Best Defi Courses Online 2025
17 Best DeFi courses online for beginners. Become a DeFi investor.

DeFi, or Decentralized Finance, is a rapidly scaling part of the crypto finance system. It allows individuals to conduct automated peer-to-peer transactions, eliminating the need for an intermediary. Given DeFi’s potential to address most of the flaws in traditional banking, more individuals are switching to maximize profit and derive passive income from crypto.
However, many are still unsure of DeFi’s workings. Luckily, several online courses teach beginners to advanced levels of information. Below is a list of the best DeFi courses online for beginners looking to break into the decentralized market.
Overview
Since Bitcoin emerged in 2009, other blockchains and their respective crypto assets have surfaced. Popular amongst these has been the Ethereum blockchain that uses its asset Ether to host automated contracts with pre-defined protocols.
These are known as smart contracts and have proved consequential in paving the way for the growth of the DeFi ecosystem. Other popular blockchains now include Hyperledger Fabric, R3 Corda, Ripple, Solana, Terra, Avalanche, Curve Finance, and many more.
DeFi means running financial apps on the blockchain. Unlike CeFi (Centralized Finance), which uses private records, DeFi stores records on-chain. Stablecoins are key, enabling efficient transactions at multiple points without constant conversion to fiat money ($, €).
However, individuals must understand DeFi risks. For instance, smart contracts depend on liquidity pools—token pools that enhance trading by improving liquidity, meaning the ease of swapping tokens or converting them to fiat money.
While there are rewards (yield farming, liquidity mining) for liquidity providers by providing their tokens to pools, there are risks of impermanent loss, smart contract bugs, and scams. These will resurface in greater detail below.
Best DeFi Courses Online 2025
Coursera DeFi | Udemy DeFi | RocketFuel |
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DeFi Specialization | DeFi Investment | Master DeFi |
$59/month | from $11.99 | $59/month |
★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★☆ |
View Course | View Course | View Course |
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. Read the full disclosure at the end of this post.
Note: Decentralized finance is an emerging technology. Markets are volatile. The following list of DeFi courses is not meant to encourage you to become an investor. It aims to suggest educational resources to gain basic knowledge in this field.
1. Certified DeFi Expert – Blockchain Council

This five-module DeFi course for beginners (visit website) takes learners from the fundamentals of DeFi and gradually builds on the existing knowledge about the processes and tools involved. By the end, you will have the skills to trade and prosper in the newly emerging landscape of decentralized finance or DeFi.
Following the introductory module, learners will cover the basics, including blockchain, Ethereum, smart contracts, decentralized apps, and DAO or decentralized autonomous organizations. Introduction to DeFi Technology then teaches about the key metrics in DeFi.
The fourth module, DeFi: Use Cases, covers integral concepts such as stablecoins, lending and borrowing, trading on Dexes and liquidity, synthetic assets (derivatives), prediction markets, staking, asset management, wallets, and other related topics.
You will finish the program with a deep dive into the risks involved in DeFi and the measures you can take to deal with these for more informed decision-making. This is one of the best DeFi courses online for finance professionals and ambitious investors.
Provider: Blockchain Council | For: Beginners | Certificate: Yes
Time: 5 hours | Exam: Online | Skills: Get trading skills in DeFi space
Info: View course. $229. Self-paced class. Browse all classes.
2. DeFi Skill Path – 101 Blockchains

The DeFi Skill Path by 101 Blockchains (visit website) is a comprehensive program for DeFi beginners. It contains 20 hours of content and seven DeFi courses with over 200 lessons to teach you the ropes of decentralized finance and the goal of becoming a literate actor. The educational materials and lectures are all conducted by experts.
You will start your journey with the essentials of blockchain technology before moving on to more advanced topics like security fundamentals, tokenization, NFTs, and central bank digital currency concepts. At the intermediate level, students learn about DeFi use cases and architect solutions and gain an understanding of Defi protocols and their benefits.
The last module is about security threats in DeFi projects and teaches best risk mitigation practices. With an equal blend of theory and practice, this is among the best DeFi education for beginners who want to take their first but firm steps in DeFi.
Provider: 101 Blockchains | For: Beginners | Certificate: Yes
Price: $25/month. Access to all courses. For membership plans, look here.
Info: View course page. Browse category with all related courses.
3. Decentralized Finance (DeFi): The Future of Finance – Coursera

