- CDCI
- DoD COOL
- Missouri DHE
- POST Approved for CLEE
- NICCS aligned
Certified Digital Currency Investigator (CDCI)
Investigate Digital-Currency Activity with Structure, Context, and Defensible Methods.
The Certified Digital Currency Investigator program prepares investigators, analysts, and financial-crime professionals to understand blockchain activity, trace transactions, evaluate wallets and addresses, identify suspicious financial patterns, and document digital-currency investigations.
- 50
- Hours
- 50
- CPE credits
- Lifetime
- Access
- 1 Year
- Exam License
- FBI
- DHS
- FedEx
- Citi
- Mossberg
- DEA
- DoD
- 3-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- Full Lifetime Access
- 1 Year Exam License
- Official Study Manual
- Official Online Training
- Official Prep Review Quizzes
or pay over time with Affirm · Sezzle
Military / Gov COOL and TA eligible
Digital-currency activity can appear transparent on the blockchain while remaining difficult to interpret in an investigation.
Transactions may move across wallets, exchanges, tokens, anonymization services, and multiple platforms. Investigators must understand how digital currencies function, follow the movement of funds, recognize suspicious patterns, distinguish evidence from inference, and document findings without overstating what transaction data alone can establish. CDCI is designed for professionals who need a practical framework for understanding, tracing, analyzing, and reporting digital-currency activity within fraud, financial-crime, cybercrime, and investigative matters.
Transaction relationships are missed when addresses, wallets, exchanges, and platforms are examined independently.
Findings lose credibility when attribution, assumptions, transaction paths, and analytical limitations are not documented.
Investigations stall when digital-currency activity is not connected to financial behavior, criminal indicators, evidence, and legal process.
CDCI provides a structured foundation in blockchain technology, digital currencies, transaction tracing, wallet analysis, investigative methodology, laundering indicators, legal considerations, and professional case documentation.
What sets this program apart
Investigation Before Investment
Focuses on digital-currency investigations, financial activity, evidence, and case development—not cryptocurrency trading, market speculation, or portfolio strategy.
Foundations Through Case Development
Progresses from blockchain, encryption, wallets, and transactions into investigative methodologies, financial trails, criminal indicators, asset seizure, and case-file preparation.
Financial-Crime and AML Context
Connects digital-currency activity with money-laundering typologies, suspicious financial behavior, compliance considerations, and investigative reporting.
Professional Certification Assessment
Certification requires completion of the applicable training, eligibility, assessment, and proctored examination requirements. Access to the program alone does not result in certification.
Choose your enrollment path
Self-pay, military/government funding, or employer sponsorship — we'll take you to the right option.
A board-issued credential, recognized where it counts
- DoD COOL
- Missouri DHE
- POST Approved for CLEE
- NICCS aligned
Board certification programs: Students must submit all course quizzes, score 70% or better on all sections of the course and obtain a 70% or better on the final online examination, and submit proof eligibility up completion of your exam application. All fees must be paid in full. Upon successful completion of your program, the McAfee Institute will issue your board certification. Students who successfully complete the program before meeting the eligibility will be put into a holding pattern until the eligibility is met at which time the credentials will be issued.
Completion of training does not guarantee employment, promotion, security clearance eligibility, or acceptance by any agency or third party.
Eligible for military & government credentialing assistance
Select certification programs may be eligible for use with military and government credentialing or tuition assistance benefits, subject to agency and individual eligibility requirements. Participation does not imply endorsement by any agency.
State & Federal Regulatory Approvals
Missouri DHEWD
State-certified to operate under 6 CSR 10-5.010
Dept. of Higher Education and Workforce Development
NICCS Education & Training Catalog
Listed training provider, NICCS Education & Training Catalog
Mapped to NIST NICE framework · operated by CISA
Missouri POST
50 CLEE hours approved · Control #26720
20 legal studies · 30 technical studies
Officers should confirm acceptance with their licensing agency.
What You'll Learn
The CDCI program develops foundational and applied investigative capabilities across the following digital-currency and financial-crime areas:
Joshua A. McAfee · Founder & CEO, McAfee Institute
15 years building credentials for the professionals who actually do the work. CDCI was developed alongside practitioners from federal, state, and corporate investigation teams.
Built for professionals beginning or expanding digital-currency investigative responsibilities
CDCI is designed for professionals whose work involves fraud, financial crime, cybercrime, compliance, digital evidence, asset tracing, intelligence, or the investigation of cryptocurrency and other digital-currency activity.
This course is perfect for
Cybersecurity professionals and investigators seeking to add advanced cryptocurrency expertise to their skill set.
Law enforcement officers and intelligence analysts who are tackling cybercrime involving cryptocurrencies and need specialized training.
IT security, fraud prevention experts, and private investigators transitioning into digital forensics and cryptocurrency investigations.
This course may not be for you if
You are seeking help recovering stolen cryptocurrency or resolving a personal financial loss rather than professional investigative training.
You want to learn cryptocurrency trading, investing, mining for profit, or portfolio management.
Your role does not involve investigations, fraud, compliance, financial crime, intelligence, cybersecurity, digital evidence, or related analytical work.
You are seeking advanced forensic specialization without first establishing a practical foundation in digital-currency investigation.
You are unwilling to document transaction paths, assumptions, attribution limits, evidence sources, and analytical uncertainty.
Is this program right for you?
