General Course Information
1.1 Course details
| Course code: | LLAW6127 / JDOC6127 |
| Course name: | Current Issues in Financial Law |
| Programme offered under: | LLM Programme / JD Programme |
| Semester: | Second |
| Prerequisite / Co-requisite: | No |
| Credit point value: | 9 credits / 6 credits |
1.2 Course description
Current Issues in Financial Law is a reflective and topical course for students nearing the completion of their degree programmes. The course is not intended as an entry point into financial law and regulation: students are highly advised to have completed Regulation of Financial Markets (LLAW6093) or equivalent introductory course, and possibly a specialized course, in the field of financial or banking law and regulation.
The course covers ongoing and contentious topics in financial law through the lens of two recurring forces that shape the field: financial crises, which expose regulatory gaps and drive reform, and technological change, which reshapes instruments, intermediaries, and risk. It will examine these and other issues according to events and developments at the time of the course, both locally and at the international level.
Illustrative themes include: emerging challenges in the regulation of digital assets and decentralised finance; data governance and the role of artificial intelligence in credit and supervisory decision-making; payment transparency and the integrity of cross-border payment systems in digital finance; secured lending and access to credit — including advanced supply-chain finance transactions and the use of intangible assets as collateral to mitigate risks; the post-crisis evolution of prudential architecture, with attention to the impact of the Basel framework on credit provision and on digital-asset exposures; and macro-prudential regulation, encompassing systemic risk, the cyclical and counter-cyclical effects of prudential measures, and stress-testing. The precise selection of issues varies each year to reflect contemporary legal and regulatory developments.
1.3 Course teachers
| Name | E-mail address | Office | Consultation | |
| Course convenor | Giuliano Castellano | g.castellano@hku.hk | CCT 703 | By email |
Learning Outcomes
2.1 Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs) for this course
CLO 1 Critically analyse contemporary developments in financial law and regulation at the intersection of crises and technology.
CLO 2 Evaluate the response of legal and regulatory frameworks — at domestic, regional, and transnational levels — to emerging risks and innovations in financial markets.
CLO 3 Apply doctrinal, comparative, and interdisciplinary methods to live regulatory controversies and case studies.
CLO 4 Construct and defend reasoned arguments on contested issues in financial law, drawing on primary legal instruments, regulatory guidance, and scholarly commentary.
CLO 5 Communicate complex legal and regulatory analysis, in written and oral form, to specialist and informed-generalist audiences.
2.2 LLM and JD Programme Learning Outcomes (PLOs)
Please refer to the following link:
LLM – https://course.law.hku.hk/llm-plo/
JD – https://course.law.hku.hk/jd-plo/
2.3 Programme Learning Outcomes to be achieved in this course
| PLO A | PLO B | PLO C | PLO D | PLO E | PLO F | |
| CLO 1 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 2 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 3 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 4 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CLO 5 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Assessment(s)
3.1 Assessment Summary
| Assessment task | Weighting | Feedback method* | Course learning outcomes |
| Participation (case presentations and/or class exercises) | 30% | 4, 5 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| Take home exam | 70% | 1, 3 | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 |
| *Feedback method (to be determined by course teacher) | |
| 1 | A general course report to be disseminated through Moodle |
| 2 | Individual feedback to be disseminated by email / through Moodle |
| 3 | Individual review meeting upon appointment |
| 4 | Group review meeting |
| 5 | In-class verbal feedback |
3.2 Assessment Detail
The course is assessed by: (i) a take-home exam (70%), primarily in the format of complex pattern questions (research-based or hypothetical case) communicated at the end of the course; and (ii) a participation component (30%) primarily consisting of structured presentations where students are required to articulate different positions and routine class exercises and discussions.
3.3 Grading Criteria
Please refer to the following link: https://www.law.hku.hk/_files/law_programme_grade_descriptors.pdf
Learning Activities
4.1 Learning Activity Plan
| Seminar: | 3 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
| Private study time: | 9.5 hours / week for 12 teaching weeks |
Remarks: the normative student study load per credit unit is 25 ± 5 hours (ie. 150 ± 30 hours for a 6-credit course), which includes all learning activities and experiences within and outside of classroom, and any assessment task and examinations and associated preparations.
4.2 Details of Learning Activities
To be advised by course convenor(s).
Learning Resources
5.1 Resources
| Reading materials: | Reading materials are posted on Moodle |
| Core reading list: | Posted on Moodle |
| Recommended reading list: | To be advised in class throughout the semester and posted on Moodle |
5.2 Links
Please refer to the following link: http://www.law.hku.hk/course/learning-resources/