UZH Blockchain Center
The UZH Blockchain Center is a University of Zurich Competence Center, founded 2019, that coordinates interdisciplinary blockchain and DLT research across 24 faculty and 65 researchers, and delivers executive education through its DDiB Summer School and CAS in Blockchain and Crypto Compliance programs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What UZH Blockchain Center does
The UZH Blockchain Center is a Competence Center of the University of Zurich, hosted at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics and established in 2019. It coordinates interdisciplinary blockchain and distributed ledger research across Computer Science, Business, Economics, Finance, Law, Regulation, Cryptography and Digital Art, drawing on 24 faculty members from four UZH faculties and approximately 65 researchers from UZH and leading international institutions. Its research portfolio spans blockchain analytics, decentralized finance (DeFi), consensus protocols, smart contracts, tokenization, MEV extraction, ZK Rollups, Layer-2 technologies and cross-chain transactions, with output regularly published at venues such as IEEE ICBC and PNAS Nexus.
The center's commercial surface is limited to educational offerings rather than software products: the Deep Dive into Blockchain (DDiB) Summer School (priced at 1,500 CHF, with partner-university discounts), the Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Blockchain, and a newer CAS in Crypto Compliance, complemented by lecture series, research seminars and large academic-industry events. It functions as the single point of contact between industry, government and academic peers, hosting lecture series, seminars, summer schools, conferences and industry talks in hybrid format, and maintaining a deep collaboration network that includes Ethereum Foundation, DFINITY, Cardano, Hedera, Casper, IOTA, Emurgo, DLT Science Foundation, the Swiss National Bank, Accenture, PostFinance and Julius Bär.
Revenue is institutionally underwritten rather than venture-backed: the center does not publish revenue, is funded by University of Zurich resources, competitive research grants (including EU HORIZON via a 16-partner consortium led by Chairman Prof. Claudio Tessone) and tuition from professional education programs, and has no outside equity investors. Recognition has been externally validated by CoinDesk rankings of 4th worldwide (1st in Europe) in 2021 and 3rd worldwide (1st in Europe) in 2022, by Prof. Tessone's election as a Fellow of The British Blockchain Association (FBBA) and his appointment as Co-Chair of the IEEE Blockchain in Fintech Committee, and by multiple best-paper awards at conferences including Nanyang Blockchain Conference 2025, ICNS 2025 and the 2023 British Blockchain Association Research Award.
UZH Blockchain Center firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- UZH Blockchain Center
- Legal name
- UZH Blockchain Center
- Website
- https://blockchain.uzh.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The UZH Blockchain Center is a University of Zurich Competence Center, founded 2019, that coordinates interdisciplinary blockchain and DLT research across 24 faculty and 65 researchers, and delivers executive education through its DDiB Summer School and CAS in Blockchain and Crypto Compliance programs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
UZH Blockchain Center industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Academic Blockchain Research and Education
- NAICS
- Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (61131), Educational Support Services (611710), Computer Training (611420)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Blockchain Data & Indexing Infrastructure for Finance (Nodes, Indexers, Oracles) (FSAGAMAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Interoperability & Cross-Chain Infrastructure (Bridges, Messaging, Atomic Swaps) (FSAGAMAI), Compliance, Risk & RegTech for Tokenized Assets (KYC/AML, sanctions, travel rule, reporting) (FSAPAIAH), Blockchain Forensics & Investigations (attribution, tracing, recovery support) (FSAPAJAD), Regulatory Reporting, Tax & Audit Trails (reconciliation, provenance) (FSAPAJAI)
Keywords
Where UZH Blockchain Center is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
UZH Blockchain Center business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Educational Programs: Revenue from Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) programs, summer schools, and professional education courses targeting students and industry leaders.
- Research Grants and Funding: Institutional and grant funding for interdisciplinary blockchain research projects, including EU HORIZON funding.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | One time/ perpetual license | Deep Dive into Blockchain Summer School |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
UZH Blockchain Center product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The UZH Blockchain Center is an academic competence center at the University of Zurich that coordinates interdisciplinary blockchain and distributed ledger technology research across four faculties, and offers paid educational programs including the Deep Dive into Blockchain Summer School, a CAS in Blockchain, and a CAS in Crypto Compliance for students, researchers, and industry professionals.
