Sven Walfels, co-founder of Monerium, discusses the first fully regulated e-money stablecoins issued on blockchain in Europe. Monerium offers on-chain euros and sterling backed by high-quality liquid assets, integrated with SEPA for seamless bank-to-wallet transfers and partnerships with MetaMask and Gnosis Pay for debit card spending.
In this fireside chat, Sven Walfels from Monerium explains how the company became the first authorized issuer of fully regulated e-money on blockchains in Europe. Starting from first principles, Monerium leveraged Europe's existing e-money license framework to issue on-chain euros and sterling, fully fungible with traditional money. Key differentiators include direct SEPA integration enabling transfers between bank accounts and blockchain wallets without exchanges, and partnerships with MetaMask and Gnosis Pay for debit card functionality. Walfels discusses how U.S. stablecoin regulation through the Genius Act mirrors European e-money frameworks, enabling sound USD stablecoins. He outlines use cases including lending via Bands, cross-border payments, and emerging real-world asset exchanges. Walfels emphasizes blockchain's role in disintermediating finance while maintaining necessary compliance for money laundering prevention and consumer protection, positioning regulated e-money as the path forward in Europe.