Caught the European Stablecoins panel at @eth_milano with @PaoloDiStef (Frankencoin), Rupertus Rothenhaeuser (@AllUnityStable), @dantedoldi (Dakota), and @jeazous (Vento / ex-Rain) Here's what stood out:
USD stablecoins own 98-99% of the market right now. But in traditional fiat, the dollar only accounts for ~60% with euros at ~20%. If that euro volume starts moving on-chain, the opportunity is massive and European issuers are already positioning for it.
The most interesting dynamic was seeing centralised and decentralised approaches side by side. AllUnity is fully MiCA-regulated under German BaFin but legally cannot pay yield to holders. Frankencoin is fully decentralized, over-collateralized with crypto, and can pass yield to holders because minters are effectively borrowing on-chain. So the two partnered, regulated trust meets decentralized yield.
Paolo made a point that stuck with me: the USD has lost ~70% of its purchasing power vs the Swiss franc over 50 years. Having alternatives to dollar dominance on-chain isn't ideological, it's practical.
Something most people don't know: the digital euro won't be programmable. The ECB already confirmed it. Expected around 2029-2030, it'll just sit in your bank account with no APIs and no smart contract integration. That means European stablecoins will be the only form of programmable euro money. Huge gap.
Rupertus was refreshingly blunt about Qivalis, the 37-bank consortium building a euro stablecoin; "they have no license, no regulation, no product, no tech." He also nailed the real adoption bottleneck: it's not technology or regulation, it's banks. Corporates understand the use case but when they ask their bank for conversion or a wallet, the answer is still no. Mass adoption happens when TradFi opens the gates. Neobanks like Revolut, Robinhood, and Trade Republic are already doing it by default.
The geopolitical angle is real too. Large European corporates are increasingly uneasy engaging with US-issued stablecoins, especially since the current US administration took office. If someone presses the wrong button, payment rails get disrupted overnight. That alone is driving demand for European alternatives.
Derick closed from the perspective of the Philippines, one of the world's highest remittance economies, and sees stablecoins potentially surpassing Visa in annual transaction volume. European stablecoins are early, but the momentum is real.
For much of my career, I’ve worked at fintechs with the goal to broaden financial inclusion.
While the desire was always there, smaller groups could go underserved because the business case wasn't.
Today that math changes.
Dakota self-serve is live, and the cost to build a fintech has dropped significantly.
The last generation took 12-18 months and millions of dollars to stand up.
This generation takes tens of thousands, in days or weeks.
That changes the economics of building a fintech.
You can now support more markets with purpose-built products and build a great business. Neobanks for artists and touring crews with sporadic pay, and with their own GTM motions.
Same for vets. For truckers.
The lever was never willpower. It was the cost to build.
Build for everybody.
European stablecoins are becoming a key part of the future digital financial infrastructure.
At ETHMilan 2026, the “European Stablecoins” panel will bring together builders and operators working across payments, liquidity, compliance, and digital asset infrastructure.
Moderator:
Alessandro Raboni @ilsignorwolff, ETHMilan
Speakers:
- Paolo Di Stefano @PaoloDiStef, Director of Collateral Management at Frankencoin Association
- Daniele Tedoldi @dantedoldi, Head of GTM & Sales at Dakota
- Rupertus Rothenhaeuser, Chief Commercial Officer at AllUnity
See you in Milan next week!
The regulatory picture for stablecoins just changed.
CLARITY cleared Senate Banking on a bipartisan vote. Heading to the floor.
Third major bill in 12 months:
- GENIUS gave stablecoins a federal home
- PACE ends the sponsor bank era for payment rails
- CLARITY settles what's a security vs. a commodity
The full stack of digital asset regulation, rewritten in under a year.
For the first time, you can build on stablecoins the way you build on the internet. As infrastructure, not an experiment.
We built @dakota_xyz for this moment. For the next generation of financial services.
We built a tool that watches public channels for people frustrated with their infrastructure in real time.
Best signal we've ever found. Better than any outbound list.
You catch someone in the moment — they're not browsing, they're ready to move.
Most sales teams optimize for volume. The highest-intent people are already telling you out loud.
You just have to be listening.
@JoeyMannarino Agree. Italy is on the right path offering both a flat tax and a “return of the brain” scheme where only 30-50% of your income is taxed. The problem is it only lasts for 10 years.
Mastercard CPO: every bank will go onchain.
"But they're just trying to sell their product."
Right... Mastercard doesn't spend $1.8B for BVNK based on a hunch.
The question stopped being "if" a while ago.
Time to find out whose paying attention.
Stablecoins proved there’s massive demand for programmable dollars.
There’s another path emerging: tokenized bank deposits.
Not a stablecoin. Not new regulation.
Just bank deposits, issued on-chain.
That means:
- Governed by existing bank rules
- Potentially FDIC-insured
- More flexibility in how deposits are managed
- Still programmable
Stablecoins solved for money movement.
Tokenized deposits will prove it can stay there.
You can build a fully-functional, compliant financial services product on @dakota_xyz in a day + 2 Pizzas 🍕
Money will continue to accelerate; don't get left behind
We are hosting a Happy Hour with @dakota_xyz at @EthereumDenver - ping us or Dakota for an invite!
I'll be at @EthereumDenver for a fifth time
While much of the market and sentiment is down we (@6thManVentures) remain extremely constructive
I'll be speaking on a few panels and we're cohosting a Happy Hour with @dakota_xyz on the Thursday - high signal, ping me for luma