Coursera’s Decentralized Finance course specialization (visit website) aims to help individuals understand the fast-evolving DeFi infrastructure. It will also equip them with the tools and means to vet potentially successful opportunities amid possible failures.
By the end of this intermediate-level specialization, you will understand the DeFi space and the leading applications involved in a successful career route. Learners will acquaint themselves with the history and origins of DeFi, the key components involved in its infrastructure, and the problems this architecture is designed to resolve.
After a lesson on the origins of DeFi, learners will move on to DeFi primitives that deal with supply, ownership, loans, and swaps. Next follows DeFi Deep Dive, covering the leading protocols, including Aave, Uniswap, MakerDAO, Compound, and dYdX.
DeFi Risks and Opportunities will cover the core risks involved in this industry. This includes smart contract risk, governance risk, scaling, and regulations.
Provider: Duke University, Coursera
Pricing: Free trial. $59/month Coursera Plus
Info: View course. Browse: Search all related courses on Coursera.
4. DeFi Course – How to Invest in the Best – Udemy

This is Udemy’s popular DeFi investing course (visit website). It will help learners gain practical experience in DeFi investing and analysis. Before taking this class, students should acquire a basic knowledge of cryptocurrencies, understand their risks, and possess the financial means to invest in DeFi.
By the end, you will have developed an understanding of identifying long-term DeFi investments, the associated risks, and ways to recognize digital currencies that meet the “risk profile.” Eventually, the class will discuss the advantages and pitfalls of yield farming. It will explain how to set up a wallet for liquidity mining and help learners invest in DeFi using Uniswap and decentralized exchanges.
Finally, enrolling in the program will help you familiarize yourselves with the tools needed to identify precisely where institutional money travels in DeFi. This is among the best DeFi online courses for those seeking a compact class with an affordable one-time budget.
Instructor: Suppoman, Udemy | Level: Advanced beginners, Intermediates
Lectures: 13 | Video: 1.5 hours
Price: View course. From $19.99. Browse category DeFi on Udemy.
5. Introduction to DeFi – Decentralized Finance Course – 101 Blockchains

101 Blockchains (visit website) offers this best DeFi course to individuals who wish to confidently explain the internal workings of the DeFi landscape to their clients and colleagues. It also targets those who need to understand the scope and purpose of DeFi and learners who wish to propel their expertise to advanced levels.
The beginner-friendly program will teach you the building blocks of the DeFi architecture, its internal workings, and the risks involved. In the first module, What is DeFi, you will cover the basic taxonomy to help understand the infrastructure.
Participants will then dive deeper into the issues resolved by decentralized finance and the applications that make up its ecosystem. The fourth module, DeFi Use Cases, will grant you an understanding of trading in DeFi without necessarily becoming a trader.
Finally, DeFi Risks will cover the potential risks involved in the industry so you may have a mature understanding of the space even before practically diving into it. This could be an excellent option for professionals looking to enter DeFi markets.
Provider: 101 Blockchains | For: Professionals | Certificate: Yes
Info: View course page. Up to 50% off. View pricing. Browse all related courses.
6. DeFi Course Beginners – Moralis Academy

