As of last Tuesday, Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) residing at Cambridge Judge Business School announced a new research initiative focused on the “growing digital asset ecosystem”. According to CCAF, the newly launched collaborative effort involves 16 financial institutions such as the Bank for International Settlements, Accenture, Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, and more.
Additionally, CCAF is known for publishing the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index and the CBECI bitcoin mining map. This week, CCAF has revealed a new research initiative called Cambridge Digital Assets Program , which will be dedicated to the cryptocurrency landscape and will involve an initial two years of research.
(Over an initial period of two years, CCAF will work with public and private organizations to create the empirical data, tools, and insights necessary to facilitate an evidence-based public dialogue about the opportunities and risks presented by the growing digital asset ecosystem).
In fact, crypto news outlet CoinDesk recently published a ranking of the top 50 universities for blockchain. Researchers from CoinDesk, Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology analyzed 230 schools across the world and ranked them according to five factors. For example, Scholarly impact was a main factor which includes the number of blockchain and cryptocurrency-related research papers published between 2019 and 2021. Existing blockchain-related offerings on campus, including classes, educational centers, clubs and more.
The 5 factors that influenced the research from CoinDesk, Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology were:
Scholarly impact
Existing blockchain-related offerings on campus (adding classes, educational centers, clubs and more).
Employment and industry outcomes
Cost of attendance
Overall academic reputation
Some additional information About Financial Institutions that Joined the CDAP Initiative:
(Centre for Alternative Finance Digital Assets Research Project)
The growing adoption of digital assets increasingly blurs the lines between roles, responsibilities and applicable rules, stretching the boundaries of long-term institutional arrangements. “The Cambridge Digital Assets Program that we are launching today aims to meet the resulting need for greater clarity by providing data-driven insights through collaborative research involving public and private sector stakeholders”. Bryan Zhang, executive director at CCAF said in a statement.
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Blockchain at Berkley (Enterprise):
Born in October 2016, the Berkeley Bitcoin Association, which consists of about 12 members, established a blockchain research program in Berkeley, an organization that aims to become a blockchain hub in East Bay. They also launched Blockchain Fundamentals, the world's first university-certified basic blockchain course, and taught about 50 students. In addition to blockchain, consulting firms have grown within Berkeley's education team, bridging the gap between geeky Bitcoin enthusiasts and the industry's technical early adopters, and the concept of a disruptive blockchain use case. Since then, research and governance teams have also emerged through other ambitious B2B members.