The Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) at Cambridge Judge Business School announced the beginning of the Cambridge Digital Assets Programme today (CDAP).

CDAP is a research project aimed at understanding the evolution of digital assets and value transfer systems.

The University of Cambridge is launching a new project aimed at cryptocurrency research in collaboration with some of the world’s top banking institutions and private enterprises.

The Cambridge Center for Alternative Finance, or CCAF, said on Monday that it has established a research effort aimed at providing further insights into the fast rising digital asset sector.

The Cambridge Digital Assets Programme, or CDAP, is a public-private partnership involving 16 organizations, including the Bank for International Settlements Innovation Hub and the International Monetary Fund. Banks like Goldman Sachs, financial powerhouses like Mastercard and Visa, and big exchange-traded fund providers like Invesco are also part of the program.

The announcement read:

“Over an initial period of two years, the CCAF will work with public and private organizations to create the empirical data, tools, and insights necessary to facilitate an evidence-based public dialogue about the opportunities and risks presented by the growing digital asset ecosystem.”

The Cambridge Blockchain Society was founded by university students in 2018 to link researchers and inventors in the sector.

Cambridge is also well-known in the cryptocurrency community for its Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index. Individuals in the crypto business have used the index to gauge mining power for Bitcoin.

The program will be divided into three workstreams, with the first concentrating on the ESG (environmental, social, and governance) implications of cryptocurrency.

The second part of the study will concentrate on the processes and configurations of Distributed Financial Market Infrastructure (dFMI).

The third workstream will concentrate on crypto’s “assets,” such as cryptocurrencies (Bitcoin, Ethereum), stablecoins (USDT, USDC), CBDCs (e-CNY, etc.), and more.

Related Reading | Propelled By Rug Pulls, Crypto Scams Rise 81% In 2021

The Global Cryptoasset Benchmarking Study series, aiming to address ecosystem trends, inform regulation and policy discussion, and others, is another CCAF crypto research initiative.

Bryan Zhang, executive director of the CCAF, said:

“The Cambridge Digital Assets Programme that we are launching today aims to meet the resulting need for greater clarity by providing data-driven insights through collaborative research involving public and private sector stakeholders.”

According to Michel Rauchs, the CCAF’s digital assets lead, the CDAP will equip decision-makers with objective analysis and empirical facts to help them navigate the digital assets business.

Some international regulators are becoming increasingly worried about the risks associated with the cryptocurrency industry’s lack of standardized and reliable data. In mid-February, the Financial Stability Board issued a warning that the crypto market lacked consistent and transparent data, as well as ties to the core financial system, creating a significant risk in the face of increased crypto use.

Related article | Crypto Sector Needs Regulation, Says IMF Chief Economist

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