Frankfurt School Blockchain Center
The Frankfurt School Blockchain Center was a research center and think tank at Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. The center studied how blockchain changes companies, financial products and the infrastructure used to exchange assets. Its work connected academic research with prototypes, education and discussion among businesses developing applications of the technology.
Philipp Sandner founded the center at Frankfurt School in 2017. Research covered asset tokenization and digital assets, including the digital euro and central bank digital currencies, with education through the Crypto Assets Conference and Talents programs. Following Co-Pierre Georg's appointment in 2024, the center became the Centre for Digital Economics in March 2026.
Research areas
The FSBC worked with companies on research projects and produced studies of blockchain applications and technical whitepapers. The center also developed Ethereum prototypes. The FSBC's advisory work covered organizational decisions, technical architecture and the implementation of blockchain systems.
The FSBC's research and activities covered these areas of the blockchain and digital asset space:
- Crypto Assets: Investigating the development, management, and regulatory aspects of cryptocurrencies.
- Digital Securities: Exploring the potential and frameworks for securities in a digital format.
- Digital Euro and Central Bank Digital Currencies: Assessing the implications and implementation of digital currencies issued by central banks.
- Tokenization of Assets: Studying how physical and digital assets can be represented and managed on blockchain platforms.
- Decentralized Finance: Understanding the innovations and challenges within the DeFi systems.
- Non-Fungible Tokens: Analyzing the creation, trading, and impact of unique digital assets in NFTs.
Conferences and Talents programs
The FSBC taught blockchain and distributed ledger technology in bachelor's, master's and MBA courses and supervised theses. DLT Talents supported women entering the blockchain sector; DeFi Talents focused on decentralized finance. Both programs ran for 18 weeks, with mentors supporting participants in sessions held every two weeks. The Crypto Assets Conference brought together professionals from finance, research and regulation to discuss digital assets and capital market infrastructure.
FSBC conferences and education programs included:
- Crypto Assets Conference (CAC): An annual event that brings together industry leaders to discuss the latest trends and developments in the crypto asset space.
- DLT Talents Program: An education program on distributed ledger technology.
- DeFi Talents Program: An education program on decentralized finance.
- NFT Talents Program: An education program on non-fungible tokens.
- Bitcoin Talents Program: An education program on Bitcoin.
- ReFi Talents Program: An education program on regenerative finance.
Co-founded organizations and renaming
The Frankfurt School Blockchain Center also co-founded several organizations to further its mission:
- Digital Euro Association (DEA): An organization focused on the development and implementation of the digital euro.
- intas.tech: A consulting company specializing in digital assets.
- DEC Institute: An institution that certifies executives' knowledge in blockchain technology.
In Spring 2026, Frankfurt School Blockchain Center was renamed Centre for Digital Economics (FS-C4DE) being a research center dedicated to understanding and shaping the infrastructure of the digital economy.
Frankfurt School Blockchain Center at Finance Loop events
The Frankfurt School Blockchain Center organized the Crypto Assets Conference, and Finance Loop was an official sponsor of CAC 2025. The center and the conference were the official partners of TechClub 25/3, the fintech afterwork party that Finance Loop held with TechQuartier one day before the conference. With TechQuartier, the center also supported the launch of the Alliance for Finance and Web3 by Finance Loop.