Franz Bergmueller - Who Needs a Crypto Bank Anyway? - TOKEN2049 Dubai 2025

Hey, first of all, thanks so much for attending. It's pretty hot. I just flew in yesterday from Germany. Thank you for your dedication. So, yes, I'm going to answer the question, who needs a crypto bank anyway?

And you know it all started uh I was interested in blockchain the technology and also what we can do in terms of financial services crypto obviously as a new asset class years ago. But then in 21 right I had chat with a couple of friends and we were wondering who needs a crypto bank because everybody read the white par bitcoin white paper the 2008 right there is no room for middleman or banks to remove the financial institutions in between. So uh we all were wondering but that then I did you know a step that was uh unheard of. I actually joined a crypto bank in 22, right? And then still people ask me the same question, but fast forward to 2025, not so often anymore.

And why is it like instead of me answering the question, I lead you uh Ali to tell you know what crypton natives, my clients, the industry people are telling me why there is a need for a crypto bank. So let's start. First of all, and you know all these examples, right? The people I speak to, they are just sick and tired of losing money all the time. You know, all these hacks in early 22, everybody kept on telling me FTX is like extremely cool in terms of UI, software, the offerings and everything.

But you know, we all you know, you know, experience what happened then later on, right? So people are sick and tired of losing money and you know look at those numbers is not getting any better. The number of hacks right at the volume right our industry is just losing trust and this is not something we can do right to lose trust. This is the one big reason why people are more more turning to crypto banks. By the way, if I'm using the term crypto bank, I don't mean traditional banks that all of the sudden do a little bit in crypto, some products here and there.

That's not what I mean. What I am talking about are the handful global banks that are 100% dedicated to crypto. These are the crypto banks I'm talking to. Um, but let's go on. You know there are more reasons why people are more more turning to crypto banks.

The next one is the hodlers especially the hodlers are looking for the safest way of custody institutional grade custody. What it is can you see on the right side of my slide? It's secure it's segregated compliant controlled and even comes with an insurance coverage. Like people are much more open now to use it. Why is that?

Because they want to protect their wealth obviously, but also themselves. Many many people are really really worried, right? And then also their families. I hear that all the time. I have no idea, France, if my partner, my wife, my significant other could handle my private keys and all the tech setup, right?

So please help me. What can I do? Another reason why people are turning to crypto banks. And then the next one is so simple, right? Because they need to pay their bills.

The bridge between what we call the fiat money, the dirham, the dollars, the euros, right, and coins and tokens is is so fundamental for them. At the end, they want to buy a real estate, you know, buy the next super car, uh pay their taxes or do payments for the crypto companies. This is super relevant for them, right? And here's a little number for you. It's just the fact that it's so hard to pay to use your coins and tokens to pay in e-commerce space, for example.

It's below 1%. So, the bridges between coins and tokens and fiat are really in high demand here. And this one is shocking. This one is shocking. I'm moving moving all the time.

I got a signal here, right? I need to stand in the shadow. This one is shocking. So many people, you know, tell me the same coming back from a traditional bank and they using exactly the same words. They treated me like a criminal.

They cannot understand my source of wealth because I have 100% in coins and tokens, right? They don't understand me. I can't even get a bank account, right? That's why people are coming to crypto banks for for traditional banks. These these people are naturally high risk, right?

And and and a big problem, but not for the crypto banks. So I I really hate these senses. They treated me like a criminal. But not only the individuals, but also their companies. All these web three companies, crypto companies are crying out for a support from a crypto bank.

Yeah, here's a number from the UK. 50% of the companies have been rejected or even have lost their banking account, right? And in the US, it's not getting any better. The US is still debanked, especially for crypto companies, right? Without explanation, people are losing their their accounts here.

And then another phenomenon, yeah, is you know, uh we have a lot of huddlers, of course, we're talking to and they all have these stories like 10 years ago, you know, I I paid a bike with four bitcoin or paid a dinner. They are just they don't do that anymore. They are here for the long term. They are really believing in this industry. I never again.

So ouch, right? I don't want to do this again. France, can you help me? And and as this little guy says, right, huddle I must. For some, it's more than it's as a strategy.

It's a culture. So, what can they do, right? They ask for credits. Uh I want to keep my coins and tokens, you know, can a crypto bank give me like a cryptobacked loan? Of course, we can, right?

Crypto banks can do this. And then they get the liquidity to do whatever they need to do. for example, they invest in companies and uh of course there's a chance to use DeFi companies, but you know what? There's a big trend to regulated crypto banks. You know, it's hard to get data, but everything we know, all our data is showing the demand for cryptobang loans skyrocketed in the last two years almost,000% 964%.

Right? There is huge demand out there. People are crying out for that. Next one, not to forget the institutional customers, right? They come into our space now.

They are used to banks. They they bas basically want to work with crypto banks, right? And here are two numbers that are relevant. 85% increased their allocation digital asset last year and 59% of them want to at least allocate 5% or more. Right?

though these people they need proper regulation and proper bankings to help them. uh and the whales um the big ones right they are telling me France I need liquidity I want to invest into longevity into AI and other things I want to buy real estate some of them really want to also diversify into securities all of the sudden right therefore they are coming to crypto banks stable coins in order for the stable coins for me stable coins are a killer use case of the future not only for the crypto people, right? We are all used to stable coins, but more and more I see real world adoption. You know, people especially in high inflation countries fleeing into stable coins. But for stable coins to be accepted in the masses to be mass adoption, right, for stable coins, we need proper banks to do the reserve management and and many other things.

We're working together with stable coin issues a lot. And then finally, I'll make it short the presentation promised crypto banks. And again, I I tell you the real ones, the few ones, the handful that exist are natural part of the our ecosystem here. And what we are helping is connect the dots between the DeFi companies, the CFI companies, and the Treadfi companies. Um I'm France.

We are Amina Bank, one of the real crypto banks and we provide crypto banking simplified. And of course uh disclaimer Amina holds licences in Switzerland, in Abu Dhabi and Hong Kong, but not yet in Dubai. But therefore, I presented today what I hear all the time from my clients and from the people in the market. Thank you so much.