CEO, Seba Bank
Search every verified Franz Bergmueller interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Franz Bergmueller, CEO of Amina Bank (formerly SEBA Bank), spoke at TOKEN2049 Dubai in May 2025, arguing that crypto banks are needed to address problems faced by crypto-native individuals and companies. He said that many people are "sick and tired of losing money all the time due to hacks and failures like FTX" and are turning to crypto banks for institutional-grade custody. Bergmueller stated that hodlers seek crypto-backed loans, which he said have seen demand rise by "almost 1000%" in two years, and that traditional banks often reject crypto companies, citing a UK statistic that "50% of companies have been rejected or even lost their banking account." He described stablecoins as a "killer use case" requiring proper bank reserve management. In April 2025, Bergmueller hosted former Member of the European Parliament Bernhard Zimniok on his talk show "Unterlauser Gespräche," where Zimniok criticized the European Union as a "huge milking cow" and described Europe as "political dwarfs." Bergmueller has previously stated that SEBA Bank was "founded to help people actually use cryptocurrencies" and that the industry needs to "grow up" before mass adoption, emphasizing the importance of regulation, education, and cybersecurity.
“People are sick and tired of losing money all the time due to hacks and failures like FTX, which has caused our industry to lose trust, and this is why more are turning to crypto banks.”
“When I say crypto bank, I mean the handful of global banks that are 100% dedicated to crypto, not traditional banks dabbling in crypto products here and there.”
“Hodlers are looking for the safest way of custody with institutional-grade custody that is secure, segregated, compliant, controlled, and even comes with insurance coverage to protect their wealth and families.”
“The bridge between fiat money like dirhams, dollars, euros and coins or tokens is fundamental because people want to pay bills, buy real estate, supercars, pay taxes, or make payments for crypto companies.”
“Many people coming back from traditional banks say they were treated like criminals because banks cannot understand their source of wealth when it is 100% in coins and tokens, and they can't even get a bank account.”
“In the UK, 50% of crypto companies have been rejected or lost their banking accounts, and in the US, the debanking of crypto companies continues without explanation.”
“Crypto-backed loans have skyrocketed in demand by almost 1000% in the last two years, as hodlers want to keep their coins and tokens but need liquidity to invest or cover expenses.”
“Institutional customers are entering the crypto space, with 85% increasing their digital asset allocation last year and 59% wanting to allocate at least 5%, but they require proper regulation and banking support.”
“Stablecoins are a killer use case for the future, not only for crypto people but for real-world adoption, especially in high inflation countries where people flee into stablecoins.”
“For stablecoins to achieve mass adoption, we need proper banks to manage reserves and collaborate with stablecoin issuers, which is part of what we do at Amina Bank.”
“We must not make the mistake of getting caught up in a Putin euphoria from Lisbon to Vladivostok or attaching ourselves to Trump. We must always look, and that is the core of diplomacy, which is a tough business that I have been involved in for 10 years.”
“We have Trump now, which has an advantage for us, and that's why I look at him positively with one eye because he is currently dismantling organizations like the USA, which is a catastrophic organization.”
“We are wasting money in this Union as if there were no tomorrow. A year before my departure, the European Union was de facto bankrupt; it had spent everything that was supposed to be available until 2027.”
“We are only existent when it comes to money, and otherwise not. You will not believe that a Frenchman abroad, I have experienced it myself, represents their interests hard.”
“The EU is a huge milking cow with a big udder, and we are ready to let ourselves be milked. I just wanted to tell you that our values, which we transport, are not taken, only our money is taken.”
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Im Rahmen der „Unterlauser Gespräche“ war der ehemalige Europaabgeordnete Bernhard Zimniok im „Wirt vo Laus“ zu Gast bei ...
Alfonso Gomez, BBVA Switzerland Dr. Dirk Klee, Bitcoin Suisse Payal Shah, CME Group Franz Bergmueller, SEBA Bank Valérie ...
Stef Wynendaele, Franz Bergmüller, Allen Farrington, Roy Van Krimpen, and Angus Champion de Crespigny have a conversation at Bitcoin Amsterdam about Bitcoin and Banks. Lower your time preference and lock-in your Bitcoin Amsterdam 2023 conference tickets today!!! Take advantage of the early bird pricing http://bm.b.tc/BA23-youtube Follow us on Twitter: / bitcoinmagazine / videobitcoin #Day1 #BitcoinAmsterdam #Bitcoin
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