21 Crypto Firms Push US Colleges to Add DeFi Courses

Crypto News

Twenty-one crypto organizations have signed an open letter asking US universities to add decentralized finance to their core business and legal curricula. The letter was published on Wednesday and was led by decentralized protocol aggregator 1Inch.

Signatories include the Solana Policy Institute, the Blockchain Association, the DeFi Education Fund, Aave, MyEtherWallet, Delphi Digital, and Messari. The group argues that demand for crypto expertise on Wall Street has grown well beyond technical roles. Firms including BlackRock, Fidelity Investments, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, and Morgan Stanley have recently posted job listings for DeFi-related positions.

1Inch acknowledged that some universities already offer blockchain-related content. It argued, however, that existing courses treat the subject as mostly theoretical. The letter calls for DeFi to be taught as a core module rather than an elective, with practical engagement built into the curriculum.

The letter asks for foundational instruction in blockchain architecture, automated market makers, liquidity provision, decentralized autonomous organizations, and smart contract risks. 1Inch also recommended that students interact directly with live DeFi systems to build working knowledge of how the protocols function.

“The theoretical phase is over,” the letter states. “Ideas have already become infrastructure.” 1Inch pointed to stablecoins as tools that remove friction from cross-border payments, lending protocols as yieldling around-the-clock trading

Google search data compiled by 1Inch shows that searches for “Blockchain jobs” grew 84% between 2024 and 2026. Searches for “DeFi Developer Jobs” rose nearly 270% to 246,000 results over the same period. 1Inch said those figures reflect a shift in hiring demand across the financial and legal sectors.

“It’s no longer just hoodies; it’s suits and ties too,” 1Inch said, noting that Wall Street firms are now actively recruiting for compliance, legal, and business roles in crypto. The group said the goal is to build practical DeFi knowledge among future CEOs and chief legal officers, not only developers.

Some US institutions have offered limited blockchain exposure in the past. MIT distributed Bitcoin to students in 2014 as part of a digital currency experiment and later offered courses on blockchain ethics. Harvard’s extension school offers a blockchain innovation course. Texas A&M introduced a Bitcoin Protocol course for business and engineering students in 2023. On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Education approvedSaylor Academy to operate as Saylor University, offering tuition-free master’s degrees that include Bitcoin and blockchain programs.
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