DeFi expert Josh Cross takes students on a comprehensive journey to learn the key concepts from scratch and deeply explore the digital landscape. The Master DeFi Course Beginners (visit website) divides its core topics into five large modules: What is DeFi, DeFi Risks, Token Utility & Distribution, MetaMask, and DEX Deep Dive.
In the first module, you will cover the essentials of DeFi, including its DeFinition, benefits, and drawbacks; its comparison to CeFi and Fintech; its history; and the DeFi financial stack. From here, you will advance to risks in DeFi and personal security.
The MetaMask modules consist of two tutorials, three sections related to the DEX Deep Dive, the Uniswap tutorial, and a deeper exploration of the money market. A subscription provides complete access to all the online classes Moralis Academy has in its catalog.
Provider: Moralis Academy | For: Beginners | Instructor: Josh Cross
Skills: DeFi, Fintech, Web3 | Info: From $22/month.
7. DeFi Course Advanced – Moralis Academy

The Advanced DeFi course follows the beginner class described above. In this advanced-level course, you will cover all the essentials, from DeFi hedge funds to arbitrage and flash loans. Along the way, individuals will also learn about leveraging flash loans and taking advantage of the opportunities in DeFi.
After the introduction, learners will encounter subsequent lessons that cover the state of DeFi, blockchain-based financial markets, real-world blockchain assets, hedge funds, etc. You will begin with the DeFi ecosystem to learn about the decentralized finance stack and ways to get real-world assets on the blockchain.
From here, learners will learn about the concept of hedge funds, where the class will disclose related topics of interest rate swaps, yield hacking, and arbitrage flash loans. If you consider going with Moralis Academy, both classes are great choices for becoming literate in decentralized finance investments.
Provider: Moralis Academy | Level: Intermediate | Instructor: Amadeo Brands
Skills: DeFi markets, Web3 | Info: From $22/month.
8. DeFi Courses Online – DeFi Academy

DeFi Academy offers professional online courses that help individuals learn how to design and create decentralized finance platforms on the Ethereum blockchain. These self-paced courses cover stablecoins, decentralized lending, and prediction markets and introduce you to tokens, smart contracts, and derivatives.
Students may enroll in these DeFi classes in various orders that build upon existing knowledge. Each one will take you from the fundamentals to the more advanced concepts in the respective areas. You can begin with design considerations while creating stablecoins and move on to creating a decentralized lending platform.
Upon enrolling in Prediction Markets, you will learn how these work and even design your prediction markets platform. Next, you can learn about derivatives, why and how these financial instruments work, and how to create a derivative platform.
Provider: DeFi Academy | For: Beginners
Price: Free classes. Premium classes from $119.
9. Free DeFi Courses – DeFi Steps

DeFi Steps is an online platform to help learners acquire a step-by-step understanding of DeFi and profit from this financial revolution. They are offering up to five free DeFi courses, with more coming up.
The first course on the platform is Terra Fundamental. You can kick start your DeFi journey by enrolling in this 6-week introductory program that covers the DeFi ecosystem, the Terra blockchain, and other related concepts such as Terra Luna, Terra Staking, etc.
DeFi for Beginners is another comprehensive class for beginners. Key concepts covered here include understanding the decentralized finance landscape, On-Ramps and Wallets, DeFi tools, Stablecoins, liquidity pools, liquidity mining or yield farming, and impermanent loss. By the end, you will have brought your skillset in DeFi to a confident level.
Mirror Finance and Anchor Protocol are two other intermediate-level courses on the platform. The former deals with trading synthetic real-world assets on the Terra blockchain. Upon enrolling in the latter, you will familiarize yourselves with the workings of Anchor: a saving and borrowing protocol offering high yields.
Provider: DeFi Steps | Level: Beginners, Intermediates
Info: Free DeFi classes. View website.
Reading tip: Web3 is evolving fast. Consider our lists of cryptocurrency courses or NFT courses online, or Coursera courses, or Udacity nanodegrees or Fintech courses for diving deeper into popular Web3 topics and technologies.
10. RocketFuel Crypto – DeFi

