- Venezuelan economist Barbara Armas has won the international academic competition “Think Bitcoin 2025.”
- The US Strategic Bitcoin Reserve, which holds 198,000 BTC, is a key element in reshaping the bank’s risk model.
Venezuelan economist barbara armas We won first place in an international academic contest.”Thinking about Bitcoin 2025” This contest featured Argentina, Costa Rica, Spain, and Venezuela. Armas is a professor and researcher at Universidad Católica Andres Bello (UCAB). Bitcoin is influencing how American banks are valued and manage risk.
Her research isBitcoin and Risk Perception: Financial Disruption in the American Banking Sector,” analyzes the relationship between virtual currency market capitalization and banks’ decisions when setting discount rates. Future risk prediction. The study concludes that as Bitcoin’s market capitalization increases, financial institutions tend to take a more conservative position and raise interest rates.
Organization and scope of the “Think Bitcoin 2025” contest
research institute Bitcoin Philosophy and Economics (IFEB) and Reed University in Costa Rica hosted the contest. This was supported by several organizations including: BT&C. Participants included professors, students, and researchers from different countries. The first place winner received a cash prize of 1,000 USD (BTC) and publication in the academic journal Logos.
Barbara Armas graduated from UCAB in 2016 with a master’s degree in applied economics and is currently a doctoral candidate at the university. The economist said he used the competition to guide some of the research areas he is developing for his doctoral thesis, which focus on the digital economy, data analytics, artificial intelligence and financial risk management.
Reconfiguring the relationship between banks and Bitcoin
Since its establishment in 2008, Bitcoin has gone from a marginal experiment to an asset closely monitored by the international financial system.. This change in attitude is particularly relevant to the United States, where this year Strategic Bitcoin Reserve was created and accumulated approximately 198,000 BTC. This makes the country the world’s largest holder of this virtual currency.
Bitcoin’s market capitalization exceeds $2 trillion, which is equivalent to the GDP of many national economies. For Armas, this growing importance is forcing traditional financial players to recalibrate their risk frameworks.
Her research highlights the emergence of virtual currency markets.Banks will be induced to adjust their risk horizons and profitability strategies.“
UCAB’s Academic Advancement in Crypto Finance
The inroads of cryptocurrencies into broader fields of knowledge, such as sociology, history, philosophy, and economics, are spurring new academic endeavors. BT&C UCAB Academy was established about a year ago. We offer interdisciplinary courses, programs and diplomas covering everything from ethical and philosophical foundations to practical applications in the cryptocurrency market.
“Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are no longer just speculative. We need to contribute more and more from the point of view of theoretical and applied research, and I believe that this Academy and UCAB are making a significant contribution in this regard. Universities are promoting research projects that accurately diagnose this new reality and foster innovation in various fields,” said the expert.
Barbara Armas believes that this academic field will become increasingly relevant. She suggests, for example, that UCAB could pursue short programs that integrate macroeconomics, regulation, and cryptofinance on topics such as the impact of cryptoassets on monetary policy and risk management.
He said theoretical and applied research will become essential as Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies become more than just speculative phenomena.
