Blockchain and Digital Assets

Two Learning Tracks

5 scholarships for the MSc in
Blockchain & Digital Currency

• Scholarship value: 50% of total tuition per recipient
• Selection criteria: Awarded to 5 top-performing Advanced Track learners
• Programme: MSc in Blockchain & Digital Currency at University of Nicosia
• Total value: €7,400+ per scholarship

25 student-access sponsorships for the Advanced Track

• Sponsorship value: Complimentary access to the Advanced Track of the MOOC
• Programme: Advanced Track of the Free MOOC: Blockchain and Digital Assets
• Total sponsorship value: Approximately €5,000

Exclusive Trezor hardware wallet rewards

• Intro Track: 50 Trezor Model T devices awarded by random draw to students who pass the Final Exam
• Advanced Track: All students who pass the Final Exam receive a Trezor Model T
• MSc students: Trezor Model T included in the student welcome pack
• Shipping: Recipients are responsible for shipping costs

Meet Your Instructors

• 

  Prof. George Giaglis

  Short Bio

  Professor George M. Giaglis is the Executive Director of the Institute for the Future at the University of Nicosia (UNIC). He teaches UNIC’s MOOC Blockchain and Digital Assets and has been instrumental in designing the curriculum of the world’s first academic programs in this space: MSc in Blockchain & Digital Currency and MSc in Metaverse, both offered by UNIC. He has worked with institutional and corporate clients, including the European Commission and the European Central Bank, on blockchain and technology monitoring projects, and is a member of Meta’s Advisory Council at Reality Labs. He has published 12 books and more than 150 scientific papers and is the Chief Editor of the Blockchain Technologies section at the Frontiers in Blockchain journal.

• 

  Prof. Apostolos Kourtis

  Short Bio

  Dr Apostolos Kourtis is an Instructor on the MSc in Blockchain and Digital Currency at the University of Nicosia, where he teaches blockchain, decentralized finance (DeFi), and digital asset markets. His work has contributed to the development of forecasting, optimization, and risk-management frameworks used in practice for investor, business and policy decision-making. His research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals and featured in international media outlets, including the Financial Times and Bloomberg. His current research focuses on optimal blockchain adoption, sustainable blockchain systems, and the intersection of blockchain and artificial intelligence.

• 

  Punk6529

  Short Bio

  Punk6529 is among the world’s foremost collectors, investors and thought leaders in the NFT space, well-known for his extensive tweetstorms on NFTs and decentralization. 6529 is a leading advocate of the “open metaverse”, namely that the architecture of the metaverse should be decentralized and interoperable and, specifically, that NFTs could serve in this role.

  6529 is active in several key areas: a) the 6529 Museum is a very extensive NFT museum, with a particular focus on generative art; b) 6529 Capital is a leading asset manager in the NFT space, and c) OM, which is building an open, decentralized metaverse.

• 

  Garrick Hileman

  Short Bio

  Garrick was ranked as one of the 100-most influential economists in the UK and Ireland and is best known for his cryptocurrency and blockchain research. He is the author of the first University of Cambridge “Global Cryptocurrency Benchmarking Study”, where he also taught the first UK class on blockchain technology. Previously Garrick was head of research at Blockchain.com and a visiting fellow at both the University of Cambridge and London School of Economics. He is currently an adjunct professor researching/teaching topics ranging from AI to the rise & fall of empires.

• 

  Jeff Bandman

  Short Bio

  Jeff Bandman leads Bandman Advisors, advising governments, global firms, and start-ups on strategic innovation and regulatory challenges, with a focus on cryptoassets, blockchain, FinTech, and digital markets. He currently advises the Government of Cyprus on DLT legislation and virtual asset risk assessment under FATF standards. Jeff leads Regulatory Strategy at Kalshi, a CFTC-licensed U.S. exchange, and is Founder and CEO of BlockAgent Inc., an SEC-registered transfer agent for blockchain-based digital securities. A former senior official at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, he was the founding architect of LabCFTC, the agency’s hub for FinTech innovation. Jeff teaches blockchain and cryptoasset law and regulation at the University of Nicosia’s Institute for the Future and has taught at Yale’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs. He is a recognised thought leader and speaker on financial markets and digital asset regulation.