RocketFuel Crypto is a program by Jeff Wand and Robert Kiyosaki (Rich Dad, Poor Dad) that will teach individuals DeFi investing and trading strategies. You will understand the transformative potential of Web3 finance applications. This also includes research strategies and risk management.
RocketFuel educates learners via a “read-invest-multiply” model. In the first step, the program will help learners read the market. Next comes the understanding of when to invest. Finally, the program will cover the strategies to mitigate investment risks.
Suitable for beginners and intermediates, the class covers all essential blockchain, crypto, and the DeFi system concepts. The DeFi investing series aims to help learners read the market and how trading differs from investing. There are weekly videos and a monthly newsletter covering the latest trends, developments, and ideas in DeFi.
You will finish with interviews from industry experts and step-by-step tutorials that walk you through popular applications and protocols. Due to its ongoing teaching covering the latest trends through videos, newsletters, and a thriving Telegram group, this is a good option for beginners and experienced investors. But also pricey.
Tutor: Jeff Wang. RocketFuel | Level: All
Content: Video tutorials, Analysis, Premium support, Video subtitles
Price: from $59/month.
11. Tokenization Fundamentals – 101 Blockchains

Tokenization Fundamentals (visit website) is primarily designed to cover asset-backed digital securities and how they transform finance.
It is an intermediate-level program for professionals who wish to secure a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of tokenization, its practical implications, the regulatory precedents of existing tokenization projects, and the underlying capital market.
There are eight modules, additional resources, and a final exam. You will begin with an introduction to blockchain before moving on to smart contracts, their applications in the industry, and tokenization.
The next series of modules will cover related concepts of alternative finance, models of tokenization, and types of tokens. In the final two modules students encounter the taxation and regulatory considerations within tokenization before finishing off with the different types of assets.
Provider: 101 Blockchains | For: Professionals | Certificate: Yes
Info: View course page. Up to 50% off. View pricing. Browse all DeFi online courses.
12. FinTech 360: From AI to Digital Assets – CFTE

CFTE’s FinTech 360 (visit website) is for learners curious to get a comprehensive intro to the dynamic interaction of Fintech, AI, and decentralized finance. Upon enrolling in this 6-week DeFi online course, you will pick up key skills in both Fintech and DeFi and improve your career opportunities in finance.
Your introductory journey will begin with a series of modules on the rise of this transformative phenomenon, along with an understanding of the Fintech innovation and its key players in the industry. In the subsequent weeks, you will pick up key skills in open banking, “payments”, and RegTech.
Finally, the DeFi course will introduce learners to DeFi and provide an overview of this emerging trend. Following the overview, you will learn about the building blocks of the blockchain infrastructure, crypto, NFTs, and ripple case studies.
Provider: CFTE – Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship
Level: Beginners | Duration: 6 weeks | Topics: Fintech, Web3, DeFi
Info: View course. £480. Installments available.
13. Zero to DeFi – Little Might

Zero to DeFi is a beginner-level crash course designed for learners curious about DeFi who have no idea where to begin. By the end of this DeFi course, you will have covered most of the essentials that can lead one to derive passive income from crypto.
This course provides three sections, taking learners from the basics to the essentials and, finally, the advanced concepts via short lessons. The first section, titled Foundation, sheds light on introductory concepts in DeFi, including Stablecoins, breaking down a DEX, liquidity pooling, wallets and security, and intro to impermanent loss.
In the second section, Essentials, you will learn how to set up your wallet and send out funds. Individuals will also acquaint themselves with swap tokens on decentralized apps, understand the Ethereum gas, and learn about using the DeFi protocols.
The Advanced module deals with the ecosystem outside Ethereum, creating liquidity pools, sidechains, self-paying loans, yield farming, impermanent loss, crypto, taxes, leveraging opportunities smartly, etc. By the end, you should be able to assess the risks, awards, and opportunities in DeFi.
Provider: Little Might | Level: Beginners | Price: $997
14. DeFi MasterClass – Maven