Program-fit questions candidates ask before they enroll.
No specialized cryptocurrency background is required beyond the published eligibility standards. CDCI begins with blockchain, transaction, wallet, and encryption fundamentals before moving into investigative applications.
Eligibility & requirements
McAfee Institute trains military, law enforcement, and investigative professionals. Eligibility reflects that. Verification is the reason the credential carries weight in the field.
Education & experience
Any one of the qualifying paths below. Experience must be in investigations, law enforcement, criminal justice, military, or similar fields with direct criminal investigation or intelligence responsibilities.
Path A Bachelor's or higher + 4 years experience
Path B Associate's degree + 6 years experience
Path C HS diploma or equivalent + 7 years experience
Relevant fields include investigations, law enforcement, criminal justice, military, and/or another similar field with direct criminal investigation and/or intelligence responsibilities.
Conduct requirements
Applicants are not eligible with any felony conviction or pending felony charge, or any conviction or pending charge involving violence, dishonesty or breach of trust, or crimes against persons, or other disqualifying offenses. Criminal history must be disclosed at enrollment and may be verified.
International enrollment
McAfee Institute is a U.S.-based institution serving a primarily U.S. professional audience. International enrollments may be subject to additional review, identity verification, professional affiliation verification, and compliance screening. Applicants located in certain countries or regions, or associated with restricted persons or entities under U.S. law, may be ineligible for enrollment.
- 3-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- Full Lifetime Access
- 1 Year Exam License
- Official Study Manual
- Official Online Training
- Official Prep Review Quizzes
or pay over time with Affirm · Sezzle
Military / Gov COOL and TA eligible
Read the full eligibility and conduct policyDisclosure & verification
Applicants must disclose criminal history as requested during enrollment. McAfee Institute may verify eligibility through documentation and/or a background check when required by a program component, partner environment, exam vendor, or when reasonably necessary to protect program integrity. Disclosures are required to the extent permitted by applicable law.
False information
Any material falsification or omission is grounds for denial of admission, removal from the program, and/or denial of certification.
No guarantee of outcome
Completion of training does not guarantee employment, promotion, security clearance eligibility, or acceptance by any agency or third party.
The CDCI curriculum progresses from cryptocurrency, blockchain, encryption, anonymization networks, wallets, and transactions into investigative methodologies, wallet and address analysis, financial trails, criminal indicators, asset seizure, case-file preparation, money laundering, legal considerations, and digital-currency investigation platforms. Across 19 modules and 50 hours of instruction, learners develop a structured foundation for investigating and documenting digital-currency activity.
About this Course
Foundational certification in digital currency investigation and cryptocurrency tracking. Learn the basics of blockchain technology, crypto investigations, and digital asset tracing for law enforcement.
The Certified Digital Currency Investigator (CDCI) program is the industry’s first and only dedicated board certification for digital currency investigations. With cybercriminals increasingly leveraging digital currencies to obscure their tracks, the demand for skilled digital forensic investigators has never been higher. Designed for professionals in law enforcement, intelligence, cybersecurity, and private investigations, CDCI delivers unmatched expertise in tracing cryptocurrency transactions, identifying criminal activities, and building cases for prosecution.
CDCI covers every facet of cryptocurrency forensics, from understanding blockchain technology and Bitcoin transactions to dissecting complex money laundering schemes. Through a blend of immersive video tutorials, real-world case studies, live investigative exercises, and one-on-one instructor support, you’ll gain practical skills and theoretical knowledge essential for today’s digital investigative landscape.
Everything you need to certify
One enrollment includes the full course library, the official manual, the proctored exam license, and your board credential on completion.
- Official study manual
- Prep review quizzes
- Online training program
- Exam license (1 year)
- 50+ hours of instruction
- Mobile & desktop access
- Board certification (digital + physical)
- 50 CPE / CEU credits
- Closed captions
More Than Just Certifications
Join a comprehensive professional development platform designed exclusively for law enforcement, intelligence, and investigation professionals.
Active Community
Engage with verified professionals in law enforcement and intelligence
Exclusive Jobs
Access career opportunities not listed elsewhere
CPE Tracking
Automatic continuing professional education credit management
Expert Network
Connect with federal agents and industry leaders
Communities
Join private discussion groups with peers
Resources
Articles, whitepapers, tools and more
Three ways to fund your certification.
Self-pay · Military / Gov COOL · Employer-funded
Pay once. Lifetime access included.
3-day money-back guarantee
Interest-free via Affirm or Sezzle. 6–12 month plans available.
Military / Gov COOL eligible? Use DoD/Navy/Army/Coast Guard/Air Force COOL or TA funding — switch to the tab for the invoice request flow.
Need financial help? — available for self-paying students demonstrating financial need.
Enrollment, examination, and policy FAQs
- Our certifications are trusted by more than 4,500 employers, including government agencies, law enforcement departments, intelligence units, and private-sector organizations. Programs are recognized by POST (various states), DoD COOL & CA, NICCS, and the Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development.
Not sure if this is the right credential?
Talk to an advisor about eligibility, fit, and funding paths.
Build the foundation to trace digital-currency activity and document what the financial trail reveals.
Complete the CDCI certification process and document specialized education and assessment in blockchain fundamentals, transaction tracing, wallet analysis, financial-crime indicators, AML considerations, investigative methodology, and professional case reporting.