About Us
The Digital Gold Institute is the leading crypto research center in Europe. Founded in 2018 by professionals from the academic and banking world, the institute fosters the integration of digital assets into traditional finance through research, training, and executive consulting.
History
Founded in 2018, the Digital Gold Institute (DGI) is the leading European think tank dedicated to the crypto world. Its commitment, focused on research and development activities in the sector, takes the form of providing specialized services for financial institutions and private investors.
In 2019, driven by DGI’s initiative, CheckSig was born — one of the leading crypto intermediaries in Italy, specializing in solutions for private investors, businesses, and financial institutions. In 2021, the Digital Gold Institute was acquired by CheckSig, with which it collaborates to provide specialized forensics and taxation services.
Together with the University of Milano-Bicocca, the Digital Gold Institute is a founding member of the Crypto Asset Lab, an academically-driven research center dedicated to the analysis of the crypto world. Every year, in collaboration with the European Commission (Directorate-General Joint Research Centre), the Crypto Asset Lab Conference takes place — the leading European event in the sector, bringing together academia and industry.
Origin of the Name
The Digital Gold Institute draws inspiration for its name from the most representative asset of the sector it studies: Bitcoin. Described as the first and only successful attempt at “digital gold,” Bitcoin shares numerous characteristics with the precious metal: limited supply, absence of a central authority, global adoption, and energy expenditure as an underlying guarantee. Gold has shaped the history of finance and currency for centuries, and Bitcoin is progressively assuming a similar role in the contemporary economy, establishing itself as a reserve asset.
Vision & Mission
Vision
Bitcoin and blockchain technology represent among the most disruptive innovations of recent decades, finding full application in the financial sector. They offer new investment opportunities and open spaces for innovation capable of redefining the boundaries of finance and monetary engineering. Topics such as digital asset custody, stablecoins, and the use of Bitcoin as a global reserve asset introduce dynamics capable of profoundly transforming the sector.
Mission
The Digital Gold Institute provides specialized and interdisciplinary expertise to support the evolution of the crypto sector, promoting solutions designed specifically for financial institutions. Thanks to the banking experience of its professionals and its strong technological vocation, DGI accompanies institutions by offering holistic support, from strategy definition to the technical implementation of solutions.
Team
Ferdinando Ametrano
Founder, Scientific Director
Paolo Mazzocchi
Executive Director
Michele Mandelli
Managing Partner
Ferdinando Ametrano
Founder, Scientific Director
In 2019, he co-founded CheckSig with Paolo Mazzocchi, serving as CEO — one of Italy's leading intermediaries specializing in solutions for private investors, businesses, and financial institutions.
A passionate programmer, Ferdinando is among the co-authors of QuantLib, one of the most widely used open-source libraries in quantitative finance.
Ferdinando teaches courses on Bitcoin and Blockchain at several European universities, including the Università degli Studi di Milano – Bicocca and ESSEC Business School.
Paolo Mazzocchi
Executive Director
In 2019, he co-founded CheckSig with Ferdinando Ametrano — one of Italy's leading intermediaries specializing in solutions for private investors, businesses, and financial institutions.
Paolo is a teaching assistant for courses on interest rate derivatives and blockchain at the Università degli Studi di Milano – Bicocca. With CheckSig, he continues the journey begun at the Digital Gold Institute, leveraging his technical and academic experience to deliver accessible and transparent crypto services.
Michele Mandelli
Managing Partner
Since 2021, he has been Managing Partner at CheckSig, where he leads corporate and business development initiatives for CheckSig Clear, contributing to the growth of the company's commercial operations.
Michele is active in the startup ecosystem, serving on the boards of companies across various sectors and collaborating with universities and media on topics related to Bitcoin and financial innovation.