Product overview
UZH Blockchain Center is an academic competence center at the University of Zurich (hosted at the Faculty of Business, Economics and Informatics) offering a portfolio of educational programs rather than commercial products. Its educational offerings include the Deep Dive into Blockchain (DDiB) Summer School (linking economics, technology, and law), CAS in Blockchain, and CAS in Crypto Compliance certificates. The center also conducts and publishes interdisciplinary research through lecture series, seminars, and maintains an extensive publications repository covering blockchain analytics, consensus mechanisms, DeFi, tokenization, and blockchain governance. The center acts as a single point of contact with industry, government, and academic peers for blockchain research coordination.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Deep Dive into Blockchain (DDiB) Summer School An international summer school program offering comprehensive immersion into blockchain technology, led by world-class experts and practitioners at Europe's leading university, linking economics, technology, and law perspectives. Regular fee 1,500 Swiss Francs; discounts available for students from certain partner universities.
- CAS in Blockchain Certificate of Advanced Studies in Blockchain providing in-depth knowledge on tokenization and blockchain fundamentals, built around the UZH Blockchain Center.
- CAS in Crypto Compliance Certificate of Advanced Studies in Crypto Compliance covering regulatory frameworks and compliance requirements for cryptocurrency and blockchain-based financial products.
Quantifiable outcome
- Ranked 3rd worldwide and 1st in Europe in CoinDesk Best Universities for Blockchain 2022
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use UZH Blockchain Center
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
UZH Blockchain Center technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
UZH Blockchain Center partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
27 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Lace WalletminorLace is now the official wallet of the UZH Blockchain Center. A new collaboration agreement was announced between UZH Blockchain Center and Lace Wallet.
- DFINITYcoreDFINITY is listed as a collaboration partner of the UZH Blockchain Center, supporting research and educational initiatives in blockchain technology.
- CardanocoreCardano is listed as a collaboration partner. The center conducts research on the Cardano blockchain including shared send transactions analysis and address clustering.
- Hedera HashgraphcoreHedera Hashgraph is listed as a collaboration partner supporting UZH Blockchain Center's research initiatives.
- Ethereum FoundationcoreEthereum Foundation is listed as a collaboration partner. The center conducts extensive Ethereum research including stochastic modeling of consensus in Ethereum PoS.
- CaspercoreCasper is listed as a collaboration partner. The center conducts research on blockchain analytics and cryptoeconomics with Casper.
- IOTAcoreIOTA is listed as a collaboration partner. The center conducts research on IOTA's Tangle consensus and network topology.
- EmurgocoreEmurgo is listed as a collaboration partner supporting UZH Blockchain Center's blockchain research and education.
- World FinanceminorWorld Finance is listed as a collaboration partner of the UZH Blockchain Center.
- DLT Science FoundationcoreThe UZH Blockchain Center collaborates with the DLT Science Foundation, a global non-profit organization launched on March 20, 2023, focused on advancing distributed ledger technology research.
- Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU)coreListed as an academic partner. UZH Blockchain Center collaborates with international academic institutions for blockchain research.
- University of Cape TowncoreListed as an academic partner. Collaborates on blockchain governance and economic research.
- Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversitycoreListed as an academic partner in the UZH Blockchain Center's international network.
- University of British ColumbiacoreListed as an academic partner in the UZH Blockchain Center's international network.
- University of TokyocoreListed as an academic partner in the UZH Blockchain Center's international network.
- Jeonbuk UniversitycoreListed as an academic partner in the UZH Blockchain Center's international network.
- Kyoto UniversitycoreListed as an academic partner in the UZH Blockchain Center's international network.
- IIT BombaycoreListed as an academic partner in the UZH Blockchain Center's international network.
- IIT MadrascoreListed as an academic partner in the UZH Blockchain Center's international network.
- IIT HyderabadcoreListed as an academic partner in the UZH Blockchain Center's international network.
- Henan ProvinceminorThe UZH Blockchain Centre and Henan Province Collaborate on Blockchain Initiatives, as evidenced by events and workshops.
- HomeofBlockchain.swissminorThe UZH Blockchain Center co-hosted the Alpine Tech Forum with HomeofBlockchain.swiss.
- Web3 AntivirusminorThe UZH Blockchain Center entered into a data sharing agreement with Web3 Antivirus for research collaboration.
- Swiss National BankminorSwiss National Bank is listed as a supporter of the Deep Dive into Blockchain summer school program.
- AccentureminorAccenture delivered an industry talk on Central Bank Digital Currencies at the UZH Blockchain Center, with speakers Katrin Koller and Petar Zelic.
