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14.129 | Spring 2025 | Graduate

# Blockchain and the Design of Financial Systems

#### Course Description

This course synthesizes the computer science technologies underlying cryptocurrency, blockchain, tokenization, platforms, and computational algorithms with the economics tools of contract theory, mechanism design, general equilibrium theory, and monetary theory. The goal is to understand the assumptions, existing …
This course synthesizes the computer science technologies underlying cryptocurrency, blockchain, tokenization, platforms, and computational algorithms with the economics tools of contract theory, mechanism design, general equilibrium theory, and monetary theory. The goal is to understand the assumptions, existing shortcomings, and potential impact on legacy systems of distributed ledgers, smart contracts, and encryption and to explore possibilities for new financial designs and for regulation.

## Course Info

### Instructor

- Prof. Robert M. Townsend

### Departments

- Economics

### Topics

- Social Science
  - Economics
    - Financial Economics

### Learning Resource Types

notes Lecture Notes
theaters Lecture Videos
This course covers modern financial systems from the perspectives of both economics and computer science. (Image courtesy of fdecomite on Flickr. License: CC BY.)

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