Rotman Blockchain and Decentralized Finance
Online program
Investigate technologies that are disrupting traditional finance systems, and drive integration in your business.
6 weeks, excluding 1 week orientation.
4–6 hours of self-paced learning per week, entirely online.
Email: rotman.utoronto@getsmarter.com
Call: +1 647-496-0623
About this program
Modern technology is transforming traditional service infrastructures – and the financial industry is no exception. As the building blocks of cryptocurrency, decentralized finance (DeFi) and blockchain are revolutionizing the way financial services are provided, and traditional firms are getting left behind.
The Rotman Blockchain and Decentralized Finance online program from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto examines which financial services will be transformed and how. Over six weeks, you’ll cover the basic functionality and economic mechanisms that drive these technologies and gain insight into key technological elements of fintech, including crypto-wallets, smart contracts, and oracles. You’ll also gain a holistic overview of financial tools and ecosystems such as decentralized exchanges, decentralized derivatives, and the emerging service system that helps users navigate this space.
This Rotman program is eligible for financial support
The Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) funding initiative is designed to help learners access sought-after skills and development opportunities through government-funded loans and grants. Financial assistance is available to Canadian citizens and applies to this Rotman Executive program. To find out if you qualify, visit the financial assistance homepage.
What this program covers
Throughout this program, you’ll examine how the changing digital landscape requires organizations to consider digital transformation to stay competitive. You’ll investigate ways to optimize your processes to enhance your value proposition and your customer’s experience. With guidance from expert faculty, you’ll assess the capabilities of your business’s systems to achieve desired outcomes while balancing trade-offs. You’ll also learn how you can improve digital transformation efforts with data-driven decision-making and predictive analytics. Finally, you’ll create a digital transformation plan for immediate application within your own professional context.
A powerful collaboration
The Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto is collaborating with online education provider GetSmarter to create a new class of learning experience – one that is high-touch, intimate, and personalized for the working professional.
About Rotman
Embedded within the highest-rated university in Canada, the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management strives to create value for business and society through invention and innovation. Rotman is committed to fostering new ways of thinking to address today’s business challenges and opportunities through superior-quality learning experiences. With a focus on diversity, excellence, integrity, and respect, Rotman is determined to become a catalyst for positive change.
About GetSmarter
GetSmarter, a 2U, Inc. brand, partners with the world's leading universities and institutions to select, design, and deliver premium online short courses with a data-driven focus on learning gain.
Technology meets academic rigour in GetSmarter’s people-mediated model, which enables lifelong learners across the globe to obtain industry-relevant skills that are certified by the world’s most reputable academic institutions.
As a program participant, you will also gain unlimited access to 2U’s Career Engagement Network at no extra cost. This platform will provide you with valuable career resources and events to support your professional journey. You can look forward to benefits including rich content, career templates, webinars, workshops, career fairs, networking events, panel discussions, and exclusive recruitment opportunities to connect you with potential employers.*
*Some of these events may be virtual due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions.
What you’ll learn
You’ll be welcomed to the program and begin connecting with fellow participants, while exploring the navigation and tools of your Online Campus. Be alerted to key milestones in the learning path, and review how your results will be calculated and distributed.
You’ll be required to complete your participant profile and submit a digital copy of your passport/identity document.
Please note that module titles and their contents are subject to change during program development.
Explore the advantages of decentralization, whilst identifying the components necessary for a permissionless blockchain, and understanding how these components work together.
- Identify the key differences between traditional finance and decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystems
- Describe the overarching philosophy and benefits of decentralized systems
- Indicate the double spend problem and how proof-of-work or proof-of-stake offers solutions
- Explain the mechanism of blockchain code execution, smart contracts, and the role of cryptocurrency
- Review how solutions such as layer-2 improve blockchain scalability and efficiency
- Practice interacting with the blockchain using private keys and digital wallets
Interpret the function and application of different tokens, and how they differ from stocks.
- Identify different types of blockchain tokens in relation to their origins, features, and purposes
- Describe the key differences between fungible and non-fungible tokens
- Determine the various functions of fungible tokens and how they can evolve over time
- Illustrate how non-fungible tokens can be used for digital property and ecosystem building in the phygital world
- Interpret the differences between traditional and decentralized finance ecosystems by referring to the role of tokens as an asset
Analyze how tokens are purchased and exchanged, and the challenges and opportunities of the new methods of exchange when compared to traditional means of exchange.
- Review the mechanics of crypto exchange including the use of private keys and digital wallets
- Identify the different purchasing and exchanging options for crypto tokens
- Determine the differences between a centralized crypto exchange and a stock exchange
- Distinguish between centralized and decentralized exchanges and their associated risks
- Compare different types of decentralized trading by considering the pros and cons of each
Evaluate the process of borrowing and lending in the DeFi space and how it integrates with the rest of the ecosystem.