• 

  Dr Lambis Dionysopoulos

  Short Bio

  Dr Lambis Dionysopoulos holds a PhD on Digital Currencies and is an instructor on the MSc in Blockchain and Digital Currency at the University of Nicosia. Other experience includes being a Lecturer at Henley Business School, University of Reading, a Visiting PhD Researcher at King’s College London, and a Research Lead at the EU Blockchain Observatory and Forum.

• 

  Patrick Tobler

  Short Bio

  Patrick Tobler works on infrastructure for the emerging AI agent economy. He is co-founder of the Masumi Network, a protocol providing payment infrastructure, verifiable identity, and an on-chain registry for AI agents, and of its open agent marketplace, Sōkosumi. His central argument is that as billions of agents from different organisations begin transacting with one another, the problems of identity, trust, and cross-organizational payment are ones distributed ledgers have already solved. He is also founder and CEO of the blockchain infrastructure company NMKR, and co-authored the Cardano x402 standard specification. In June 2026, he presented on AI and blockchain as pillars of digital sovereignty at the German Bundestag’s Blockchain Roundtable.

• 

  John Greene

  Short Bio

  John Greene has a background in cloud infrastructure and security, holding a CISSP (Certified Information Systems Security Professional) and CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) along with an MSc in Digital Currencies from the University of Nicosia. He currently works as a technical writer for the Cardano Foundation, writing the scripts and creating animations for Cardano Academy. He authored three books: ‘Cardano for the Masses’, ‘I Can Aiken’ and ‘Midnight in Crypto’ and was the first (living) author on book.io.

• 

  Lucien Bourdon

  Short Bio

  Lucien Bourdon, Bitcoin Analyst, Trezor

  Lucien Bourdon has been active in the Bitcoin ecosystem since 2020, starting as a grassroots organizer in the UK. He supported local initiatives such as the Portsmouth Bitcoin Meetup and gradually became a recognized voice in the space, authoring bylined articles for outlets including Bitcoin.com and Bitcoin Magazine, and featured in interviews with BTC-Echo and CoinCarp. He works at Trezor as a Technical Writer and Bitcoin Analyst, creating educational content that helps users adopt self-custody securely and confidently.

• 

  Luke Martinez

  Short Bio

  Luke Martinez is the Head of Global Operations at Team1, a global community network supporting builders, creators, and ecosystem growth across Avalanche. He also serves as Chapter Lead for Team1 USA, helping grow Team1’s presence across the United States through onboarding, member programs, events, and community development.

  Luke graduated from the University of Nicosia in 2024 with a master’s degree in Blockchain and Digital Currency. Before moving into Web3, he spent more than 25 years in banking, holding leadership roles focused on operations, strategy, and large-scale organizational initiatives. Today, he brings that experience to his work supporting communities and builders across the Avalanche ecosystem.

• 

  Brandon M. Procak

  Short Bio

  Brandon M. Procak is Director of Stablecoin Strategy & Operations at Ripple, where he helps lead the strategy and growth of Ripple’s stablecoin (RLUSD) business. Previously, he held senior strategy and transformation roles at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and EY, founded venture-backed technology companies, and has taught innovation and strategy at Columbia University and Baruch College. He is also the author of the Your Mind book series.

What you will learn

After completion of the course students are expected to be able to:

• 1

  Describe the Fundamentals of Digital Assets, Bitcoin, and Ethereum: Explain the basics of Digital Assets and blockchain technology. Analyze Bitcoin mining, node roles, and the UTXO model. Explain how Ethereum uses smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Compare Bitcoin’s Proof of Work with Ethereum’s Proof of Stake, including their respective scalability approaches.

• 2

  Gain Practical Skills in Digital Transactions and Security: Explore digital wallets, including hardware wallets (e.g., Ledger, Trezor), and configure multi-signature wallets like Gnosis Safe. Understand key management through Shamir Secret Sharing, optimise transaction fees, construct raw transactions, and explore security tools like Zcash and Monero.

