Visa, IMF To Collaborate With Cambridge University for Crypto Programme

Key Insights:

• The Cambridge Digital Assets Programme (CDAP) is an initiative to study the rapid digitalization of assets.
• The research plan as per the programme has been divided into three different workstreams.
• Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) researchers, domain experts, and representatives from supporting institutions will be part of the programme.

In an announcement today, the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) at Cambridge Judge Business School launched the Cambridge Digital Assets Programme (CDAP).

CDAP has been described as a research initiative to elucidate the evolution of digital assets and value transfer systems.

Cambridge and Crypto

The institution has been at the forefront of crypto for a while now. The college is an enthusiast of crypto, offering blockchain courses, but the students are equally enthusiastic as well.

In 2018, the university students formed The Cambridge Blockchain Society to connect researchers and inventors in the industry.

Furthermore, Cambridge is well known in the crypto space for its Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index. Individuals have used the index throughout the crypto industry to measure power for mining Bitcoin.

And with this initiative, the institution is taking another step in that direction. The announcement described the plans with this programme iterating:

“Over an initial period of two years, the 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.”

Along with the IMF and Visa, Accenture, Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Innovation Hub, Mastercard, World Bank, Fidelity, Goldman Sachs, and more will collaborate on the research.

The programme will be focusing on three workstreams, the first of which would be on the ESG (environmental, social, and governance) implications of crypto.

Secondly, the research will focus upon the processes and configurations of Distributed Financial Market Infrastructure (dFMI).

And the third workstream has been described to be a focus on the “assets” of crypto, i.e., cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum), stablecoins (USDT, USDC), CBDCs (e-CNY, etc.), and more.

In line with the announcement, the Digital Assets Lead of CCAF, Michel Rauchs, said:

“We believe that this programme will provide decision-makers with the objective analysis and empirical evidence that they need to navigate the digital assets maze.”

The Market, on the Other Hand

After the consistent rallies and crashes, the crypto market has reached a stage of ambiguity as no one can predict the next move. However, broader market cues indicate a recovery rally beginning at the moment.

But the rising volatility will keep everyone guessing. However, with Bitcoin now trading above $43k, crypto investors worldwide are breathing a sigh of relief.