The DeFi MasterClass is suitable for investors, analysts, and fund managers stemming from a background in traditional finance. It will also benefit beginners hoping to advance their understanding of decentralized finance. If you aim to make passive income from DeFi and digital currencies, this could be an excellent class for you, too.
Upon enrolling in this DeFi course, you will learn about the key concepts of DeFi and the blockchain. Learners will begin with the basics of Ethereum and its significance and develop their understanding of decentralization, trading, staking, yield farming, and depositing, borrowing, and lending DeFi assets on the blockchain.
Along the way, you can acquaint yourselves with other blockchains such as Polkadot, Cosmos, Solana, etc. Coming out of the class, you will have developed a solid understanding of the DeFi space and the risks involved, as well as the ability to distill the ideas dictating the future of Ethereum, NFTs, and API3.
Provider: Maven | For: Investors, Professionals | Certificate: Yes
Instructors: Anand Iyer, Kedric Van de Carr | Duration: 4 weeks
15. Intro to Decentralized Finance DeFi – Free MOOC, UNIC

This open DeFi online course is designed to help learners understand how blockchain-based DeFi disrupts the financial landscape and services. UNIC also issues academic certificates as NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens).
This program allows students to dive deeply into the DeFi basics and essentials: automated market makers, liquidity mining, yield farming, stablecoins, or digital currencies. Before enrolling, however, students must have a beginner-level understanding of the blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and Ethereum-based smart contracts.
Students will also learn to demystify the layer-1 protocols enabling DeFi, including Solana, Ethereum, and Binance Smart Chain. An important part would be identifying how decentralized exchanges and their respective essentials differ from traditional finance.
By the end, you should be able to explain how decentralized finance is making waves in the industry by innovating governance, credit, and interest-bearing instruments.
Provider: UNIC MOOC | For: Beginners | Price: Free
16. Decentralized Finance Courses – Shrimpy Academy

Shrimpy Academy offers a series of DeFi lessons as part of the academy’s beginner’s guide to decentralized finance. The various lectures deal with DeFi essentials, the DeFi glossary, or the role of blockchain in DeFi. They also cover automated market makers, liquidity mining, yield farming, flash loans, wrapped tokens, and governance tokens.
Each topic above is dealt with in a series of separate lessons. Upon completing the lessons, you will have learned the essentials of decentralized finance and its role in today’s transformative landscape.
You will be able to pinpoint precisely the reasons that render DeFi into something more than a fad and accustom yourself to the most pertinent terminologies in the industry. Shrimpy Academy allows students to connect their first exchange account with their platform and deploy an efficient investment strategy.
Provider: Shrimpy Academy | Level: Beginners | Topics: Mining, pools. farming
17. DeFi Pro – Decentralized Finance Course – tech3

DeFi Pro is both a community and a platform for their online DeFi course. This class aims to help learners master the art of decentralized finance and materialize a passive income from Web3 applications. It is designed for investors and individuals curious to break into the DeFi industry, hoping to drive a passive income from it.
Upon enrolling in the course, learners will acquaint themselves with several key concepts in decentralized finance. You will learn why lending is the “gateway drug to DeFi” and how to mine liquidity and yield farm for income.
Students will also encounter the best apps in DeFi, the optimum strategies to increase the rate, the risks involved, and the various ways to mitigate these, e.g., securing your wallets or avoiding scams. By the end, you should know how to stay a step ahead of your peers with next-level strategies in DeFi.
Provider: tech3 | For: Beginners | Price: $97
Overview of DeFi Risks