- Describe borrowing and lending with MakerDAO, Yearn, Aave, and Compound protocols
- Articulate the purpose and mechanism of flash loans
- Interpret how different lending protocols and decentralized exchanges can operate together to enable market efficiency
- Reflect on the challenges associated with uncollateralized lending and the emerging solutions
- Assess a decentralized lending protocol by reflecting on its features, functionality, and value proposition
Explore the mechanisms of decentralized derivatives and learn about decentralized composite assets.
- Explain the mechanisms of DeFi derivatives, protocols, and markets
- Articulate the functions, features, risks, and exploits of oracle mechanisms linked to borrowing and lending
- Conclude what the potential benefits are of using the Synthetix protocol as a decentralized futures contract
- Assess the benefits of decentralized composite assets through the tokenset protocol
Learn how projects and protocols are governed, and how this affects associated opportunities, risks, and regulatory considerations.
- Reflect on the opportunities and challenges posed by decentralized systems such as blockchains, and how they can be governed effectively
- Investigate the opportunities and challenges associated with decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs)
- Evaluate the advantages and challenges decentralized financial ecosystems pose
- Assess decentralized finance risks, governance risks, and challenges for regulators
Who should take this program
This program is suited to professionals at all levels, including, but not limited to, leaders, managers, consultants, analysts, and specialists. It’s also applicable to business owners and entrepreneurs looking to launch ventures in the DeFi space. Professionals hoping to meet changing business needs will benefit from the program content, as well as those looking to grow their personal wealth or autonomy. A mid-level understanding of investing terms and processes is encouraged for all applicants in order to get the most out of this program, though a formal background in finance is not required.
This program is for you if you want to:
Prepare for the future
Understand how blockchain and decentralized finance could influence and impact your business and processes.
Build a practical toolkit
Study a collection of tools, techniques, and technologies that will help you navigate the decentralized finance ecosystem.
Enhance your skill set
Gain a practical approach to blockchain and DeFi, and learn how to interact with these technologies.
Grow your knowledge
Discover new business opportunities by learning how to integrate blockchain technology in your context.
About the certificate
Validate your blockchain and decentralized finance knowledge with an official digital certificate of professional achievement from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto, the leading university in Canada.
Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments completed online. In order to be issued with a digital certificate, you’ll need to meet the requirements outlined in the program handbook. The handbook will be made available to you as soon as you begin the program.
Your certificate will be issued in your legal name and sent to you digitally upon successful completion of the program, as per the stipulated requirements.
Who you’ll learn from
This subject matter expert from Rotman guides the program design and appears in a number of program videos, along with a variety of industry professionals.
Your Program Director
Andreas Park
Professor of Finance, Department of Management, University of Toronto
Professor Andreas Park received his doctorate from the University of Cambridge and currently serves as the research director at Rotman’s Financial Innovation Lab, the FinHub. He also co-founded LedgerHub, the University of Toronto’s blockchain research lab, and has worked as a lab economist for the Blockchain stream at the Creative Destruction Lab. Andreas’s current teaching focuses on topics such as payments innovation, DeFi, and financial market trading. As of now, his research interests lie in the economic impact of technological transformations such as blockchain technology. Andreas has had his work published in top economics and finance journals such as Econometrica, the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, and the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis.
Guest Lecturers
Sidney Powell
Co-Founder and CEO, Maple Finance
John Adler
Co-Founder and Chief Research Officer, Fuel Labs
How you’ll learn
Every program is broken down into manageable, weekly modules designed to accelerate your learning process through diverse activities:
- Work through your downloadable and online instructional material
- Interact with your peers and learning facilitators through weekly class-wide forums and reviewed small group discussions
- Enjoy a wide range of interactive content, including video lectures, infographics, live polls, and more
- Investigate rich, real-world case studies
- Apply what you learn each week to quizzes and ongoing project submissions, culminating in a holistic understanding of how blockchain and decentralized finance can be applied to your personal or professional context
Your success team
GetSmarter, with whom Rotman is collaborating to deliver this online program, provides a personalized approach to online education that ensures you’re supported throughout your learning journey.
Head Learning Facilitator
A subject expert who’ll guide you through content-related challenges.
Success Adviser
Your one-on-one support available during University hours (8am–5pm ET) to resolve technical and administrative challenges.
Global Success Team
Available 24/7 to solve your tech-related and administrative queries and concerns.
Technical requirements
Basic requirements
In order to complete this program, you’ll need a current email account and access to a computer and the internet, as well as a PDF Reader. You may need to view Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, and read and create documents in Microsoft Word or Excel.
Browser requirements
We recommend that you use Google Chrome as your internet browser when accessing the Online Campus. Although this is not a requirement, we have found that this browser performs best for ease of access to program material. This browser can be downloaded here.
Additional requirements
Certain programs may require additional software and resources. These additional software and resource requirements will be communicated to you upon registration and/or at the beginning of the program. Please note that Google, Vimeo, and YouTube may be used in our program delivery, and if these services are blocked in your jurisdiction, you may have difficulty in accessing program content. Please check with an Enrolment Adviser before registering for this program if you have any concerns about this affecting your experience with the Online Campus.
