Introduction to Bitcoin & Crypto Assets

In this lecture, students will explore the roots of Bitcoin, from its emergence during the heat of the 2008 Wall Street crash to the basic problems identified by Satoshi Nakamoto in his groundbreaking whitepaper that Bitcoin could solve. By the end of this lecture, students should be able to explain what the double-spend problem outlined by Satoshi Nakamoto in his whitepaper refers to, how Bitcoin solves double-spending, and how this system can operate in a peer-to-peer fashion without intermediaries.

In this lecture, we’ll cover everything from how Bitcoin works to how coins are distributed. Students will also spend time learning about different roles within the ecosystem (nodes, validators, etc.) and how transactions on the blockchain are processed. By the end of this lecture, students should have a firm grasp on Bitcoin’s monetary policy, how new coins enter circulation, and how the mining process works.

In this lecture, we’ll spend some time examining how the crypto ecosystem evolved following the arrival of Bitcoin. We’ll focus on the good (the birth of Ethereum) and the bad (the Silk Road scandal, the Mt. Gox bankruptcy) whilst touching upon the impact that ICOs had on crypto investment during the latter part of the 2010s. By the end of this lecture, students should be able to identify some of the key traits from other crypto-assets and how they compare and contrast with Bitcoin whilst confidently citing some formative developments in crypto over the past decade.

In this lecture, we’ll cover the basic features of utility tokens, from the different ways to distribute these tokens to how they act as a gateway to some of these blockchain ecosystems that we’re seeing. By the end of this lecture, students should be able to identify what a utility token is and how it differs from other types of crypto assets.

In this lecture, we’ll spend some time discussing what a stablecoin is, the use cases they can be applied to, and Facebook/Meta’s role via Libra/Diem. By the end of this lecture, students should be able to differentiate between the different types of stablecoins whilst explaining how stablecoins can help facilitate both remittances and B2B payments.

In this lecture, we’ll focus on the absolutely booming non-fungible token space, beginning with the basic features of an NFT whilst providing several examples of some of the top tokens to emerge this year, from NBA Top Shot to Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks. After winding our way through the short, yet exhilarating, history of NFTs following the wildly influential CryptoKitties, we’ll spend time examining the mainstream impact of NFTs and why brands and celebrities are muscling their way into the space. By the end of this lecture, students should understand how NFTs provide a new medium for digital ownership, how NFTs can expand beyond digital art into different use cases, and how these tokens stand to play an integral role in the looming metaverse.

In this lecture, we’ll break down two of the biggest concepts in modern crypto investing: tokenization and fractionalization. What do these terms mean? And how do they expand access and exposure to high-value assets? By the end of this lecture, students will be able to identify some of the key challenges and opportunities that come with tokenization and how these concepts have the ability to transcend crypto and be applied to other industries.

In this lecture we’ll take a deeper look at central bank digital currencies, examining their origins and features before shifting our focus to look at why central banks all over the globe are experimenting with digital money. After touching upon the impact of COVID-19 and subsequent quantitative easing on the acceleration of CBDC pilot programs, we’ll spend some time exploring some examples of a CBDC, like China’s e-CNY. By the end of this lecture, students should be able to distinguish between the different forms of CBDCs (retail vs. wholesale, mCBDC vs sCBDC) whilst providing examples of how CBDCs can facilitate more efficient and effective cross-border payments in addition to the specific features that make CBDCs so appealing to policymakers.

In this lecture, we’ll spend some focusing on why (and how) so many institutional investors have flocked into the cryptocurrency space over the past several years. What is driving this development? And what will the impact look like? From the maturation of the crypto industry to the demand from HNW clients for exposure to high-growth assets like Bitcoin, we’ll touch on every development from this perspective that you need to know about. By the end of this lecture, students should be able to point to three reasons why institutional investors are entering crypto whilst understanding the impact that China’s ban on crypto mining had in terms of stimulating the development of new mining centers.

In this lecture, we’ll dive deep into the world of decentralized finance, explaining the key concepts at the heart of DeFi before taking a closer look at the different types of services offered in the space. From DEXs and smart contracts to liquidity pools and staking, we cover every aspect of decentralized finance that you need to know about. By the end of this lecture, students will be able to understand some of the key terminology associated with DeFi (composability, permissionless) whilst pointing to the risks, challenges, and opportunities connected with this space.

In our final lecture, I tie all of these threads together into a seamless whole. I also provide tips for how students can continue to stay up to date on all of the latest developments in crypto whilst teasing some of the opportunities that come from participating in this ecosystem.