The academic program will address critical areas such as cybersecurity to formalize the digital sector.
The pilot phase will start in Caracas, Miranda and La Guaira, projecting future expansion.
The gap between the daily use of cryptocurrencies and academic training is about to close in Venezuelan classrooms. This is because the Simón Rodríguez National Experimental University (UNESR) launched the design of what will be the first Bachelor’s Degree in Digital Finance in the country, an initiative that seeks to transform the empirical learning of thousands of citizens into a scientific discipline with institutional rigor.
As Emilio Olivo, director of the Center for Scientific, Humanistic and Technological Development (CDCHT) of UNESR, revealed exclusively to CriptoNoticias, the project is not limited to traditional financial theory. The curriculum under development includes critical subjects that until now are not part of the academic offer university in Venezuela.
Subjects such as cybersecurity, risk management, business continuity and prevention of money laundering will form the core of this degree, seeking to professionalize a sector that today operates mostly in informality.
The institution plans to formally insert the first lines of research related to the digital economy starting with the second cohort in 2026.
The initiative will begin as a pilot project in the towns of Palo Verde and Caricuao in Caracas, as well as in the towns located in the Valles del Tuy, Los Teques and La Guaira. Subsequently, The university plans to expand the program to the rest of its 24 cores distributed throughout the national territory.
From university to community training
So that this knowledge does not remain only in the classroom, the university also plans a national and community rollout. The objective is for students of careers such as Education and Administration to understand how bitcoin works, and also to become “action research” agents within their own communities.
We want to not only investigate digital assets, but also promote their use in communities. We do not want to keep only the benefit of research within the university, but rather to transmit it and transfer it to the community so that it can take hold and be empowered by this knowledge and use it for its own benefit.
Emilio Olivo.
This approach would allow, for example, communities to receive technical advice to manage their resources through digital tools, reducing dependence on traditional banking.
However, the implementation of the Bachelor of Digital Finance faces significant challenges. Olivo pointed out that The project will require training and having specialized teaching staff in areas such as cybersecurity, risk management and money laundering, where the national academic offer is still limited.
Along these lines, UNESR took a first concrete step on April 20, 2026 by holding the “1st National Digital Economy Research and Knowledge Conference.” The activity simultaneously connected the 24 university centers throughout the country with cryptoasset specialists.
Economists and specialists in bitcoin and cryptocurrencies such as Aarón Olmos, Jan Domínguez, Dany Colmenares and Pavel García addressed accounting, tax, regulatory and money laundering prevention aspects during the event.
This case reflects a regional trend in Latin America where several academic institutions are beginning to formally structure teaching on digital finance in the face of the growing daily use of cryptoassets and electronic payments.