Call for Students - Master Thesis on Decentralized Finance: Analyzing Digital Financial Instruments on Ethereum

ITSA offers support for a master thesis together with the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz. The emergence of cryptographic tokens created a new academic field. ITSA developed a token classification framework to clearly capture the differences between tokens. Based on these classifications, distinct and specific research of token economies, the use and acceptance of tokens, and others are exciting opportunities. This thesis is dedicated to DeFi and analyzing digital financial instruments on Ethereum.

Project description
Cryptographic tokens running on DLT systems will soon form an integral part of various major economic sectors (e.g. financial markets, information and media, manufacturing and trade). As such they are going to provide utility and value in many different forms to business and society as a whole. Moreover, cryptographic tokens are also on the verge of representing a recognized institutional asset class. Yet, the current token markets still lack a tangible and holistic framework for the identification, classification, and analysis of different token types, which leads to economic, technological as well as regulatory uncertainty and a lack of transparency for all players involved. With the objective of addressing these shortcomings, the International Token Standardization Association (ITSA) e.V. aims at implementing comprehensive market standards for the global token economy.

The ITSA offers this cooperation together with the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz.

Goal of the thesis
The aim of this thesis is to examine decentralized finance (DeFi) in the use case Ethereum. It has to be shown where the advantages and disadvantages are in a decentralized financial system and what relevance DeFi has according to the current state of affairs. Finally, a profound discussion of current use cases and the analysis of these will be the basic building block of this thesis.

Requirements
For this thesis we are looking for:

• A highly motivated student with strong analytical skills and advanced skills in working with databases (e.g. SQL, VBA Excel).
• The student should also be interested in working in a team within a dynamic international environment.
• Knowledge of German is welcome, but not a must.

Support will be provided by:

• Prof. Dr. Andranik Tumasjan
• Prof. Dr. Philipp Sandner

Contact
If you are interested in the topic and think you are the right person to get involved, contact Stefan Schmitt, project manager at ITSA (stefan.schmitt@itsa.global).

Remarks

If you like this initiative and support our goals, we would be happy if you forward it to your colleagues or share it on social networks. More information about the International Token Standardization Association can be found on the Internet, on Twitter or on LinkedIn.

About the International Token Standardization Association (ITSA) e.V.
The International Token Standardization Association (ITSA) e.V. is a not for profit association based in Berlin that promotes the development and implementation of comprehensive market standards for the identification, classification, and analysis of cryptographic tokens. ITSA has over 100 international, associated founding members from various interest groups, including industry associations, banks, stock exchanges, startups, universities, law firms, and industrial enterprises. The International Token Classification (ITC) is a holistic standard framework for the classification of DLT- and blockchain-based cryptographic tokens according to their inherent characteristics.

Contact
Stefan Schmitt, Project Manager
Email: stefan.schmitt@itsa.global
Website: https://www.itsa.global/