Top Blockchain University: University of Hong Kong

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is the oldest higher-education institution in the city but does not let that stop it from embracing the future of distributed ledger technologies.

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New University of Hong Kong Total Score
62.0 Regional Rank
10 Courses
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HKU offers an “Executive Certificate in Applications of Blockchain in Financial Technology” for industry participants to spend one to two months learning about the position that blockchain is starting to occupy in the financial world.

The teachers on the course are drawn from the higher echelons of the Hong Kong fintech scene: Paul Li, president of the Hong Kong Internet Finance Association; Emil Chan, who has headed IT operations at a number of international banks; and Lin Cheung, an entrepreneur and former JPMorgan Chase electronic trading specialist.

Read More: The Top Universities for Blockchain by CoinDesk 2021

HKU runs a fintech academy with its partner, the charitable foundation of the banking giant Standard Chartered. The academy allocates funding to HKU academics, including a high proportion of crypto-related research projects. Examples this year include “Computational model to enhance the admissibility of bitcoin tracing heuristics at the court of law” and “Cryptocurrency with enhanced security: Post-quantum and threshold cryptography.”

The academy also organizes online seminars and workshop series. Last year, a whole workshop series concerned digital currency. Guest speakers from a range of academic institutions talked on subjects, including “Challenges of Digital Currency From the Perspective of Financial Crimes” and “Blockchain Technology in the Post-Digital Fiat Currency Era.”

Outside the university’s walls, Hong Kong has an illustrious place in the brief history of blockchain and crypto. The largest stablecoin in the world, tether, was created there as well as the crypto derivatives exchange FTX Trading, to name just two. Hong Kong’s financial regulations have been relatively friendly to crypto, as well. A student who settled in the city might find ample career opportunities.