Upcoming New York Mayor advocates cryptocurrency training in schools

As part of his aim to make the city into a crypto hotspot, New York City’s future mayor, Eric Adams, believes that schools should include bitcoin and blockchain technology in the curriculum. Cryptocurrency expert have been propagating the importance of cryptocurrency training for a while, and not a politician has also joined the bandwagon.

Eric Adams told CNN’s “State of the Union” that bitcoin is the “new means of paying for products and services around the world,” and that schools “must” teach the technology behind it as well as “this new way of thinking.”

“Cryptocurrency is a new way for people to pay for products and services,” Adams explained. “We must open our schools to teach technology and this new way of thinking about paying for products and services.”

Cryptocurrency training in schools isn’t exactly new, with students ranging from local high schools to university-level students beginning to incorporate crypto themes into their studies. Adams did not explain at what level of education he would like to see crypto integrated into the curriculum.

However, the movement for a more crypto-friendly New York City is not without its detractors. In a tweet, Jason Furman, a Harvard professor and former member of the Obama Administration’s Council of Economic Advisors, said Adams’ crypto idea was a “poor economic strategy for NYC.”

“It also appears to be a conflict of interest,” Furman added. “It’s like a mayor declaring, ‘I’m going to buy a lot of Amazon shares and then put laws in place to benefit Amazon.’”

Adam’s comments regarding crypto in schools come just a few days after he told crypto entrepreneur Anthony Pompliano in a tweet thread that he would accept his first three payments as mayor in bitcoin. Adams attempted to outdo Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who recently stated that he would accept his next paycheck in bitcoin as part of his ongoing program to transform New York City into a center for innovation and cryptocurrency.

Adams also reacted to a question on whether he would encourage New York City retailers to start using cryptocurrencies in their purchases, saying, “We’ll take a look at it and proceed with caution. We’ll get it properly this time.”

Understanding Cryptocurrency

One lingering concern is what Adams means when he says “open our schools to crypto.”

While crypto remains mostly the domain of investors, programmers, and a few extreme online aficionados, there are precedents for teaching crypto to the general public, notably in higher institutions.

For example, Columbia University presently offers a course called “Blockchain, Cryptocurrencies, AI, and Beyond,” which attempts to teach the fundamentals of decentralized finance and crypto to individuals who are already interested in the future of finance and technology.

Coins in Conflict

Another option to raise public awareness about cryptocurrency is to introduce a municipal cryptocurrency, like Miami did this summer with MiamiCoin, which was launched on the nonprofit and community-run CityCoins platform.

When Adams told Bloomberg this month that he was committed to competing with Miami for crypto-hub status, the CityCoins group was considering where to launch its next coin.

Wrapping up

It is extremely important that everyone gets cryptocurrency training now since the world is slowly transforming into a new dynamic of finance. Enroll in a cryptocurrency certification course and get started with your journey in this transforming world.