Wharton launches podcast focusing on artificial intelligence, fintech

The Wharton School recently launched a podcast series focusing on innovation in the finance industry. 

The “Future of Finance” series, which ran weekly from Nov. 11 to Dec. 2, was hosted by Joel S. Ehrenkranz Family Professor of Finance and Economics Itay Goldstein, who is also the chair of Wharton's Finance Department. Each episode discusses emerging themes in the industry, including artificial intelligence, financial technology, and social investing.

The episodes feature industry experts, ranging from Hyun Song Shin of the Bank for International Settlements to discuss the impact of digital currencies to Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland executive Loretta Mester to discuss central bank challenges.

Goldstein, in an interview with The Daily Pennsylvanian, emphasized the importance of understanding emerging trends shaping traditional banking and digital assets. He said that the creators of the podcast came up with four topics on the “frontier of finance right now.”

“I was basically drawing on people that I know from a lot of different occasions and interactions in the past, including conferences and other meetings,” Goldstein said. “But, these are people that are leading experts in these areas.”

The final episode, “The Future of Financial Technology,” features 2007 College and Wharton graduate Michelle Lai, who currently works with blockchain, synthetic assets, and digital currencies. 

“Wharton traditionally focuses on hedge funds, private equity, and banking, but a seismic shift in finance is coming,” Lai said. “Hearing from leaders at the frontier ensures you won’t be caught under the wave.” 

Goldstein told the DP that the podcast is also about making finance relatable to broader audiences. 

“The idea was to really connect the topics more to things that people currently read about in the press,” he said. “And that’s what we did.”