Chartered Digital Asset Analysts (CDAA) Qualification Examination Syllabus
(Level 1)
1. Digital Asset: Characteristics and Categories
- 1.1. Foundations and Features of Digital Asset
- 1.1.1. Definition of Blockchain
- 1.1.2. Core Characteristics of Blockchain
- 1.1.3. Classification of Blockchain
- 1.1.4. Smart Contract and Programmable Asset
- 1.1.5. Digital Asset Issuance Methods
- 1.2. Bitcoin
- 1.2.1. The Birth of Bitcoin
- 1.2.2. How Bitcoin Works and Economic Model
- 1.2.3. Scaling Bitcoin and Bitcoin Ecosystem
- 1.2.4. Bitcoin Mining Industry
- 1.3. Other Digital Asset Categories
- 1.3.1. NFTs
- 1.3.2. Meme Coins
- 1.3.3. DePIN Tokens
2. Public Blockchain and Smart Contract
- 2.1. Characteristics of Public Blockchain
- 2.2. Consensus Algorithm of Public Blockchain
- 2.3. Ethereum's Mechanism and Smart Contract
- 2.3.1. The Birth and Mechanism of Ethereum
- 2.3.2. Basic Principles of Smart Contract
- 2.3.3. Token Standards and Asset Models
- 2.3.4. Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) and Accounts
- 2.3.5. Gas Fee and Transaction Execution
- 2.4. Scaling Ethereum and Cross-chain
- 2.4.1. Scaling Ethereum and Layer 2 Solutions
- 2.4.2. Cross-chain and Interoperability
- 2.4.3. Cross-chain Asset Security and Multi-layer Network Isolation
- 2.5. Solana and Its Mechanism
- 2.6. DApp: Architecture and Mechanism
- 2.7. Oracle: System Structure and Consensus Algorithm
- 2.8. Main Security Risks of Blockchain
3. Stablecoin and RWA Tokenization
- 3.1. Stablecoin: Characteristics and Categories
- 3.1.1. Definition and Characteristics of Stablecoin
- 3.1.2. Fiat Asset-Backed Stablecoin
- 3.1.3. Digital Asset-Backed Stablecoin
- 3.2. Typical Stablecoin
- 3.2.1. USDT
- 3.2.2. USDC
- 3.2.3. USDS (formerly DAI)
- 3.3. RWA Tokenization: Concept and Characteristics
- 3.3.1. Definition and Value of RWA Tokenization
- 3.3.2. Technical Tools and Platforms for RWA Tokenization
- 3.4. Main Categories of RWA Tokenization
- 3.4.1. Commodity Tokenization
- 3.4.2. Debt Instrument Tokenization
- 3.4.3. Equity Tokenization
- 3.4.4. Fund Tokenization
- 3.4.5. Other Asset Tokenization
- 3.5. Core Elements of RWA Tokenization
- 3.5.1. Issuance Structure Design of RWA Token
- 3.5.2. Off-chain to On-chain Asset Mapping Mechanism
- 3.5.3. Regulatory and Compliance
4. Spot Trading of Digital Asset
- 4.1. Centralized Exchanges(CEX) and Main Market Participants
- 4.1.1. CEX: Definition and Characteristics
- 4.1.2. Trading Products of CEX
- 4.1.3. Platform Tokens of CEX
- 4.1.4. Main Participants in Digital Asset Trading System
- 4.2. Spot Trading Rules
- 4.2.1. Spot Trading Rules
- 4.2.2. Common Pending Order Types and Order Management
- 4.3. Digital Asset Margin Trading
- 4.3.1. Margin Trading Rules: Overview
- 4.3.2. Margin Trading Function Activation and Management
- 4.3.3. Multiples and Margin
- 4.3.4. Margin Trading Position Closing Methods and Risk Management
5. Derivative Trading of Digital Asset
- 5.1. Digital Asset Derivative Trading Platforms
- 5.1.1. Digital Asset Derivative: Concepts and Characteristics
- 5.1.2. Digital Asset Derivative: Platforms and Products
- 5.2. Digital Asset Futures Trading
- 5.2.1. Overview of Futures Trading
- 5.2.2. Futures Types
- 5.2.3. Leverage Multiples and Margin
- 5.2.4. Order Placement Methods and Take Profit/Stop Loss Settings
- 5.2.5. Funding Rate Mechanism
- 5.3. Digital Asset Options Trading
- 5.3.1. Overview of Options Trading Rules
- 5.3.2. Options Types
- 5.3.3. Position Management and Settlement
- 5.3.4. Options Pricing Principles
- 5.3.5. Options Trading Risk Management
- 5.4. Digital Asset Quantitative Trading
- 5.4.1. Algorithmic Market Making Strategies
- 5.4.2. Arbitrage Strategies
- 5.4.3. Market Microstructure Strategies
- 5.4.4. Market Taking Strategies
6. Decentralized Finance (DeFi)
- 6.1. DeFi Protocol: Concept and Classification
- 6.1.1. Definition and Characteristics of DeFi
- 6.1.2. Main Categories of DeFi Protocols
- 6.1.3. Key Metrics of DeFi Protocols
- 6.1.4. Liquidity Mining and Yield Farming
- 6.1.5. DeFi Security Risks
- 6.2. DEX and Market Making Mechanism
- 6.2.1. Definition and Characteristics of DEX
- 6.2.2. Decentralized Spot Trading and Automated Market Makers
- 6.2.3. Trading Early-stage Asset on DEX
- 6.2.4. Decentralized Derivative Trading
- 6.2.5. NFT Trading
- 6.3. Decentralized Lending
- 6.3.1. Lending Protocol: Fundamental and Core Mechanism
- 6.3.2. Flash Loans
- 6.4. Other DeFi Protocol
- 6.4.1. Yield Aggregators
