Digital SocietyFoundation
Menu

Specialist course

Custody, Transfers and Operational Risk

For managers and specialists in operations, information security and risk management at crypto-asset service providers. You will design controls for access to client assets, reconcile balances and make decisions when transfers are delayed or a service is disrupted.

Curriculum

  1. Month 1

    Custody and Access Control

    You will examine in-house and third-party custody, key management and segregation of duties. You will determine who can initiate, approve and execute an operation and how access is restored after an incident. In a contract-based case study, you will determine how client assets are segregated from the provider's own assets, how they are returned to the client and when the provider is liable for a loss.

  2. Month 2

    Transfers and Balance Reconciliation

    You will trace a transfer from the instruction through blockchain confirmation to its entry in the internal register. You will reconcile the register against blockchain data and the custodian's report. You will review the transfer agreement to determine the parties' obligations and responsibilities when a transfer is delayed or fails to execute.

  3. Month 3

    Third-Party Providers and Incident Response

    You will assess the risk associated with a critical provider and decide how to monitor its performance. In a DORA simulation, you will classify an incident, justify whether the competent authority must be notified and carry out a recovery test. You will define the criteria for deciding whether the service can safely resume.

Practical work, examination and certificate

A third-party custodian delays outgoing transfers, and its report does not match the internal register. You will defend a written decision on restricting operations, verifying the segregation of client assets and returning them on request. You will explain who is liable for a delayed transfer or an identified loss. We also assess the incident classification, the notification decision and the results of the recovery test.

At the end of the course, you will take an examination to assess what you have learned. If you pass, you will receive a certificate with a supplement setting out the training hours, the assessment format and your result for each competency assessed.