AKSOB Workshop Examines the Risks and Potential of Bitcoin
The session gave business students a closer look at cryptocurrency trading, combining discussions of market volatility and security risks with hands-on experience in navigating Bitcoin transactions.
As interest in cryptocurrency continues to grow among younger generations, students at the LAU Beirut campus examined both the opportunities and risks behind digital assets on September 29 during Cryptocurrency Trading: Risks and Challenges, a workshop organized by the Institute for Banking and Finance (IBF) at the Adnan Kassar School of Business, in collaboration with the Lebanese Institute for Market Studies (LIMS).Designed for finance and other business students, the session connected growing interest in cryptocurrency with the financial literacy and risk awareness needed to navigate it responsibly.
Opening the workshop, IBF Director Hisham Tabsh addressed the increasing attention Bitcoin and other digital assets are receiving, particularly among young people. He underscored the importance of understanding how these markets operate before engaging with them, pointing to financial literacy, security, and informed decision-making as essential safeguards.
The discussion placed those considerations within the broader cryptocurrency landscape. Dr. Patrick Mardini, director of LIMS, explored the financial and regulatory questions surrounding Bitcoin, including market volatility, illicit transactions, the valuation of virtual financial assets in relation to real assets, and the evolving role of central banks.
Joining the workshop online, Anna Chekhovich, Freedom Tech Education Lead at the Human Rights Foundation, brought another dimension to the conversation: The use of Bitcoin in environments where access to financial systems can be restricted or censored.
Drawing on her international experience in financial resilience and freedom technologies, Chekhovich took students through the practical side of using Bitcoin safely. Students scanned QR codes to create their own profiles and were given Bitcoin to work with, allowing them to follow the process firsthand while learning how transactions work, the precautions they should take, and the risks to watch for.
The demonstration gave students a controlled setting in which to engage directly with the technology rather than encounter it only in theory.