The university is partnering with the crypto exchange Coinbase to accept three cryptocurrencies, Bitcoin, Ethereum, and the stablecoin USDC, giving students and their families new ways to pay their tuition. Bentley is also now accepting gifts and donations in Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDC.
Cryptocurrencies play an increasingly important role in the world’s economy, affecting the creation of new businesses, how salaries are paid, how payments are tracked, and even how we buy tickets to games and concerts. More than 41 million Americans – 16 percent of U.S. adults – have invested in, traded or used cryptocurrency, according to the Pew Research Center. The global cryptocurrency market is projected to more than double, from $910.3 million in 2021 to $1.9 billion in 2028, according to Fortune Business Insights.
Bentley student Alex Kim ’22, MSF ’23 was an early cryptocurrency adopter. He started investing in Bitcoin during high school, and last fall he launched the Bentley Blockchain Association, one of the few student-led blockchain groups in the nation. The group has grown to 257 members just a few months after its creation.
“Students have a real interest in knowing more about blockchain, decentralized finance and cryptocurrency investments,” said Kim, who this fall will be a speaker at NFT.NYC, the world’s leading conference focused on non-fungible tokens or NFT’s. “These technologies are influencing the industries where they will be working.”