- 6.4.2. Staking and Restaking
- 6.5. DeFi Governance and DAO
- 6.5.1. DAO: Basic Concepts
- 6.5.2. DAO Governance: Core Mechanism and Key Principles
- 6.5.3. DeFi Governance Token and Its Economic Model
7. Digital Asset Investment Research and Analysis
- 7.1. Macroeconomics and Digital Asset
- 7.1.1. Inflation, Monetary Policy and Digital Asset Markets
- 7.1.2. Business Cycles and Digital Asset Market
- 7.1.3. Correlation Between Digital Asset and Other Financial Asset
- 7.2. Blockchain On-Chain Data and Market Signals
- 7.2.1. Fundamental of On-Chain Data and Behavioral Tracking
- 7.2.2. Commonly Used On-Chain Data Indicators
- 7.2.3. Exchange Indicators
- 7.2.4. Market Sentiment Indicators
- 7.2.5. Application Scenarios and Risk Warning of On-Chain Indicator
- 7.3. Tokenomics
- 7.3.1. Overview of Tokenomics
- 7.3.2. Token Distribution Mechanism
- 7.3.3. Token Supply and Unlocking
- 7.4. Key Points of Digital Asset Investment Research Analysis and Valuation Assessment
- 7.4.1. Core Competitiveness of Digital Asset Projects
- 7.4.2. Market Demand and Competitive Environment
- 7.4.3. Valuation Assessment of Digital Asset
- 7.5. Technical Analysis of Digital Asset Price
- 7.5.1. Basic Principles of Technical Analysis
- 7.5.2. Candlestick Chart and Trend Identification
- 7.5.3. Major Technical Analysis Indicators
8. Portfolio Allocation and Asset Management of Digital Asset
- 8.1. Portfolio Allocation of Digital Asset
- 8.1.1. Returns and Present/Future Value of Digital Asset
- 8.1.2. Risk Measurement and Risk Preference of Digital Asset
- 8.1.3. Modern Portfolio Theory
- 8.1.4. Portfolio Allocation and Rebalancing
- 8.1.5. Subjective Bias and Probability Estimation in Investment Analysis
- 8.2. Digital Asset Funds and Thematic Stocks
- 8.2.1. Digital Asset Funds and Trusts
- 8.2.2. Digital Asset Market Index
- 8.2.3. Digital Asset ETF: Main Types
- 8.2.4. Digital Asset ETF Products
- 8.2.5. Digital Asset ETF: Risks Related to
- 8.2.6. Digital Asset Thematic Stocks
- 8.3. Asset Management of Digital Asset
- 8.3.1. Investor Classification and Suitability
- 8.3.2. Asset Management Products of Digital Asset
9. Digital Asset Custody, Custodial Services and Security
- 9.1. Wallet: Basic Usage and Management
- 9.1.1. Digital Asset Wallet: Basic Concepts
- 9.1.2. Cryptographic Principles of Wallet Addresses
- 9.1.3. Use Cases of Wallet
- 9.2. Wallet: Categories and Characteristics
- 9.2.1. Cold Wallet and Hot Wallet
- 9.2.2. Hardware Wallet
- 9.2.3. Non-custodial Wallet and Custodial Wallet
- 9.2.4. Multi-Sig Wallet and MPC Wallet
- 9.2.5. HD Wallet
- 9.3. Smart Contract: Security and Auditing
- 9.4. Operational Risks of Digital Asset
- 9.5. Key Strategies for Digital Asset Security Protection
10. Digital Asset Compliance and Professional Ethics
- 10.1. Digital Asset Accounting
- 10.1.1. Accounting Treatment and Audit Opinions for Digital Asset
- 10.1.2. Account Management and Process Standards
- 10.2. Key Principles of Digital Asset Regulation and Compliance
- 10.2.1. KYC and AML
- 10.2.2. Asset Security and Data Protection
- 10.2.3. Other Key Points
- 10.3. Digital Asset Regulatory Framework of Hong Kong SAR, China
- 10.3.1. Virtual Asset Regulatory Authorities in Hong Kong
- 10.3.2. Overall Requirements of the Securities and Futures Ordinance and the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorist Financing Ordinance
- 10.3.3. Regulatory Requirements for Virtual Asset Trading Platforms
- 10.3.4. Regulatory Requirements for Virtual Asset Investment Funds
- 10.3.5. Regulatory Requirements for Brokerages and Other Intermediaries Conducting Virtual Asset-Related Business
- 10.3.6. Stablecoin Regulatory Requirements in Hong Kong
- 10.3.7. Regulatory Requirements for Conducting Tokenized Securities-Related Business
- 10.4. Global Digital Asset Regulation: Other Countries and Regions
- 10.4.1. US Regulation of Digital Asset
- 10.4.2. EU Regulation of Digital Asset
- 10.4.3. Singapore Regulation of Digital Asset
- 10.4.4. Digital Asset Regulation in Japan, South Korea, UAE and Other Regions
- 10.4.5. International Organizations' Regulatory Requirements for Digital Asset
- 10.5. Code of Professional Ethics and Professional Conduct Standards: Chartered Digital Asset Analysts
- 10.5.1. Overall Requirements for Code of Professional Ethics and Professional Conduct Standards
- 10.5.2. Professional Conduct and Key Behavioral Standards
- 10.5.3. Responsibilities of Senior Management
(Last updated: June 22, 2025)