PFP2614. From Crypto Speculation to Digital Finance: A Competency Framework for CPAs & Planners

We are witnessing a shift from “crypto speculation” to “digital finance infrastructure.” While the headlines focus on volatile coin prices, the underlying technology is quietly overhauling how money moves and how assets are owned, as well as how the economic system will work. This session looks beyond Bitcoin to the structural changes coming to the accounting and financial planning professions.

In this session, participants will explore how Real World Assets (RWA) — like real estate, private credit, and private equity — are moving onchain to unlock liquidity and create new collateral opportunities. We will examine how stablecoins are modernizing settlement from “T+2” to “T-Instant,” and how artificial intelligence combined with blockchain will eventually allow for hyper-personalized portfolios. Prepare your practice for an era of self-custody, on-chain identity, and 24/7 global markets.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify how the advent of Bitcoin changed our idea of money, and what that means for the future of investments.
• Distinguish how traditional investments, real estate, and private credit are moving onchain to increase transparency, liquidity, and collateralization capabilities for clients.
• Analyze how portfolios and opportunities will evolve asset allocation beyond standard mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
• Determine how “on-chain identity,” 24/7 markets, and instant liquidity will change options, financial planning, and money movement.