Cryptocurrencies receive a lot of media attention and are a subject of many heated debates. Their association brings many mixed feelings that often relate to quick money, new technology, volatile financial markets, and fraud.
To bring this topic into attention and share our knowledge on it, in July, myself (Gabriela Filipkowska), Dr Anqi Liu, and Prof Maggie Chen organised a DTII-funded event focusing on cryptocurrencies. It featured games, presentations, and a quiz that aimed to provide insights into cryptocurrencies and expose "the good, the bad, and the ugly" aspects of these digital assets, combining cybersecurity and finance.
‘Blockchain’ and ‘decentralisation’ are the main terms used when explaining this new phenomenon. These terms bring much attention, while companies started embracing this new technology, many people are unfamiliar with it and its meaning. It can be a complicated topic, and therefore we carefully designed presentations, digital and board games, so that through active engagement attendees immersed themselves in the crypto world, and its technology and won exciting crypto rewards.
Our research group focuses on different FinTech topics that aim to tackle social-economic problems. We have an extensive research network and many industry partners. Therefore, through engaging with the public, academics, and the industry we are showing the way and bridging the gap between the industry and academics. During the event, Gareth Berry from Cardiff Capital Region shared his insightful expertise on the topic of cryptocurrencies and their meaning.
I shared my knowledge of bitcoin mining and blockchain technology through a presentation. To facilitate knowledge-sharing, the presentation was also supported by a game that I developed. Thanks to it, attendees tested the acquired knowledge through a hands-on experience. This game is available on the website https://cryptoquants.org/CryptoGame.html
It was such a fun and engaging event. I am so happy to see that we have achieved our goal by spreading awareness of this new technology, as well as the benefits and threats that happen in this field. The results of our survey, illustrated below, showed that attendees were notably more confident in their understanding of cryptocurrencies and their technology following the event. The feedback from the event was enormously positive and showed a good shift in the attendee's confidence towards these complex topics.
Stay tuned for more such events! :)
