Letztes Update: 21. March 2025
What is the CCFE Course?
The ‘Certified Crypto Finance Expert’ course is aimed at employees of banks and asset managers who want to delve deeper into the topic of ‘Crypto Banking’. However, it is also open to all other interested parties. I also notice in my financial consulting that the demand for crypto topics is increasing. Although I’ve been invested in Bitcoin for a while and bought an NFT for fun in the summer of 2021, I’ve never really systematically studied crypto and blockchain. And my previous financial education has only touched on the topic of crypto very peripherally or not at all.
So it’s time to delve deeper into the subject. And the CCFE course is perfectly suited for this. It provides practical knowledge about digital assets, their regulation, and applications in the financial world. Over three days, participants learn how to safely manage cryptocurrencies and integrate them into investment portfolios. In addition to theoretical foundations, the focus is on concrete case studies and exchange with experts.
The course was founded five years ago by Rino Borini and Julian Liniger, and by now over 700 participants have received the ‘Certified Crypto Finance Expert’ certificate. Rino Borini is a Swiss financial expert and entrepreneur, focusing on digital assets and financial education, while Julian Liniger is co-founder and CEO of Relai, a Bitcoin investment app. Nadia Licci joined CCFE as Business Manager in 2024.
The costs for the three-day course in Zurich, including course materials and examination, are CHF 2,500 per participant. There is also the option to take an online course, which includes expert lectures and can be started at any time. This costs CHF 950 and is available in German and English.
Preparation and First Impressions
The pre-course organization worked smoothly, even a video was available to help find the course room near Zurich’s main train station easily. Shortly before the course began, preparatory materials, as well as a link collection, podcasts, and YouTube videos were available on the eLearning platform. However, I never really warmed up to the iPrendo eLearning platform; the layout seems outdated and unappealing, and the functionalities are also limited.
During the course, coffee, water, and fruit were always available, and time management was consistently adhered to.
Course Structure and Content
At the beginning, current topics were discussed. Among other things, the Bybit hack was mentioned, where Ethereum worth 1.5 billion dollars was stolen, leading to strong price movements in the crypto markets. The role of Switzerland as a former leading blockchain nation and its decline in recent years was also briefly addressed.
The aim of the course is to link the traditional banking world with the innovative aspects of Crypto Finance and thus successfully meet the challenges of digital transformation. The content is divided into the following topic areas:
- Bitcoin
- NFTs
- Asset Management
- DeFi
- Legal Compliance
In the first module, the fundamentals of Bitcoin were taught, with the focus throughout the entire course always on a pragmatic and practical approach rather than academic theory. An illustrative example of this was when an instructor sent a few satoshis (the smallest unit of Bitcoin) to a participant. We then used a block explorer to track the transaction and the corresponding block in the blockchain and analyze the transaction fees.
For some participants, the basics might have already been familiar, but I was glad to receive them again in a compact and structured form. On the second day, the basics were over: instructors from various subject areas provided in-depth insights into their work.
Instructors: Experts from the Financial Industry
Felix Fernandez from adaptivv gave a presentation on the integration of crypto assets into investment portfolios, while Konstantinos Ntefeloudis from the private bank Maerki Baumann presented a real client portfolio with crypto allocation. I found these two presentations particularly exciting, as client discussions often revolve around the optimal percentage of crypto allocation and whether cryptocurrencies other than Bitcoin should be included in the portfolio. The different approaches and assessments of the two experts provided valuable insights for practical consulting.
Serge Kaulitz from Luzerner Kantonalbank explained how a regulated Swiss bank ensures the secure custody of crypto assets and what challenges arose when integrating them into the existing core banking system.
In the rather male-dominated crypto space, Magdalena Boskic, Head of Reg Tech Crypto Compliance at Sygnum Bank, gave a presentation on Crypto Compliance Blockchain Forensic. Jürg Baltensperger from Jaybee AG introduced the topic of Regulation Compliance.
The complete list of rotating experts can be found on the website of the CCFE course. Instead of dry lectures, the speakers focused on interaction and took time to address participants’ questions. The atmosphere was relaxed – and the density of white sneakers was correspondingly high.
Conclusion: Is Participating in the CCFE Course Worthwhile?
The CCFE course offers a compact and practical introduction to the world of digital assets and their integration into the financial industry. The mix of fundamental knowledge, expert presentations, and practice-oriented examples makes the course particularly valuable for those dealing with crypto in a professional environment. However, it quickly becomes clear: Those who really want to master the subject cannot avoid a further deep dive. The course does provide a solid foundation that inspires one to delve even more intensively into the various aspects of the crypto financial world. For those who want to develop further in this area, this is the ideal starting point.
Next Dates:
June 18 – 20, 2025 (DE)
September 24 – 26, 2025 (DE)
November 19 – 21, 2025 (DE)
For the online course, participation is possible at any time.
CCFE Referral Code
Enter the CCFE Referral Code ReSt225 at the end of your CCFE registration and you will receive a reduction of CHF 200 (CCFE on-site) or CHF 100 (CCFE online) on the course fees.
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