CUHK
FTEC5640 Decentralized Finance
Spring 2026

Schedule

This is a tentative schedule. It will be updated according to the actual progress.

  • Event
    Date
    Description
    Course Material
  • Lecture
    09/01/2026 (Fri)
    Course Admin and Overview of DeFi
    [slides]
  • Lecture
    16/01/2026 (Fri)
    Blockchain fundamentals and Bitcoin
    [slides]
  • Lecture
    23/01/2026 (Fri)
    Hands-on Tutorial on Blockchain Basics by the TA [Instructor on conference leave; Venue - ERB1004 (IE Computing Lab)]
    [slides]
  • Lecture
    30/01/2026 (Fri)
    Ethereum and Smart Contracts
    [slides]
  • Lecture
    06/02/2026 (Fri)
    1.5h Lecture + 1.5h Hands-on Tutorial on Ethereum Mechanics and Solidity Programming [Venue - ERB1004 (IE Computing Lab)]
    [slides]
  • Due
    06/02/2026 11:59PM
    Friday
    Assignment #1 is due!
    [Assignment #1]
  • Lecture
    13/02/2026 (Fri)
    27/02/2026 (Fri)
    Distributed Consensus; Proof-of-Stake in Ethereum
    [slides]
  • Holiday
    20/02/2026 (Fri)
    Lunar New Year Vacation
  • Due
    01/03/2026 11:59PM
    Sunday
    Assignment #2 - Smart Contract is due!
    [Assignment #2 - Smart Contract]
  • Lecture
    06/03/2026 (Fri)
    Infrastructure in Traditional Finance
    [slides]
  • Lecture
    13/03/2026 (Fri)
    Stablecoins (Part I)
    [slides]
  • Lecture
    20/03/2026 (Fri)
    Lending & Borrowing Protocols; Stablecoins (Part II)
    [slides]
  • Lecture
    27/03/2026 (Fri)
    Decentralized Exchange (DEX) and Automated Market Maker (AMM)
    [slides]
  • Holiday
    03/04/2026 (Fri)
    Good Friday
  • Due
    07/04/2026 11:59PM
    Tuesday
    Assignment #3 - Smart Contract Design + Lending/Borrowing Protocols is due!
    [Assignment #3 - Smart Contract Design + Lending/Borrowing Protocols]
  • Lecture
    10/04/2026 (Fri)
    Oracles
    [slides]
  • Lecture
    17/04/2026 (Fri)
    Tokenizations: NFT, RWA
    [NFTs] [RWAs]
  • Lecture
    21/04/2026 (Tue)
    DeFi Regulatory Landscape; Future Directions [1:30PM - 4:30PM]; Venue YIA LT5
    [slides]
  • Due
    27/04/2026 11:59PM
    Monday
    Assignment #4 - AMM is due!
    [Assignment #4 - AMM]
  • Exam
    08/05/2026 (Fri)
    Final Exam (May 8, Fri, 1:30PM - 4:30PM); Venue YIA 201
  • Due
    15/05/2026 11:59PM
    Friday
    Project Submission Deadline (no late submission will be accepted) is due!
    [Project Submission Deadline (no late submission will be accepted)]