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Life Health > Running Your Business > Certification

New Digital Currency Council to Establish Best Practices

By Melanie Waddell

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The former CEO of the Institute for Private Investors has just launched the Digital Currency Council, a new professional association created to foster best-in-class practices for financial professionals, accountants and lawyers in the digital currency economy through training, certification and ongoing support.

The DCC, launched Tuesday, is backed by the Bitcoin Opportunity Corp., the investment vehicle of Barry Silbert, the founder of SecondMarket and a major investor in the digital currency economy. DCC was founded by CEO David Berger, the former CEO for the Americas for Campden Wealth and the Institute for Private Investors, the leading membership organization for family offices and the ultra-affluent.

“The emergence of digital currencies and their growing acceptance as a form of both commerce and investment is creating significant new business opportunities for financial advisors, brokers and other professionals,” said Berger, in a statement, noting that more than 1,000 new businesses are accepting bitcoin every week, including major companies like Dell, DISH Network, Overstock, Expedia and 1-800-Flowers.com, among others. 

“Our goal is to provide a place where financial advisors and their firms can go to get comprehensive training in digital currencies, and to create a standards-based designation that will be recognized as conveying a professional level of expertise in digital currencies: ‘DCC Certified,’” Berger added.

Starting Tuesday, the DCC says it will offer its training and certification program through its website, digitalcurrencycouncil.com, with a comprehensive curriculum specifically tailored for financial advisors and other professionals.  The curriculum includes, but is not limited to: 

  • Characteristics of each major digital currency type.

  • Understanding how to exchange, mine, sell and invest in bitcoin.

  • Secure storage options.

  • IRS, FINRA, FinCEN and SEC regulations as applied to digital currencies and their implications.

  • International regulations from key geographic markets.

  • Bitcoin investment strategies, including a focus on trading signals.

  • The leading platforms for bitcoin utilization and investment.

In addition to the curriculum and certification, the Council will support members in the development of their businesses by providing continuing education programs, access to the expertise within the DCC itself, and a client referral platform.

“This is a seminal moment in the evolution of this industry,” added Silbert in the statement. “I am investing in the DCC because I believe it is best positioned to establish and promulgate an intellectually rigorous curriculum and a certification process that will set the standard for professionals in the digital currency economy. The DCC Certification will be the mark of credibility and expertise for professionals, supporting best practices across the digital currency economy.”

Members and potential members can choose different levels of access to the Digital Currency Council materials. “Explorers” can access basic course materials and the member directory free of charge. The “Professional” level provides access to the association’s proprietary training modules and a practice certification exam, and requires registration and a monthly access fee. The “Leader” level, which also requires a fee, includes all the benefits of Professional access as well as the opportunity to sit for the DCC Certification exam and access continuing online education and peer-to-peer discussions with industry leaders, among other features.

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