This 8-hour course seeks to equip private bankers with a solid understanding of blockchain and smart contracts, as well as the revolutionary movement of Decentralised Finance (DeFi) and the potential impacts they could have on the financial industry.
Target Audience
- Assistant Relationship Manager, Relationship Manager, Team Leader, Product Specialist, Investment Counsellor
Course Objectives
- Understand blockchain technology and consensus mechanisms
- Identify key blockchain platforms and use cases
- Define Smart Contracts and their structure
- Understand contract execution and lifecycle
- Classify Smart Contract types and technologies
- Analyse real-world implementations of blockchain and Smart Contracts
- Identify Smart Contract’s risks and vulnerabilities
- Apply security best practices to deal with the risks
- Understand DeFi evolution and foundational principles
- Explain DeFi technical architecture
- Classify DeFi platform categories
- Understand operational mechanics of DeFi
- Assess Smart Contract and DeFi risks
- Identify business opportunities of Defi and Smart Contracts
- Apply concepts to specific financial workplace contexts
- Develop implementation strategies
Course Outline
Part 1: Blockchain & Smart Contract Fundamentals
Blockchain Basics
- Blockchain definition and distributed ledger principles
- Cryptographic foundations (hashing, digital signatures)
- Consensus mechanisms overview (PoW, PoS)
- Major platforms: Bitcoin, Ethereum, enterprise blockchains
Smart Contract Introduction
- Smart Contract definition and characteristics
- Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) basics
- Contract components: code, data, execution
- Gas fees and transaction mechanics
Live Smart Contract code walkthrough using Remix IDE
Part 2: Smart Contract Applications & Security
Smart Contract Types & Use Cases
- Contract types: payment, escrow, multi-signature
- Industry applications such as:
- Tokenisation (Bonds, financial instruments)
- Insurance (parametric insurance automation)
- Real estate (property transfer automation)
- Oracle integration and external data feeds
Security & Best Practices
- Common vulnerabilities: re-entrancy attacks, integer overflow
- Security audit processes and tools
- Best practices: code reviews, testing, formal verification
- Compliance frameworks and industry standards
- Vulnerability identification exercise using real exploit examples
Part 3: Building Blocks of DeFi
Stablecoins
- Types of stablecoins and collaterals
- Failure of UST
- Stablecoin frameworks
- Governance tokens and DAOs
Central Bank Digital Currencies
- Purpose Bound Money
- Tokenisation: Real-world asset tokenisation
- Wholesale CBDC, Retail CBDC
Part 4: Decentralised Finance (DeFi) Deep Dive
DeFi Origins & Infrastructure
- Traditional finance limitations and DeFi solutions
- DeFi timeline: 2017–2024 key milestones
- Technical infrastructure: Smart Contracts, AMMs, liquidity pools
- Governance tokens and DAOs
DeFi vs Traditional Finance comparison chart creation
DeFi Platforms & Functions
- Lending/Borrowing: Compound, Aave protocols
- Exchanges: Uniswap AMM mechanics
- Derivatives: Synthetix synthetic assets
- Tokenization: Real-world asset tokenization
- Hybrid models and traditional finance integration
Assessment – MCQ
About IBF Certification
This course addresses the following Technical Skills and Competencies (TSCs) and Proficiency Level (PL):
- Digital Literacy (Decentralised Finance platforms)
- Digital Literacy (Smart Contracts)
Participants are encouraged to access the IBF MySkills Portfolio to track their training progress and skills acquisition against the Skills Framework for Financial Services. You can apply for IBF Certification after fulfilling the required number of Technical Skills and Competencies (TSCs) for the selected job role.
Find out more about IBF certification and the application process on https://www.ibf.org.sg/home/for-individuals/ibf-certification/why-be-ibf-certified