On March 18, 2025, a group of twenty-one top innovators in the world of cryptocurrency and decentralized finance published a letter to colleges and universities in the United States urging them to provide more education on blockchain, digital assets and decentralized finance. The letter is addressed to deans and faculty of major business and law schools, and calls for more in-depth and practical teaching of these subjects to meet the increased demand for skilled professionals by the industry. This effort consists of the "1inch Forward" campaign launched by 1inch in support of Decentralized Exchange (DEX) Aggregator, 1inch. The focus of this initiative is shifting from theoretical educational materials towards practical hands-on experiences for people in these networks. The signatories to this initiative are many groups involved in developing and reviewing policies surrounding blockchain technology, such as the Blockchain Association, DeFi Education Fund, and Solana Policy Institute, along with several other platforms, including Aave Labs, MyEtherWallet, Delphi Digital, Messari, etc. This letter has a simple purpose. It is an open letter aimed at encouraging higher education institutions in the United States to add digital assets, blockchain technology, and decentralized finance to their business and legal curriculum.<h2>The Push for Practical DeFi Education</h2>While several colleges today have started to offer courses in either Blockchain Technology or Fundamental of Cryptocurrency, this letter argues that they are missing the boat on these subjects. The present course (curriculum) offerings depict DeFi as either (a) a niche marketplace or (b) speculative investment rather than treating them as a critical structure underlying today's finance infrastructure. The signers of this letter strongly encourage post-secondary institutions to integrate blockchain technology and DeFi infrastructure elements (e.g., Automated Market Makers (AMMs), Lending Protocols and Stablecoins) into their business and/or legal studies programs. 1inch has referred to the misperception that decentralized finance (DeFi) is only a pipe dream or not real-world application of DeFi by discussing a variety of examples that show how DeFi works in real life. Examples of DeFi applications include: (1) stablecoins are reducing the cost of sending money internationally, (2) lending platforms are allowing individuals to earn interest on their deposits without the use of a traditional financial institution, (3) tokenization provides the ability to trade at any place and time around the world. The letter also states that "the theoretical concept of DeFi has been translated into actual infrastructures and applications being built off from these ideas." Several media companies stated in their post-interview coverage that 1inch mentioned how drastically the job market has changed in terms of pursuing a career in the world of cryptocurrency. Historically, jobs within the crypto space were largely technical in nature and focused on development (i.e., software engineering). However, today we see that there are many other career opportunities available; the emergence of business strategy, compliance, legal analysis, risk management, and regulations are now equally as viable as a route to entering the crypto industry. According to the company "1inch", there has been a noticeable increase in the number of different types of individuals being hired, with there no longer being a narrow focus on "hoodies" as the only way to attract talent but now includes a range of styles including "suits and ties". This has resulted in many larger financial institutions (Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, Fidelity Investments) and consulting firms (PwC) now recruiting employees with cryptocurrency capabilities and an understanding of both the distributed finance mechanics and traditional finance mechanisms associated with cryptocurrencies.<h2>Broader Campaign Elements and Next Steps</h2>A component of 1inch’s Forward campaign in addition to the public letter aspect, is an action plan developed to support educators. Organizations involved are committing resources to support curriculum development, guest lectures, internships, research fellowships, and rapid grants for course creation. The campaign will commence with a nationwide campus tours, beginning at the University of Pennsylvania on March 27th, 2026 and continue through other prominent universities. Each campus stop seeks to engage students, faculty and administrators by demonstrating DeFi via workshops and discussions. The evolving perspective of cryptocurrencies within the traditional banking system is fuelling this initiative. As institutional acceptance continues to evolve; the intersection of tokenized tangible assets, decentralized lending and DeFi protocol into the same economic system as that of the bank, are more apparent than ever. Advocates believe that if American university graduates do not receive modern education relating to these changes they will fall further behind their peers internationally - this will put them further behind as global competition for jobs and job-based experience continues to grow. Some critics often cite that DeFi education has been expanded due to factors such as volatility, regulatory uncertainties, or past incidents of protocol exploits. The signatories argue that students will get the practical education to deal with these risks in a responsible way while encouraging innovation and ultimately leading to good governance.<h2>Why This Matters for Students and the Industry</h2>The inclusion of DeFi into the Required Education Models (REM's) for finance, law, and tech fields would provide a foundation for the future workforce in these industries. Future business leaders can study yield farming techniques and the economics of tokens as part of their MBA programs. In addition, law students can explore issues concerning the validity of smart contracts as well as how the laws affect decentralized governance. Broader industry maturation has led to a greater demand for qualified professionals as the DeFi industry has matured from experimental protocols to established infrastructures securing billions of dollars in value locked. The growing interest on Wall Street signals that expertise in crypto is becoming a competitive advantage within career opportunities in traditional finance. How universities respond to this situation is yet to be determined; however, the newly created letter and accompanying marketing campaign will signify a joint initiative to connect the academic environment with the rapidly evolving world of DeFi.

21 crypto leaders urge U.S. universities to expand hands-on DeFi and blockchain education, aligning curricula with rising industry demand and evolving career paths.

21 Crypto Organizations Urge US Colleges to Integrate DeFi into Core Curricula


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