The increasing accessibility and financial transparency of DeFi have made it a popular alternative to traditional finance and FinTech. However, its emergence has come with its own set of challenges. Here are some common risks that you must keep an eye out for.
Technical Risks: These are related to hardware and software issues. Hardware risks include sensitivity arising from problems of humidity, dust, and degradation; power issues; and incompatibility, which involves a delay in the transaction speeds.
Also, since smart contracts are automated, bugs or hacker interventions in the form of DDoS can permanently dissipate the value of the coins.
Financial Risks: The most common type of financial risk is impermanent loss. This refers to a decline in the token’s value a provider deposits to a pool over time. The more significant the change in the value, the bigger the loss.
Scams and Hackers: Several entry points in the DeFi ecosystem are vulnerable to phishing attacks that lure unsuspecting victims into sharing sensitive information. Other attacks include spear phishing, baiting, pretexting, SIM-swapping, and tailgating.
Spear phishing can threaten entire enterprises after finding a breach. Baiting refers to web page infection by motivating victims to act in a particular way. Pretexting and SIM-swapping are similar in that hackers pretend to either be a DeFi representative or a DeFi user to squeeze out sensitive information.
Tailgating is another risk in DeFi, where personages in superior positions are targeted to disclose real-world locations. The dominant risks in DeFi make it imperative for veteran and novice users to increase their financial literacy to the maximum by paying heed to recommendations and best practices. DeFi courses should cover risks in great detail.
How to Choose the Right DeFi Online Course?

While DeFi may still be an esoteric concept for the mainstream masses, those who understand this industry know that decentralized finance may be the second-greatest revolution since the internet. Individuals who recognize the potential of DeFi and wish to capitalize on this growing trend will have to first decide on the DeFi training.
The DeFi courses listed above are not exhaustive but form a comprehensive suite of your best options. Before opting for any program, it’s worth setting out your objectives and goals for the future. Your reasons for expanding into the DeFi industry should dictate the best fit for you. Ask yourself the following questions:
What’s my skill level? An entry-level job in the DeFi domain would require a strong computer science and IT foundation. Make sure you meet the prerequisites before enrolling.
What are your plans for the future in DeFi? Your choice may vary depending on your career goals. Are you a developer wishing to transition to DeFi? Do you hope to kick start a passive income from cryptocurrencies? Or, are you curious to learn what the rage is about?
Are your resources compatible with the course demands? Before opting for a course, ensure that the class demands do not infringe on your time, finances, willpower, etc. Some classes are one-time purchases, while others are subscription-based.
DeFi Courses Online – Summary

The listicle above features popular DeFi online courses, specializations, and programs tailored to individuals with varying financial literacy needs.
Many potential nominees on the list can vie for the “best DeFi course” position. One thing these classes have in common is that they offer a comprehensive suite of core topics. They cover the basics and intermediate-level essentials in DeFi and dive deep into the risk-and-reward aspect of this financial technology.
Best DeFi Courses Online for Beginners 2025
- Certified DeFi Expert – Blockchain Council
- Decentralized Finance (DeFi): The Future of Finance – Coursera
- DeFi Skill Path – 101 Blockchains
- DeFi Course – How to Invest in the Best – Udemy
- Introduction to DeFi – Decentralized Finance Course – 101 Blockchains
- DeFi Course Beginners – Moralis Academy
- DeFi Course Advanced – Moralis Academy
- Tokenization Fundamentals – 101 Blockchains
- Free DeFi Courses – DeFi Steps
- DeFi Academy
- FinTech 360: From AI to Digital Assets – CFTE
- RocketFuel – DeFi
- Decentralized Finance – The Future of Banking – FutureLearn
- Zero to DeFi – Little Might
- DeFi MasterClass – Maven
- Introduction to Decentralized Finance DeFi – Free MOOC, UNIC
- Decentralized Finance Courses – Shrimpy Academy
- DeFi Pro – Decentralized Finance Course – tech3
Other DeFi Online Courses
- DeFi Coach
- Decentralized Finance Course and Training by Blue Swan Academy
- Web 3.0 and DeFi Investment Course – The Wealth Alchemist
Free DeFi Courses Online
DeFi Learning Resources
- Zero to DeFi – A Beginner’s Guuide – DeFi Pulse
- What is Yield Farming – Guide – CoinDesk
- Beginner’s Guide To Decentralized Finance (DeFi) – Decrypt
Something missing? This growing list of online DeFi courses is not meant to cover all available resources. Please submit or suggest alternative resources that should be covered here. Thanks for your feedback.
Sources: Common DeFi risks – 1 | What is a stablecoin? – 2
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