This week looks at the plumbing of current and future financial systems. Firstly we will look at our current financial infrastructure and how it facilitates the safe and efficient functioning of the financial system. We will also look at how our current infrastructure falls short and why this is an opportunity for fintech companies. We start with what banks and other financial intermediaries are, and why we regulate them. Then we will talk about how our financial infrastructure connects financial intermediaries and ensures that they can trade with one another. Secondly this week, we turn to the plumbing of the financial system of the future, which can be summarized in one word really, blockchain. Before going into details about how exactly the blockchain works, it makes sense to talk about how blockchain will disrupt our existing financial system. It's then time to take a deep dive into the cryptographic foundations of the blockchain. We will talk about public private key cryptography and explain exactly why cryptography makes the blockchain so secure. We end off the week with a complete overview of the data structures used in almost all blockchains. This will give you a thorough understanding of the innermost workings of the blockchain. Equipped with these tools, we can then take on the remainder of the course.