Stablecoins and the Financial System · 10% of the course grade.
Select a major stablecoin and examine how it works, reserves/redemption, benefits and risks, effects on banks/payments, U.S. regulation including the GENIUS Act, and your own analysis.
Fall 2026 Official Term Project — Stablecoins and the Financial System
Select a stablecoin: USDT, USDC, PYUSD, or another major stablecoin approved by the instructor.
Background: issuer, launch date, main use, and market importance.
How it works: how it stays near $1, reserve assets, and purchase/redemption process.
Benefits and risks: explain at least three of each.
Stablecoins and banks: possible effects on deposits, bank transfers, cards, and payments.
Regulation: recent U.S. stablecoin regulation, including the GENIUS Act.
Your analysis: will stablecoins become an important part of the U.S. financial system? Support your answer.
Optional presentation: summarize how the stablecoin works, benefits/risks, bank/payment effects, regulation, and conclusion.
Optional Alternative Term Projects — choose one instead of the main project
The official Stablecoins and the Financial System project above remains the main term project. Students who prefer a hands-on alternative may choose one of the two options below.
Option 1 — Develop a Stock Data Fetcher in Google Sheets
Build a simple stock-data tool using Google Sheets + Apps Script.
Let the user enter a stock ticker and starting date.
Use GOOGLEFINANCE to pull the stock name and daily closing prices.
Summarize the data into monthly closing prices.
Calculate monthly stock returns.
Create a simple interface or web app that allows the user to run the tool.
Submit the Google Sheet link, Apps Script code, sample output, and a short explanation of how the system works.
Core Apps Script idea
// Apps Script outline
function doGet() {
return HtmlService.createHtmlOutputFromFile('index');
}
// Use GOOGLEFINANCE in the sheet for price/name fields,
// then summarize the last close of each month and compute monthly returns.
Option 2 — Design a Stablecoin Tuition Payment System
Scenario: A JU-type small private university is considering allowing students, especially international students, to pay tuition using a U.S. dollar stablecoin such as USDC.
This is a system-design project. You do not need to create a new stablecoin, use real money, or build a full blockchain system.
Design the payment flow: show how a student would pay tuition with USDC and how the university would receive the payment.
Choose the payment structure: explain whether the university should use a provider such as Coinbase or receive stablecoins directly in its own wallet.
Student-account matching: explain how the payment would be linked to the correct student ID, invoice, and tuition balance.
USD conversion: explain whether USDC should be converted immediately to U.S. dollars and transferred to the university bank account.
Compare payment methods: compare stablecoin payment with credit/debit card, ACH/e-check, bank wire, and international payment services in terms of cost, speed, convenience, and availability.
Risk and controls: address incorrect amounts, wrong blockchain/network, refunds, stablecoin depegging, wallet/custody risk, transaction records, and compliance.
Who benefits? discuss whether the system is more useful for domestic or international students and explain why.
Recommendation: should a small private university offer stablecoin tuition payments? Support your conclusion.
Required output: a written analysis plus one clear system-flow diagram. A webpage or prototype is optional.
Example flow: Student → USDC payment → Coinbase/payment provider → USD conversion → University bank account → Student tuition account updated.
Syllabus (On-Page Summary)
Use the downloadable Word syllabus above as the official semester document.
Describe major U.S. financial markets and primary financial instruments.
Explain the relationship between risk and return.
Identify major economic factors that influence interest rates.
Explain stock market efficiency.
Demonstrate a basic understanding of derivatives.
Explain financial intermediation and direct finance.
Analyze current monetary policy and its effects.
Communicate using standard financial and economic terminology.
Grading & Coursework
Component
Weight
Two Mid-Term Exams
40%
Final Exam
20%
Term Project
10%
Homework
20%
Quizzes
10%
Exams are closed book and closed notes. Quizzes are given at the end of class and also serve as attendance checks. Up to six missed quizzes are allowed without penalty.
Fall 2026 Letter Grade Scale
Course %
Grade
Course %
Grade
89.5–100
A
89.0–89.49
A−
88.5–88.99
B+
79.5–88.49
B
79.0–79.49
B−
78.5–78.99
C+
69.5–78.49
C
69.0–69.49
C−
68.5–68.99
D+
59.5–68.49
D
59.0–59.49
D−
Below 59.0
F
Course Policies — short reminders
Homework: due as assigned; late work may receive a penalty.
Make-ups: valid documentation is required; notify the instructor before an exam when possible.
Electronic devices: generally not allowed unless required for a class activity.
Extra credit: no more than 5 extra-credit points across opportunities announced by the instructor.
Academic integrity, AI, disability support, FERPA, and copyright policies are stated in the official syllabus.