• 3

  Analyze Decentralized Finance (DeFi): Explain how smart contracts enable decentralized finance. Build and deploy a simple smart contract on the Ethereum testnet. Analyze DeFi in relation to traditional finance (TradFi). Outline the DeFi stack and examine key protocols such as Uniswap and Aave. Participate in a DeFi protocol by providing liquidity, staking tokens, and taking loans.

• 4

  Assess NFTs and Digital Ownership: Explain how NFTs function, including token standards, metadata, storage, and provenance. Demonstrate how to mint an NFT on the Ethereum blockchain and list it on marketplaces such as OpenSea and Rarible, and analyze how provenance supports authenticity and digital ownership.

• 5

  Evaluate Tokenization and Stablecoins: Explain how real-world assets and financial instruments are tokenized on-chain. Compare different levels of tokenization, outlining their benefits and main risks. Analyze stablecoin models and explain the mechanisms that support price stability. Explain how Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) function.

• 6

  Interpret Prediction Markets: Analyze how prediction markets use incentives and market mechanisms to aggregate information. Explain how prediction markets are implemented on-chain and compare design choices using case studies such as Polymarket. Assess manipulation and security risks and evaluate common failure points and mitigation strategies.

• 7

  Assess Geopolitics, Regulation, and Policy of Digital Assets: Examine the role of digital assets in sovereignty, sanctions, and strategic competition. Analyze how regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements influence market structure, innovation, and adoption.

• 8

  Explore the Evolution of Digital Assets and Emerging Trends: Explain how blockchains evolve through upgrades and forks. Examine how scaling approaches such as SegWit and the Lightning Network extend Bitcoin. Analyze Layer 2 infrastructure, modular blockchains, and Bitcoin inscriptions. Evaluate emerging trends, including convergence with AI agents and the Internet of Things (IoT).

Course

Description

Led by Professor George Giaglis, Professor Apostolos Kourtis, Garrick Hileman, Jeff Bandman, and digital asset thought leader Punk6529, with industry-led contributions from leading digital asset infrastructure providers including Ripple, Cardano, Avalanche and Trezor, this course equips learners with the theoretical foundations and practical skills needed to navigate the dynamic world of digital assets.

You will gain a comprehensive understanding of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies, progressing from core principles to the technical and economic foundations of Bitcoin and Ethereum. The curriculum examines consensus mechanisms, programmable blockchains, digital wallets and security, decentralized finance (DeFi), stablecoins, and digital assets, while also addressing the broader implications of Web3 technologies for digital economies and virtual environments.

The course is structured into two learning tracks: the free Introductory Track (Weeks 1-8) and the Advanced Track (Weeks 1-12).

The Introductory Track covers Web3 fundamentals, including blockchain and digital asset foundations, Bitcoin and Ethereum, consensus models, programmable blockchains, digital wallets and security, decentralized finance (DeFi), stablecoins, and digital assets.

The Advanced Track builds on this foundation with advanced modules on NFTs and digital ownership, crypto regulation and policy, blockchain scalability and design trade-offs, and emerging developments, including the convergence of AI and blockchain with Cardano. Advanced Track learners receive a blockchain-verifiable Certificate of Completion in “Advanced Topics in Blockchain and Digital Assets,” extended access to course materials, dedicated networking channels, and exclusive partner benefits, including 50% Ripple scholarships for the MSc in Blockchain and Digital Currency programme, Cardano student-access sponsorships, and Trezor hardware wallet rewards. The Advanced Track is available for €199 as an upgrade from the Introductory Track. You’ll receive more information on how to upgrade after you register.

A strong emphasis is placed on applied learning throughout the course. Quizzes, tutorials, and practical exercises bridge theory and practice, while live Q&A sessions with faculty and industry experts enable direct engagement and guidance. Participants also join a global learning community of over 150,000 learners from more than 120 countries.

This course is designed for professionals, students, and lifelong learners seeking a structured, academically grounded pathway into digital assets, with the flexibility to select the learning track that best aligns with their academic and professional goals.