The Islamic Economics Undergraduate Program, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universitas Airlangga (EKIS FEB UNAIR) held a guest lecture on Web 3.0, Metaverse, and Cryptocurrency. With the theme "WEB 3.0: The Opportunity of Islamic Economics in Higher Education," the EKIS FEB UNAIR Undergraduate Program attempted to bridge the development of this issue and then connect it with the perspective of Islamic Economics. Going all out, the EKIS FEB UNAIR Undergraduate Program deliberately invited an expert from Japan, Kazu Harashima, as Co-Founder of the Ethereum Staking Committee. They also invited Khrisna Adityangga, Founder of Oorth Indonesia and CEO of the digital marketing agency startup Skynosoft

Mr. Kazu opened the guest lecture by explaining the definition and history of Web 3.0 technology, including the development of blockchain, metaverse, and cryptocurrency. He also strongly encouraged audience members interested in entrepreneurship to learn more about this technology, given its vast potential. Kaszu stated, "Data will be interconnected in a decentralized way, which would be a huge leap forward compared to our current generation of the internet (Web 2.0), where data is mostly stored in centralized repositories."

Mr. Khrisna then continued the topic of Web 3.0 developments by inviting the audience to examine its development in Indonesia from an Islamic economic perspective. He emphasized that Islam strongly prioritizes innovation, provided it is well-versed in Islamic law. However, technological advancements, often exploited by certain parties, often lead Muslims to justify various forms of innovation as inherently bad. In fact, many aspects of Islamic economics can be supported through Web 3.0 technological developments, such as minimizing gharar transactions, increasing security and privacy for users, and promoting humanism.

As a result, because it raised a unique and widely discussed topic in the community, this webinar managed to attract more than 200 participants who came not only from EKIS FEB UNAIR students but also alumni and students from other universities. 

At the end of the event, the guest lecture concluded with tips for entering the world in the era of metaverse development, specifically the Islamic finance and banking industry. This was delivered by Kindy Miftah, Assistant Vice President for Business Analysis and Islamic Retail Banking at Maybank Syariah. He offered several suggestions for careers in this industry, particularly digital banking as a result of the metaverse era. He suggested developing soft and hard skills in areas with long-lasting potential, such as development and IT.

(Guest Lecture: "WEB 3.0: The Opportunity of Islamic Economics in Higher Education")

Previously, the EKIS FEB UNAIR Undergraduate Study Program had conducted study program socialization through the Virtual Expo Sharia Economics (VESCO), for high school students and equivalent, which has entered its fourth series this year. Students from various schools and regions attended to listen to presentations from EKIS FEB UNAIR undergraduate students as well as presentations from the Study Program Coordinator and Head of the Sharia Economics Department. The webinar session then continued with a quiz session to conclude the sharing session.

(Virtual Expo Sharia Economics Series 4)

The EKIS FEB UNAIR undergraduate program regularly hosts engaging and beneficial activities for its students. In addition to these activities, there are various flagship programs, such as the student mobility program, which provides students with opportunities to enjoy learning experiences with Ekis undergraduate program partners abroad, such as in Malaysia, Turkey, Morocco, and many more. 

As a result, many students have achieved international recognition, such as Best Paper at an international conference in Malaysia and Best Participant at a Summer School held in Morocco. Alumni also span various sectors, aligning with their graduate profiles, including Islamic Financial and Economic Analysts, Islamic Business Pioneers, and Islamic Social Economic and Financial Planners. Some work in government institutions, the private sector, national and multinational companies, and are entrepreneurs.

Therefore, the EKIS FEB UNAIR Undergraduate Study Program has succeeded in receiving many awards, both at the local level, namely as the Best Undergraduate Study Program at FEB UNAIR in 2021 and the Top Five at UNAIR in 2021. Meanwhile, at the national level, the EKIS FEB UNAIR Undergraduate Study Program has succeeded in receiving an award as a leading campus in Sharia Economic Development by the Indonesian Islamic Economists Association in 2017. Furthermore, the EKIS FEB UNAIR Undergraduate Study Program will continue and improve international program activities by collaborating with several partners such as in Türkiye, the UK, Malaysia, and Brunei Darussalam.