Security as a product feature for fintechs. Threat modeling, KYC/AML, payments, customer data, banking operations, vendors, security engineering, compliance, audits — with explicit **Recommendation** + **Try to hack** sections in every task.
This is the course for builders + CISOs + security PMs at financial products. Every task follows the same pattern: an explicit **Recommendation** (what to do, with the regulatory + product justification) and a **Try to hack** section (an exercise to test the defence in your own sandbox). The hack exercises are always authorised + safe — you test your own controls, not anyone else's. Covers the full fintech security program: foundations + compliance landscape, threat modeling for financial products, KYC/AML/account protection, payments security (cards, ACH, wires, crypto rails), customer data protection, banking-grade operations + IR, vendor + supply chain risk, security engineering, people + trust + communication, and the long-game of programs + audits + IPO readiness. Anchored in PCI-DSS v4, SOC 2, NYDFS DFS-500, FFIEC, GDPR, real fintech incidents (Robinhood 2021, Coinbase 2022, Synapse 2024), and the actual practices at Stripe, Plaid, Wise, Coinbase, Block. Five capstones (you pick one): Year-1 security roadmap for a fintech, end-to-end payments security design, KYC + AML + ATO design, security program + board reporting, IR + crisis comms playbook.
Built by Lakshya Kumar
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Sign in to applyComplete all modules, then submit the required number of capstone projects. Each must earn a passing rating from an admin reviewer.
For a specific fintech (real or hypothetical: payments, neobank, lending, crypto exchange), produce a 5-10 page Year-1 security roadmap. Cover: applicable regulations, SOC 2 + PCI timeline, organisation structure (CISO + first 2 hires), top 5 metrics, top 10 risks, vendor strategy, IR readiness. Review with a peer.
I am learning product security and financial system security at the CISO / security PM level — security as a product feature, threat modeling for financial products, KYC/AML/OFAC/sanctions, account takeover defence, payments security (cards + PCI-DSS, ACH, wires, BEC, crypto rails), customer data protection (encryption + classification + retention + DSAR), banking-grade operations (change management + audit logs + IR), vendor + supply chain risk (BaaS partners + concentration risk), security engineering (SDLC + SAST + bug bounty + pentest), people + trust (security UX + customer education + phishing), and the long-game of programs + board reporting + regulator exams + IPO readiness. Help me work through the actual practices at Stripe, Plaid, Wise, Coinbase, Block, with reference to PCI-DSS v4, SOC 2, NYDFS DFS-500, FFIEC, GDPR, and real fintech incidents.
Pick a payment use-case (e-commerce, P2P transfer, subscription, B2B AR/AP). Produce a 5-10 page security design: card flow + tokenization + PCI scope, ACH controls (if applicable), wire transfer controls (if applicable), fraud rules, IR playbooks. Walk one runbook end-to-end with a peer.
Design: KYC tiers (basic / enhanced / premium) with regulatory basis, AML rule set (top 10 rules + patterns), OFAC screening cadence, ATO defence layers, account-recovery workflow. Implement one component (e.g., AML rule, ATO step-up, recovery workflow) in a sandbox + walk through with a peer.
Produce a 20-30 page security program plan for your fintech (Year-1 + Year-2 + 3-year), with milestones + owners + budget. Plus a 1-page (with 4-page appendix) quarterly board update template using your actual metrics. Review with CISO mentor or board advisor.
Build an end-to-end IR + Crisis Comms Playbook: severity levels, on-call, decision tree, regulator notification matrix (NYDFS, SEC, GDPR), pre-approved customer communication templates, post-mortem template. Run a 90-minute tabletop exercise + document gaps + ship 3 fixes within 30 days.
Card data security standard.