Digital Finance

Digital Currencies Academy

20/03/2023 - 05/04/2023

Location

Online and in Florence

Level

Intermediate, Introductory

Approach

Qualitative, Quantitative

Delivery mode

Blended

Digital currencies – often in the form of privately and publicly issued tokens — have the potential to significantly transform our monetary system. Following the emergence of Bitcoin as the first cryptocurrency in 2009 many new tokens have emerged in the market. Such tokens are marketed in a variety of ways, ranging from currency denominated in a new unit of account to being directly positioned as alternative means of payments in the form of stablecoins.

These developments have not bypassed the attention of regulators. New initiatives have been emerging such as the EU’s Markets in Crypto-assets Regulation or the setting of new standards by the Financial Stability Board. More and more central banks have started to actively engage in research about and the testing of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) that are to bring central bank money into the digital age.

The second edition of the Digital Currencies Academy gives a thorough introduction into the topic of digital currencies. It first exposes participants to some of their technological foundations, the economic rationale for privately issued tokens and the current market situation. Then, participants gain exposure to current policy and regulatory challenges and initiatives at the EU and international level through case studies, mediated group discussions and expert panels. Finally, the course discusses the efforts of introducing CBDC, with a particular focus on their design and impact for the financial system.

Among the topics covered are private sector digital currencies (incl. so-called stablecoins), CBDC, including key design dilemmas, an update on the Digital Euro Project, the Markets in Crypto-assets Regulation (MiCA) and other applicable measures in the EU, as well as policy developments at the international level.

The course will be in a blended format:

Ahead of the meeting in Florence (20 March-02 April): introductory online classes
- Video lectures
- Live session
Sessions in Florence (03-05 April): face-to-face meeting
- 3 April 2023
  Theme: Payments (5 hours)
  - Session 1 – A Primer on Cryptocurrency Technology
  - Session 2 – The Economics of Digital Currencies
  - Session 3 – Tokenomics / Empirical Facts
  - Session 4 – Case Studies / Payments
  4 April 2023
  Theme: Crypto-Assets Regulation in the EU and key global policy developments (6 hours)
  - Session 5 – Stablecoins – Market rationale and Use Cases
  - Session 6a – MiCA
  - Session 6b – Ramifications and boundaries of MiCA
  - Session 7 – MiCA Case Studies
  - Session 8 – Crypto Regulation: Global perspectives and the work of international standard-setters
  5 April 2023
  Theme: Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)
  - Session 9 – CBDC
  - Session 10 – Panel Discussion on CBDCs (public and private perspectives)

Academy directors

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

Instructors

Katrin Assenmacher

Head of the Monetary Policy Strategy Division

European Central Bank

View Katrin Assenmacher profile
James Chapman

View James Chapman profile
Jonathan Chiu

Senior Research Advisor

Bank of Canada

View Jonathan Chiu profile
Anne Choné

Senior Risk Analysis Officer

ESMA

View Anne Choné profile
Giles Swan

Head of European Policy

Blockchain.com

View Giles Swan profile
David Vestin

Riskbank

View David Vestin profile

Teaching Associate

Nikita Divissenko

Assistant Professor

Utrecht University

View Nikita Divissenko profile

€ 2250: Private Sector
€ 1950: Public Authorities (e.g. National Competent Authorities, Central Banks) and European Institutions
€ 1150: 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.