Welcome Talk — Blockchains in Digital Finance Training Week
Speaker: Joerg Osterrieder, Coordinator MSCA Digital Finance
Date: 31 March 2026, 09:50 – 10:00 EEST
Venue: Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Room Robert Schuman
Welcome to Bucharest!
It is wonderful to be here in Bucharest again. I want to start by thanking two people who made this training week possible.
Daniel Pele has been a driving force behind ASE's role in our MSCA network. His dedication to building the IDA Institute for Digital Assets and organizing events in Bucharest has been extraordinary.
Wolfgang Karl Härdle brings decades of experience in statistical methods for finance. His presence bridges the quantitative traditions of Humboldt-Universität with the growing digital finance community here at ASE.
Standing on the Shoulders of Marie Curie
Marie Skłodowska-Curie (1867–1934)
- Nobel Prize in Physics, 1903
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1911
- First woman to win a Nobel Prize
- Only person to win in two different sciences
The MSCA Programme (named in her honour):
- EUR 6.6 billion budget (Horizon Europe)
- 150,000+ researchers funded since 1996
- 23 Nobel Prize laureates among alumni
- Active in 100+ countries, 160 nationalities
ASE — A Cornerstone of Our Network
The Bucharest University of Economic Studies (ASE) is one of the most important nodes in our MSCA Digital Finance network. Through the IDA Institute Digital Assets, ASE has built significant expertise in blockchain analytics, crypto-asset modeling, and quantitative finance.
This week, 7 of our 16 speakers come from ASE and IDA — a testament to the depth of talent here. ASE's involvement spans multiple work packages and training modules.
Bucharest — A Recurring Home for Our Programme
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Digital Finance Workshop: AI, Digital Assets & Energy Finance | May 2024 |
| MSCA Workshop on Digital Finance | January 2025 |
| Practice of Digital Finance — Research Workshop | 2024–2025 |
| Introduction to Blockchain Applications in Finance | November 2025 |
| Blockchains in Digital Finance (this week!) | March 2026 |
Five major events at ASE in two years — no other partner has hosted more.
Our Schedule — Day by Day
Monday 30/03
- 10:15 — Dumitrescu: CBDC Stress Tests
- 11:30 — Micu: Digital LEU
- 13:30 — Dumitrescu: Stablecoins
- 14:50 — Project work
Tuesday 31/03
- 09:50 — Osterrieder: Welcome
- 10:00 — Anghel: Intelligent Skewness
- 11:20 — Wójcik: Zombie Assets
- 13:30 — Härdle: ETH Merge
- 14:50 — Discussion panel
Wednesday 01/04
- 10:00 — Lupu: Crypto Options
- 11:20 — Bag: SHAP Methods
- 13:30 — Pele: TBD
- 14:40 — Costea: BaaS in Romania
- 16:00 — Project work
- 17:00 — Project updates
Thursday 02/04
- 10:00 — Amza: Central Banking & AI
- 11:20 — Voicilă: Crypto Narratives
- 13:30 — Chaffard: On-chain Data
- 14:50 — Bolovăneanu: HD Regression
Friday 03/04 — HE Framework (Oros & Petrescu)
- 10:00 — Research Scope & Planning
- 11:00 — Governance & Execution
- 14:00 — Risk & Deliverables
- 15:20 — Lessons Learned
Final Presentations — 30/06/2026
- 13:00–16:00 — Group Presentations (online)
What I Hope You Take Away
Connect — The real value of MSCA is the network. Meet people from other institutions, exchange ideas, find your next co-author.
Get Hands-On — Real blockchain datasets from Dune Analytics, Etherscan, Flipside Crypto. Get your hands dirty with actual on-chain data.
Challenge — The project sessions are yours. Bring your own research questions — this is where you test ideas against real data.
Enjoy Bucharest — Bucharest rewards the curious. Explore the Old Town after sessions, try the food, walk the boulevards.
Our Partners
