work focuses on financial markets and investment decision-making and has been cited in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, the CFA Institute among others.

In this technical skills course, McDonald touches on different types of software that can be used to build algorithms for trading stocks and other financial instruments. He covers Excel, Python, R, and Stata, explaining how algo trading works and how to develop an algo trading strategy. If a learner is interested in this course, it is suggested that they begin with the essentials training course (see our number three).

Learning Groups: R Programming Learning Group (for learners wishing to discuss R programming).

Related Courses: Algorithmic Trading and Stocks Essential Training, (for an introduction to this area), Financial Modeling Foundations (again, a course led by Michael McDonald which aims to demystify key information about cash flow levels and risks).

05: Introduction to AWS for Non-Engineers: 1 Cloud Concepts

Title: Introduction to AWS for Non-Engineers: 1 Cloud Concepts

Views: 60,900

Instructor: Hiroko Nishimura

Length: 1hr 

Accessibility: Beginner

Published: 31/01/2020

Our only female-led course is one that focuses on Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS offers services to build online applications and the company’s aim is to make building a sophisticated application accessible to all. This course is a beginner's guide to using their software. Led by AWS Hero and AWS Newbies (an organisation committed to using jargon-free learning resources) founder Hiroko Nishimura this is the first part of a four-part AWS course. 

As stated in the title, this course is for non-engineers and attempts to allow non-engineers to fully understand the cloud. Nishimura gives a brief overview of the cloud history, deployment models, and design principles before demonstrating how to create an AWS account so that the learner can begin using the AWS Free Tier. Nishimura offers helpful exam tips for those learners looking to gain their AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner award. 

Learning Groups: Amazon Web Services Learning Group - (for any learners interested in the AWS certification. This group is for discussion around preparing for the examination). 

Related Courses: the course continues with Introduction to AWS for Non-Engineers: 2 Security, 3 Core Services and 4 Billing and Pricing.

04: Learning Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies

Title: Learning Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies 

Views: 58,300

Instructor: Tom Geller

Length: 1hr 16m

Accessibility: General

Published: 15/05/2018

Despite being a widely used trigger word in financial technology, most people won’t even have a correct definition for “Bitcoin”. That is why Tom Geller, a professional communicator specialising in business and technology, has targeted this course at a general audience. 

Geller is the founder and director of production house Tom Geller Communications and has worked with heavy-weight clients such as Apple, Stanford University, and Nature.com. Consequently, Geller has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the financial technology industry. In this course, he gives a brief history of Bitcoin, explains exactly what Bitcoin is and generally how the crypto economy works. Geller highlights how buying and selling Bitcoin is done and how an entrepreneur can protect their transactions. Finally, Geller takes the time to explore other cryptocurrencies. The course covers Ripple for finance, Ethereum for apps and IOTA for the Internet of Things. 

Learning Groups:  Project Management Institute (PMI) Prep (a group suited to those working towards a PMI certificate wanting to discuss elements of the prep), National Association of State board of Accountancy: NASBA (for learners who are interested in NASBA and want to connect with like-minded people). 

Related Courses: Securing Cryptocurrencies (another short course - 40m - by Jonathan Reichental on how to ensure cryptocurrency isn’t stolen).

03: Business Analytics: Forecasting with Seasonal Baseline Smoothing

Title: Business Analytics: Forecasting with Seasonal Baseline Smoothing

Views: 54,600

Instructor: Conrad Carlberg, PhD

Length: 49m

Accessibility: Advanced

Published: 10/08/2018

Coming in at number eight is the shortest course in our Top 10 and our only “advanced” learning material. Instructor Conrad Carlberg is an expert in the field of statistics, holding a doctorate from the University of Colorado in said field and having written 11 books on Microsoft Excel. This bite-size course summarises how to use Excel and R to find seasonality in a data set. Throughout,  Carlberg uses the example of residential water usage to illustrate the principles he describes. Within an hour, the learner can gain everything they need to know to optimise their forecasts. 

Learning Groups:  National Association of State board of Accountancy: NASBA (for learners who are interested in NASBA and want to connect with like-minded people), Excel Learning Group, and R Programming (for anyone interested in Excel or R respectively).

Related Courses: Business Analytics: Data Reduction Techniques Using Excel and R (another advanced course from Carlberg, in which he explains how to use cluster analysis to reduce data in an effective way).

02: SAP ERP Essential Training

Title: SAP ERP Essential Training 

Views: 40,800

Instructor: Justin Valley

Length: 1hr 31m

Accessibility: Beginner

Published: 11/04/2020

SAP is a world-leading provider of software that helps to manage business processes including data processing and information flow. Its customers “represent 98% of the top 100 most valued brands in the world”, ranging from Toyota to Sephora. Therefore, it’s no surprise that an instruction course on their software has found its way into the Top 10 most popular.

In fact, SAP strives for accessibility. The course is led by SAP trainer Justin Valley, an instructional designer who’s worked with companies such as Warner Bros. Entertainment and Costco Wholesale. Valley is the director of TKP Labs, a non-profit technology organisation that provides training on computer programming and Internet of Things (IoT) to students aged eight to 18 years old, so is well-positioned to lead a course on SAP essential training. 

Valley has a clear and instructive style, using visuals to demonstrate how to use the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform at work. The course is a guide for how to use this software most effectively. By the end of this tutorial, the learner will know the difference between master data and transactional data in SAP, have an overview of the system, have learned basic reporting, and how to use the multiple selection tool in SAP ERP. 

Related Courses: SAP ERP Beyond the Basics, (to continue your SAP ERP learning), Introduction to SAP BI/BW, (for an insight to the Business Intelligence and Business Warehouse tools in SAP).

01: Cryptocurrency Foundations

Title: Cryptocurrency Foundations

Views: 34,000

Instructor: Jonathan Reichental, PhD

Length: 1hr 3m

Accessibility: Beginner

Published: 25/05/2018

Jonathan Reichental, is a name that you’ll see popping up in this Top 10 a lot and indeed any search for courses on fintech. That’s because this best-selling author - The Apps Challenge Playbook, and Smart Cities for Dummies - has published 15 courses on LinkedIn Learning covering everything from Quantum Cryptography to Blockchains. In 2016, Reichental was named a top influential CIO in the United States and in 2018 founded Human Future, a global business and technology education, advisory and investment firm. Consequently, Reichental is expertly prepared to lead this course on cryptocurrencies.

Cryptocurrency is an essential concept to understand. The course focuses on the basics; how cryptocurrencies are created, how they are traded, and how they are mined. Reichental explains the difference between Bitcoin and blockchain as well as defining what an initial coin offering (ICO) is. Finally, after giving the learner this valuable knowledge, Reichental goes on to describe how the learner might create a cryptocurrency and offer it to the market. 

Learning Groups: National Association of State board of Accountancy: NASBA (for learners who are interested in NASBA and want to connect with like-minded people)

Related Courses: Learning Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies (this course, coming in at number 7 on our list, is led by Tom Geller and builds on the foundations that Reichental lays here).