- PostFinanceminorPostFinance delivered an industry talk on crypto at the UZH Blockchain Center.
- Julius BärminorJulius Bär delivered an industry talk on digital assets at the UZH Blockchain Center.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
UZH Blockchain Center competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Ethereum Foundation: Listed core collaboration partner of UZH Blockchain Center. Functions as an ecosystem funder and protocol steward rather than a research peer, but co-shapes the research agenda through grants and protocol-level data access.
- Cardano Foundation: Listed core collaboration partner of UZH Blockchain Center. Ecosystem funder and protocol steward providing data access and research collaboration; not a direct research peer but a key industry partner shaping research priorities.
Direct peers
- UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies: University College London's interdisciplinary blockchain research center. Comparable European academic center covering blockchain technology, governance, and applications with similar industry partnership structure.
- Hong Kong Polytechnic University Research Centre for Blockchain Technology: Listed academic partner of UZH Blockchain Center. Asian academic blockchain research peer with comparable research output and industry engagement in the broader Asia-Pacific ecosystem.
- Berkeley Center for Responsible, Decentralized Intelligence (RDI): UC Berkeley's blockchain and decentralized systems research center. Comparable interdisciplinary academic center covering cryptography, economics, and policy with strong industry partnership model.
- MIT Digital Currency Initiative (DCI): MIT's interdisciplinary blockchain research initiative studying cryptocurrencies and DLT. Directly comparable as a top-tier academic blockchain research center competing for the same global ranking, faculty talent, and industry partnerships.
- Imperial College Centre for Cryptocurrency Research: Imperial College London's blockchain and cryptocurrency research center. Strong comparable as a leading European academic blockchain research center competing with UZH for European #1 ranking.
- Stanford Center for Blockchain Research: Stanford's interdisciplinary blockchain research hub covering cryptography, economics, and distributed systems. Direct peer competing for global top-3 blockchain university rankings and the same industry-sponsored research funding pool.
- Cornell Initiative for CryptoCurrencies and Contracts (IC3): Multi-university blockchain research initiative focused on cryptographic and smart contract research. Comparable academic research center with industry consortium model and similar publication output targeting top venues.
Emerging players
- DLT Science Foundation: Global non-profit foundation launched in 2023 advancing DLT research. Listed collaboration partner of UZH Blockchain Center and a complementary funding vehicle for blockchain research, similar in mission but distinct as a funder rather than academic center.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
UZH Blockchain Center social profiles
Digital presenceUZH Blockchain Center financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
UZH Blockchain Center leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
UZH Blockchain Center funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
UZH Blockchain Center M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about UZH Blockchain Center
What does UZH Blockchain Center do?
The UZH Blockchain Center is an academic competence center at the University of Zurich that coordinates interdisciplinary blockchain and distributed ledger technology research across four faculties, and offers paid educational programs including the Deep Dive into Blockchain Summer School, a CAS in Blockchain, and a CAS in Crypto Compliance for students, researchers, and industry professionals.
Is UZH Blockchain Center a public or private company?
UZH Blockchain Center is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was UZH Blockchain Center founded?
UZH Blockchain Center was founded in 2019. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is UZH Blockchain Center based?
UZH Blockchain Center is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does UZH Blockchain Center make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Educational Programs are the primary driver. The others are research Grants and Funding.
Who are UZH Blockchain Center's main competitors?
Others on record are Ethereum Foundation and Cardano Foundation. Direct peers are UCL Centre for Blockchain Technologies, Hong Kong Polytechnic University Research Centre for Blockchain Technology, Berkeley Center for Responsible, Decentralized Intelligence (RDI), MIT Digital Currency Initiative (DCI), Imperial College Centre for Cryptocurrency Research, Stanford Center for Blockchain Research and Cornell Initiative for CryptoCurrencies and Contracts (IC3). DLT Science Foundation is listed as an emerging player.
Does UZH Blockchain Center have an API?
No public API is recorded for UZH Blockchain Center.
What industry is UZH Blockchain Center in?
UZH Blockchain Center's product category is Academic Blockchain Research and Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGAMAL, Blockchain Data & Indexing Infrastructure for Finance (Nodes, Indexers, Oracles), with a secondary code of FSAGAMAI, Interoperability & Cross-Chain Infrastructure (Bridges, Messaging, Atomic Swaps). Its NAICS code is 61131 and its SIC code is 8200.