Certified Blockchain Expert

This course is designed for developers and managers seeking to acquire business skills in blockchain technology. The course is suitable for business developers who need an in-depth understanding of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.

The course delivers an insight into the Ethereum and Hyperledger platforms among others; you will develop your understanding of the full range of potential blockchain use cases and business models. As more and more blockchainbased applications evolve, an in-depth knowledge of the underlying technologies is becoming indispensable. Equipped with this knowledge, you can leverage blockchain opportunities to build your company’s digital future.

Highlights

This programme has been set up in cooperation with the Frankfurt School Blockchain Center which is a think tank and research center which investigates implications of the blockchain technology for companies and their business models.

Programme content

The course consists of two 4-day weeks. You may also choose not to take part in the full certification course and attend the first week only (modules 1–4). In this case, you will not be required to write a paper; instead, you will receive a certificate of attendance.

All learning material will be provided on our online campus as a PDF, Word document or PowerPoint. The online campus is accessible throughout the certification course, so that participants can always access the course presentations as well as any additional material. Documents can be printed or used directly on notebooks/mobile devices.

The examination takes the form of a written paper based on a selected topic. A number of topics will be proposed, and participants are asked to choose a single topic as the subject of their paper. Certain topics cover business-related issues, others are primarily IT-related. After finishing the second week of the course, candidates will be expected to complete their written paper in: 8 weeks.

Blockchain fundamentals (Module 1)

The participants will learn about blockchain fundamentals. Basic technological building blocks will be presented in an overview over the technology. Participants will learn about transactions, blocks and pseudonymity in public blockchain systems. Furthermore, this module will provide basic knowledge in cryptography, mining and consensus algorithms.

Public blockchains (Module 2)

In this module, the participants will learn about security and integrity of public blockchains. Additionally, students will learn about the scalability of blockchains and alternatives to the energy intensive proof-of-work. Smart contracts and Dapps will be introduced which allow use cases beyond payment. One use case will be discussed in detail.

Consensus and private blockchains (Module 3)

In this module, the participants will learn about different consensus protocols and enterprise blockchains. These address the specific requirements of business which are generally not provided by public blockchains. The goal is to discuss use cases and the potential impact of blockchain technology with the participants.

Blockchain frameworks: Ethereum etc. (Module 4)

The goal of the first part of the course is to explain Ethereum, one of the largest development frameworks. Ethereum works in the public domain and can also be utilised in private settings. The participants will learn how to interact with the Ethereum Virtual Machine through many hands-on examples. For this purpose, a virtual machine has been configured so that the participants can practice with smart contracts and coding. In the second part of the course the Hyperledger framework will be presented. Hyperledger is one of the largest blockchain development frameworks used with both companies and in a B2B context. It is mostly applied in consortia with a broad range of use cases. With the help of many practical hands-on examples, the participants will learn how to interact with Hyperledger. For this purpose, a virtual machine has been configured so that the participants can practice with smart contracts and writing Chaincode.

Use cases and projects in finance, banking and insurance (Module 5)

Participants learn about the application of blockchain technology in business. To this end, use cases from finance, banking and insurance will be presented and explained. The technology stack used for these examples will be explained in detail.

Use cases and applications in logistics and industrie 4.0 (Module 6)

Participants will learn about the application of technology in non-financial fields such as logisticsand Industrie 4.0. Of course, these use cases also involve financial transactions and smart contracts. However, in ecosystems related to logistics and manufacturing, finance will only be one aspect to consider. The participants will also learn to the technology stack and learn how to evaluate use cases.

DAICOs, ICOs and Token Economy (Module 7)

Through this seminar, participants will learn about the “tokenization of everything”. Blockchain technology allows the taking of assets and distributing them efficiently across a large number of owners. This process is being done for startups through Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs). Albeit limited, tokenization will be applicable to a large breadth of assets in the future (e.g. real estate, machinery). Therefore it is important for the participants to understand this upcoming trend.

Legal Issues (Module 8)

This module covers how blockchain-applications can be qualified from a legal perspective. Participants will learn how blockchain technology fits in the current scope of the German and European legal framework and what approaches for new legislation are currently discussed. The fields of law discussed during the module will have a focus on financial regulatory law, such as banking regulation, anti-money laundering law as well as capital markets law. In addition to that, the participants will also discuss how blockchain-tokens can be qualified under German private law and how GDPR applies to public blockchains. Data protection is an important facet of IT systems, and therefore has to be aligned with blockchain technology.