Digital Finance

Digital Currencies Academy 2022

04/04/2022 - 03/05/2022

Location

Online and in Florence

Level

Intermediate, Introductory

Approach

Qualitative, Quantitative

Delivery mode

Blended

Course closed

Digital currencies are transforming our monetary system. Since the first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, introduced in 2009, many new developments have challenged the use of traditional payment instruments and financial contracts. Current examples include Diem (former Libra), an initiative led by Facebook to challenge national and international payment arrangements, the USD Coin, the official coin of the crypto exchange Coinbase, and other private sector initiatives that are attracting ever more investment and rattle traditional financial regulation. These developments have not bypassed the attention of regulators, as more and more central banks are actively engaging with research and testing of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) to ensure the availability of central bank money to citizens in the digital age.

The Academy gives a thorough introduction into the topic of digital currencies. It first exposes participants to some of their technological foundations and then discusses the economic significance of their design and impact. Participants will also be exposed to current policy and regulatory challenges through case studies, mediated group discussions and expert panels. Among the topics covered are private sector digital currencies (incl. the so-called stablecoins), CBDCs, optimal digital currency areas, and private efforts to facilitate international payments.

The course will be in a blended format:

Ahead of the meeting in Florence (4-25 April): introductory online classes
- 2 hours of video lectures
- 1 hour of live discussion, in real-time
- Group work on a case study
Sessions in Florence (26-28 April): face-to-face meeting
- Lectures and group activities
After the sessions in Florence (3 May): concluding meeting online
- 1h30 of live discussion, online

Thorsten V. Koeppl

Professor

Queen’s University

Part-time professor

Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies

View Thorsten V. Koeppl profile
Elisabeth Noble

European Banking Authority

View Elisabeth Noble profile

Jean Allix (BEUC)
Katrin Assenmacher (ECB)
Thorsten Beck (EUI, FBF)
Brigit Carroll (WISE)
Christian Catalini (DIEM, Facebook)
James Chapman (Bank of Canada)
Anne Choné (ESMA)
Dante Disparte (Circle)
Montserrat Farina (JPMorgan)
Catherine Gu (Visa)
Daniel Heller (Fnality International)
Klaus Löber (ESMA)
Rory MacFarquhar (MasterCard)
Cyril Monnet (University of Bern)

Nikita Divissenko (Teaching Associate)
Pierre Schlosser (Scientific advisor)
Jan Trevisan (Course designer)

Early bird fee applies until 15 March 2022.

Early bird: € 2025 (Standard fee: €2250): Private Sector
Early bird: € 1755 (Standard fee: € 1950): Public Authorities (e.g. National Competent Authorities, Central Banks) and European Institutions
€ 1150 (no early bird, Standard fee only): Full-Time Professors, PhD Students, Research Associates

Please submit a certificate attesting your status of Professor, PhD Student or Research Associate to fbf@eui.eu before registering. FBF secretariat will provide you with a code to register.

* Seats for academics are limited

* Limited seats per institution

Please note that the payment must be settled two weeks before the start of the course.

The fee includes tuition, access to all course materials and pedagogic activities, coffee and lunch breaks and social activities. It does not include travel and accommodation expenses or other local transportation costs (taxis, private cars).

A certificate of attendance will be provided to all participants after the course.

CANCELLATION POLICY:

In case you can no longer attend the course, you are required to inform the organisers by sending an email to fbf@eui.eu in order to free a seat for participants in the waiting list.
In case of frequent cancellations, FBF reserves the right not to accept further registrations from the same person.