This module is not currently running in 2026 to 2027.
Who does the money in your bank account legally belong to? Why does your bank card say 'Visa' or ‘Mastercard’? Why do we borrow money from and become indebted to a bank, a private corporation, and not the government for example? And what does the future of banking will look like in a world where how we see and use money is being shaped by financial technologies, regulatory technologies and artificial intelligence?
This module will critically explore the present and future of banking, by introducing you to the national and international legal architecture governing the role and regulation of banks, central banks, the payment system, money laundering, credit and debt, the interplay between data protection and the bank-customer relationship; as well as evolving practices such as open banking, use of crypto currencies and central bank digital currencies. Focus will be on the English banking system throughout; however other jurisdictions will be drawn on for comparative purposes.
You will gain a comprehensive understanding of the role of banks in society and the tools to critically explore what the future of banking may look like in light of the ever-evolving technological and regulatory landscape.
Lecture/Seminars -20
Workshop- 4
Option 1
Written-Short Written Piece-Short Essay -1,500 words -30%
Written -Extended Writing- Research Essay -2,500 words- 70%- This Assessment is Pass Compulsory.
Option 2:
Practical-Individual Presentation-15 minutes recorded presentation plus slides -30%
Written -Extended Writing- Research Essay -2,500 words- 70%- This Assessment is Pass Compulsory.
Reassessment methods:
Like-for-like
See the library reading list for this module (Canterbury)
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1) Comprehensively explain concepts, principles and relevant sources of banking law;
2) Critically evaluate current problems, policy issues and/or new insights underlying banking law and wider factors that may influence the development of banking law;
3) Undertake independent legal research and critically engage with advanced scholarship in law and policy affecting banking law;
4) Formulate a sophisticated understanding of the practical application of banking law alongside its theoretical contexts; and
5) Analyse complex issues both systematically and creatively to make sound judgements which are communicated clearly.
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