Fall 2026 Schedule Subject to change
Date
Topic / Activity
Tue 8/18
Course Introduction
Thu 8/20
Gold vs. Stocks / Current-Market Discussion
Tue 8/25
Session 1: The Federal Reserve
Thu 8/27
Session 2: Monetary Policy – Part I
Tue 9/1
Session 2: Monetary Policy – Part II
Thu 9/3
Session 3: What Is Money? – Part I
Tue 9/8
Session 3: What Is Money? – Part II
Thu 9/10
Session 4: Crypto, Stablecoins & Digital Payments – Part I
Tue 9/15
Session 4: Crypto, Stablecoins & Digital Payments – Part II
Thu 9/17
Banking practice + First Midterm Review
Tue 9/22
First Midterm Exam
Thu 9/24
Session 5: Banking System — Part I (bank balance sheets, bank failures, the 2008 crisis)
Tue 9/29
Session 5: Banking System — Part II (SVB, deposit insurance, bank runs and systemic risk)
Thu 10/1
Session 6: Banking Regulation — Part I
Tue 10/6
Session 7: Money Creation & Fractional Reserve Banking — Part I
Thu 10/8
Session 7: Money Creation & Fractional Reserve Banking — Part II Session 8: Credit Unions & Banks in Jacksonville — Part I
Tue 10/13
Session 8: Credit Unions & Banks in Jacksonville — Part II
Thu 10/15
Session 9: Banking & Stablecoin Debates
Tue 10/20
Second Midterm Exam — In class · Sessions 5–9 · 40 True/False + 10 Multiple Choice · 2 points each
Thu 10/22
Banking Review & Practice
Tue 10/27
Banking Review & Practice
Thu 10/29
Topic to be announced
Tue 11/3
Session 15: Mortgage-Backed Securities
Thu 11/5
Session 16: Asset-Backed Securities
Tue 11/10
Session 17: Money Markets & Repo
Thu 11/12
Current Financial Market Topics
Tue 11/17
Blockchain, Bitcoin & Ethereum
Thu 11/19
Final Exam Review
Sat 11/21
Final Exam, 3:00–5:30 PM & Term Project Due
Exam Solutions & Study Guides
Fall 2026 exam information and study materials will be posted here as they become available.
A 52-minute audio study review for Sessions 5–9. Each question is read aloud, followed by its answer, from Question 1 through Question 250. No added explanations. Pause before the answer to test yourself.
What is your choice — GOLD or STOCKS?
Show your rationale. Work together in a group of
3 and be ready to explain why your group made that choice.
Part I — Money & Banking
Session 1 · The Federal Reserve
8/25
Federal Reserve history, structure, leadership, 12 Reserve Banks, Board of Governors, FOMC, dual mandate, major responsibilities, videos, and Quiz 1 study review.
Compare 100-, 50-, and 25-bps cuts, staying put, and a rate hike; trace consequences for inflation, jobs, the dollar, stocks, bonds, gold, households, retirees, and global stability. Includes the highlighted easing/tightening toolkit, QE/QT, New York Fed operations, and Quizzes 1–3.
Money versus income and wealth; M0, the monetary base, M1 and M2; bank deposits and money creation; velocity, inflation, interest-rate policy, QT, and federal debt. Includes interactive explanations, videos, homework, and 66 professor-approved questions and answers.
Session 4 · Crypto, Stablecoins & Digital Payments
9/10 & 9/15
Web3, blockchain, Bitcoin, stablecoin design and reserves, digital payments, bank-issued stablecoins, the GENIUS Act, financial risks, money and Treasury connections, and payment safety. Includes videos, hands-on activities, homework, and 50 professor-approved questions and answers.
SECOND MIDTERM MATERIAL: Sessions 5–9 · October 20 · In class
SECOND MIDTERM MATERIAL
Session 5 · Banking System & Bank Crises
9/24 & 9/29
Bank balance sheets, capital, liquidity, deposit insurance, supervision, and the lender of last resort. Case studies: the 2008 financial crisis and the failure of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB). Explore how bank runs and losses can spread through the financial system.
Why banks are regulated and how the Fed, OCC, and FDIC divide supervision. Explore U.S. banking history, Basel I–III, post-2008 Dodd-Frank reforms, the Volcker Rule, 2018 tailoring, and developments following the 2023 bank failures. Learn how capital (CET1 and risk-weighted assets) differs from liquidity (LCR and NSFR), and examine stress tests, living wills, deposit insurance, bank runs, and the GENIUS Act stablecoin framework. Includes explainer videos, an activity comparing stronger and weaker bank-risk signals, hover-or-tap definitions, interactive ratio calculators, a stress-test challenge, a quiz, and a bank-risk brief comparing risks, safety measures, and trade-offs.
Learn how loans create deposits and how banks earn income while managing risk. Compare the textbook money multiplier with modern banking: a 0% required reserve ratio does not allow unlimited lending. Explore reserve requirements, excess reserves, cash leakage, capital limits, and liquidity and stable-funding rules. Includes two video explanations, the interactive Build the Multiplier game, definitions you can hover over or tap, a detailed true/false quiz, a short homework write-up, and Ask Maggie AI.
Compare Jacksonville credit unions and banks, including VyStar, Community First, First Florida, RadiFi, and local bank alternatives. Explore member ownership, eligibility, fees, loan rates, branch/ATM access, institution size, and NCUA versus FDIC deposit insurance. Includes a review video, a 10-question true/false quiz with instant feedback, and simple homework: choose where to bank, check whether your savings are insured, and consider a hypothetical RadiFi job paying about $25 an hour.
Use evidence from the banking lessons to debate too-big-to-fail policies, stablecoins versus bank deposits, starting a bank, and responses to bank failures. Compare benefits, risks, regulation, and trade-offs; explain and defend your position.
Stablecoins for Business Owners & Investors | MBA: Strategy, Banking & Global Finance
Optional enrichment from an MBA management perspective: consider stablecoins through business strategy, banking, and global finance, with business owners and investors in mind.