# Opening Statement | Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov, UNWE | ETHSofia 2026 - Channel: [ETHSofia](https://streameth.org/ethsofia) - Date: 2026-10-06 - Duration: 05:19 - Topics: Blockchain Week Bulgaria, Dimitar Dimitrov, ETHSofia, ETHSofia 2026, Ethereum, Sofia, UNWE, University of National and World Economy, blockchain education, crypto economics, opening remarks, university and business, Science & Technology - Watch: https://streameth.org/watch/yt-6zOzZn1Q36Y - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zOzZn1Q36Y ## Description Prof. Dimitar Dimitrov, Rector of the University of National and World Economy (UNWE), officially opens ETHSofia 2026. Founded in 1920, UNWE is one of Bulgaria's largest universities: it enrolled more than 5,400 new students this year across some 40 bachelor's and 80 master's programmes, and it launched Bulgaria's first bachelor's and master's programmes in cryptoeconomics. He describes how hard it is for a classical, conservative university to open new specialities such as crypto economics, blockchain technologies and cybersecurity, and welcomes the bachelor's and master's students in the room. Calling ETHSofia the perfect place for education to meet business, he proposes a joint business academy with the university and wishes the forum success. Keynote at ETHSofia 2026, 24 September 2026, Sofia Tech Park, Sofia. Part of Blockchain Week Bulgaria 2026. Speaker ▸ Prof. Dr. Dimitar Panayotov Dimitrov, Rector, UNWE Prof. Dr. Dimitar Dimitrov is a Bulgarian economist specialising in defence and security economics. He has been the rector of the University of National and World Economy since December 2019 and was re-elected in 2023. His research interests include defence economics, critical infrastructure protection, and nuclear security, with over 100 publications he leads projects for modernising higher education and co-founded the global master's program in Nuclear Security. Chapters 00:00 UNWE: 106 years of history 01:15 Blockchain and crypto economics programmes 01:47 Where universities meet business 02:24 Opening new specialities in a classical university 03:12 Proposal: a business academy with UNWE 03:35 Closing wishes for the forum 05:03 Closing titles Blockchain Week Bulgaria: https://www.blockchainweek.bg ETHSofia: https://www.ethsofia.com Future Finance Forum: https://www.blockchainweek.bg/f3 Follow Blockchain Week Bulgaria X: https://x.com/BWBulgaria LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/blockchain-week-bulgaria Follow ETHSofia X: https://x.com/EthSofiaBG LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ethsofia Telegram: https://t.me/+b-33LJUpAB5iODNk Nothing in this video is financial advice. About the organiser Blockchain Week Bulgaria, ETHSofia and the Future Finance Forum are organised by the Bithope Foundation, founded in 2014 by Vladislav Dramaliev. Inspired by Andreas Antonopoulos, it is Europe's first non-profit operating exclusively with bitcoin donations. Over more than ten years, it has supported 50+ charitable campaigns, and in January 2016 it co-founded the Sofia Crypto Meetup, now the region's longest-running monthly crypto event. https://bithope.org ## Transcript [music] >> is yours. >> [applause] >> Thank you, Mr. Drumoliev. I'm the rector of the University of National and World Economy. This year we celebrated 106 years of our establishment, established in 1920 after the end of the First World War. And then our um state persons decided that the education is the most important for these very very poor and very bad years after the war. Our university is one of the biggest university in Bulgaria. Just this year we enrolled 5,400 and something new students in our university in economics, administration, political studies, law, journalism, and other things. But among them, among many specialties which we have in our university, we have 40 bachelor programs and maybe 80 master programs. Among them are several programs related with blockchain technologies, crypto economy. Thanks to the efforts of Department of Economics and our colleague Petkan Iliev. I am not able to see him in the in the room. But anyway, there are many activities related to this. And this forum, as I was here last year also at the opening ceremony, is the perfect place to meet the education, the universities with the real business. Our university has a long history, about 150 ministers and 12 prime ministers graduated in the University of National World Economy, but also we have a lot long list of successful business people who graduated in the university started from from many years. We uh published several books about this. But anyway, our policy, our tradition is to meet with the practical people, with the people from the business. And this is very interesting forum. Uh you know, university professors in economics are very conservative, very how to say, >> [laughter] >> looking at the uh higher, but need for such new specialties. It's very difficult to open new specialty in the very classical traditional university and to say this is the new things and we will study crypto economics or blockchain technologies or cybersecurity in this field. But as the bubbles in the business, these specialties arise and we are happy with that because we have a big interest to this. Several students from our bachelor master students also are in the room. So we are happy again with this and I would propose to have a uh ETH Business Academy with our university, which is successful model for um giving additional knowledge to the uh new people, young people, which maybe are in different specialties, more traditional, but I also would would would like to know more about these new things. Before the event, I was warned uh to be more official, not to say good morning, present and future millionaires, but anyway, it's [laughter] uh maybe it's a reality. And I hope that this successful uh relations with the university and the business will continue continue in the future. Last year I stayed more this event and I was amazed not I was not able to understand everything because this not not my field of interest but anyway I saw many enthusiastic people many people who would like to go further to work together and ready to do these things and also I saw successful people, successful companies and maybe when there was more statistics about the this forum the interest will be higher than the previous years. So I would like you I would like to wish you success to this forum. I would like to continue our cooperation with ETH and our university is the place where business could meet the education. Thank you for your attention. >> [applause] [music]