New era of education: the first virtual graduation of students in the metaverse

For the first time in Ukraine, a graduation ceremony took place in the metaverse. NFT certificates, issued on the Whitechain blockchain, were received by graduates of the educational program "Blockchain Technologies" from Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and WhiteBIT.

The collaboration of fintech, education, and AI opens up new learning formats — this is precisely how true innovations are born. An example of this trend is the master's certificate program for IT faculty students "Blockchain Technologies" from WhiteBIT and NaUKMA, which launched back in 2023.

In 2025, the second cohort of students completed it, having studied cryptography, DeFi, smart contract development, and technical tools for regulating the crypto market over several months.

"The synergy between Mohyla's academic approach and WhiteBIT's practical experience is truly impressive. Without real-world experience, blockchain would remain just a complex idea for me," says Oleksandr, a program graduate. The graduation ceremony for the program participants took place in the virtual space by Lezo on the Spatial platform — a Ukrainian metaverse where students met their instructors and received tokenized certificates in NFT format. This is a unique digital asset, secured on the Whitechain blockchain. Such a diploma cannot be forged or transferred to another person, and its authenticity can be verified directly through the blockchain.

This case demonstrates how Web3 solutions can be effectively implemented in real industries — particularly in education. "This program for us is not just about learning. It is an example of how blockchain solutions are transforming traditional institutions. And we certainly won't stop there," notes Volodymyr Nosov, founder and president of WhiteBIT Group.

The idea of combining academic education and fintech is also supported by the Academy itself: "This certificate program is important for us because blockchain involves complex technologies and innovative solutions. It is an important and challenging field where research can still be conducted and interesting new products created. And WhiteBIT knows how to make quality products and develop those skills in students that they will need in building their careers," comments Andriy Hlybovets, Dean of the Faculty of Informatics at NaUKMA.

The "Blockchain Technologies" program became an example of innovative cooperation between a university and a fintech company. And the graduation itself is proof of how Ukraine is creating new educational formats at the intersection of classical higher education, blockchain, and the metaverse.