Binance Academy, the educational platform of blockchain ecosystem and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider Binance, hrecently concluded the first leg of its Southeast Asia University Tour in the Philippines.
From April 17 to April 20, the Binance Academy team and Kenneth Stern, GM of Binance in the Philippines, visited some of the country’s largest universities. These included the Asia Institute of Management, the University of Batangas, National University Laguna, Enderun Colleges, and the Far Eastern University, where they met over 1,000 students and staff.
Adam Smurthwaite, content and partnerships manager at Binance, led introductory training sessions on blockchain and cryptocurrency during these visits.
At National University Laguna, Binance Academy partnered with Yield Guild Games (YGG), a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) that invests in NFT gaming projects, to share more about Web3 gaming and NFTs with the attendees.
Afterward, the 400 students present teamed up in groups to brainstorm and develop innovative ideas to gamify a learning platform, with the winning team receiving exclusive Binance merchandise as a reward.
Binance Academy has held university tours in 75 schools across 25 countries to spread global blockchain and digital currency literacy and awareness.
As Binance Academy’s first foray into the Asia Pacific (APAC) region, the Philippines has witnessed tremendous growth and interest in the Web3 ecosystem, with a proven Web3 and blockchain adoption track record. As this nascent technology emerges, it is essential to close the knowledge gap by providing users with ready access to information and educational materials.
Stern sees this educational drive as one of the critical components in harnessing the Philippines’ potential to become a leading blockchain and Web3 hub.
“By working together to build the Web3 infrastructure in the Philippines, we will be able to see more Web3 jobs being created and build a pipeline of local talents. This is an opportune time for young people to learn more about the technology and the values that it can bring,” Stern said.
Smurthwaite added that “the Philippines is an obvious choice for the first stop of our Binance Academy Asia Tour as we managed to get enthusiastic responses from our university partners to visit and hold training sessions for their students. Although nascent, blockchain technology is not foreign to many Filipinos due to the popularity of GameFi in the country. By holding this tour, we hope to create a good entry point to Web3 for the younger minds.”
Binance Academy has partnered with Enderun Colleges in the Philippines to expand its educational reach and increase crypto literacy amongst students and educators.
For this visit to Enderun Colleges, the Binance Academy team was joined by representatives from the Department Of Information And Communications Technology (DICT) and Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC): Carlos Antonio Albornoz, project development officer at DICT, Vienne Mari Velasco, project development officer at DICT, and Jeannine Roxas, technology consultant for the CICC and AVP for IT Audit of SM Retail.
“Blockchain is a promising technology that is gaining more traction and usage in the Philippines. However, it is still very new, and in order to encourage more adoption among Filipinos, it is important to provide them with relevant Web3 education. I am glad there are training sessions, such as this one organized by Binance Academy, available to people,” Roxas said.
University students who attended the Binance Academy sessions shared that such educational programs serve as a solid platform for learning and developing knowledge in emerging technologies and also provide networking opportunities with industry leaders and subject matter experts.
Across the region, Binance Academy has engaged in several educational initiatives to deliver and enhance crypto and Web3 education opportunities.
Beyond the Philippines, Binance Academy signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the National Chengchi University in Taiwan to develop educational programs and joint research.
In Australia, Binance donated $300,000 in digital currency to the University of Western Australia to advance its Web 3.0 curriculum. Binance also entered an MOU with the city of Busan, South Korea, to aid in developing its own blockchain ecosystem.
Additionally, Binance Academy initiated the “Blockchain for Good” Ideathon with the Inter-Institutional Inclusive Innovation Centre in India to provide a platform for college students to develop inclusive solutions for the blockchain ecosystem.
Binance Academy recently partnered with Edukasyon.ph, the Philippines’ largest education technology platform, to launch the Binance Scholar Philippines Web3 Scholarship. This scholarship program aims to increase educational outreach in the market and provide opportunities for the broader inclusion of Filipinos in the Web3 industry.
