{"id":"gisli-kristjansson","title":"Gisli Kristjansson","content":"**Gisli Kristjansson** is an Icelandic entrepreneur, the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of [Monerium](https://iq.wiki/wiki/monerium), a company that issues regulated e-money on public blockchains. ​​With a background in mathematics and traditional finance, he transitioned into software development and became an early participant in the [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) industry. Kristjansson is a founding board member of the Icelandic [Blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) Foundation and a frequent public speaker on topics including regulated [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin), on-chain payment infrastructure, and the European digital asset landscape. [\\[2\\]](#cite-id-r7pzvKuobR0HlmQs) \n\n## Education\n\nKristjansson graduated from Haskoli Islands with a BSc in Mathematics in 2006. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-wGolRLDVAmOBVmF9) \n\n## Career\n\nKristjansson began his career as a consultant at Capacent from 2006 to 2007, before moving into brokerage at H.F. Securities between 2008 and 2010, where he worked in fixed-income sales and coordinated new issuances. In 2011, he founded Appvise, a software-focused venture he later co-founded alongside Hjortur Hjartarson. He became a co-founder of [Monerium](https://iq.wiki/wiki/monerium) in 2015, taking part in the company’s early development and industry engagement, including work related to [blockchain](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain) initiatives in Iceland. In 2024, he moved into the role of Chief Executive Officer at [Monerium](https://iq.wiki/wiki/monerium), where he continues to lead the organization. [\\[1\\]](#cite-id-wGolRLDVAmOBVmF9)  [\\[3\\]](#cite-id-pPVetgsM0WdWaPvI) \n\n## Interviews\n\n### Monerium\n\nIn an October 2025 episode of the Stable School Podcast, Kristjánsson discussed Monerium’s work as the issuer of the eURE [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) and outlined its approach to providing regulated, [fiat](https://iq.wiki/wiki/fiat-money)-backed digital currency. He described the company’s early focus on securing e-money licensing for issuance on public [blockchains](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain), emphasizing the role of legal expertise and the broader impact of the EU’s MiCA framework, which emerged after initiatives such as Libra. Kristjánsson compared eURE with other [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin), such as [USDC](https://iq.wiki/wiki/usdc), noting its compliance with MiCA and its on- and off-ramping mechanisms via [Web3](https://iq.wiki/wiki/web3) IBANs. He spoke about shifting use cases, including payouts from other [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) and integrations with services such as [Gnosis](https://iq.wiki/wiki/gnosis) Pay and [MetaMask](https://iq.wiki/wiki/metamask) Card. The conversation also covered market challenges, particularly limited liquidity for euro-denominated assets in a USD-dominated [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) landscape, as well as ongoing debates around the need for a wider range of currencies. He concluded by outlining [Monerium’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/monerium) priorities, including improving liquidity, expanding trading activity, and enabling yield opportunities for eURE in [DeFi](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi). [\\[6\\]](#cite-id-uiieDFyoDAmOkJvf) \n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=D3hc-EJnPI0)\n\n## Presentations\n\n### On-chain Payment Infrastructure\n\nAt [EthCC8](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-community-conference-ethcc) in July 2025, Kristjánsson outlined the growing significance of [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) in fintech and described his aim to build on-chain payment infrastructure suited to Europe’s needs. He explained the challenges created by the dominance of USD [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin), noting that European businesses often incur conversion costs and FX risks, and emphasized that issuing a euro-denominated token alone does not address the underlying banking and usability constraints. Kristjánsson reviewed the main categories of [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) and pointed to earlier failures, such as [Terra Luna](https://iq.wiki/wiki/terra-luna), as examples of why design and regulation matter. He described [Monerium’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/monerium) development as a regulated electronic money issuer authorized to issue [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) on public [blockchains](https://iq.wiki/wiki/blockchain). He highlighted its use of IBAN-linked wallet accounts to enable direct conversions between euros and on-chain assets. He noted rising user activity on the platform and described efforts to expand liquidity through collaborations with [DeFi](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi) projects. Kristjánsson also discussed potential future developments such as [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin)-based card payments with yield features, expressed doubt about the likelihood of an official digital euro, and commented on the regulatory barriers that make non-custodial, non-[KYC](https://iq.wiki/wiki/know-your-customer-kyc) payment cards improbable. [\\[5\\]](#cite-id-wR9K8mGH2pSzBgfl) \n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=2xVHty0XSfU)\n\n### Onchain Fiat Keynote\n\nAt [EthCC7](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum-community-conference-ethcc) in July 2024, Kristjánsson outlined his view of DeFi as an early-stage system with the potential to reshape global finance, contrasting the trillions held in traditional bank accounts with the comparatively small amount held on-chain. He compared [DeFi’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi) development to the early days of streaming media, arguing that adoption depends on both technical infrastructure and the availability of real-world assets. Kristjánsson described [Monerium’s](https://iq.wiki/wiki/monerium) work to bring traditional financial assets on-chain in a regulated and transferable form, beginning with its euro-denominated token and expanding through integrations with builders in the [DeFi](https://iq.wiki/wiki/defi) ecosystem. He noted the company’s transaction volume since launch, discussed plans for additional tokens and an on-chain FX mechanism, and closed by encouraging continued collaboration from developers and participants in the space. [\\[7\\]](#cite-id-GP76EihZlubRRpje) \n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=80YIG7fzgIo)\n\n## Panels\n\n### New Financial Rails\n\nAt the European Blockchain Convention in November 2025, Kristjánsson joined Stéphane Blemus (White & Case), Paul Worthington (Stripe), Alexandra Soroko (Visa), Dorothea Ysenburg (Mastercard), and Avner Primor (Clarity Global) for a panel examining trends and challenges in payments as digital assets become more integrated into financial services. The discussion covered efforts by companies like Mastercard to connect [fiat](https://iq.wiki/wiki/fiat-money) and digital assets through wallet-linked payment cards, Stripe’s early growth in [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) payment volume, and the operational and regulatory hurdles that continue to shape cross-border payments. Panelists emphasized the need for clear regulatory frameworks to support [stablecoin](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) adoption, projected that [stablecoins](https://iq.wiki/wiki/stablecoin) may expand into credit and lending functions, and highlighted interoperability between issuers and banks as a core requirement for future systems. They also agreed that broader adoption depends on improving the user experience, building accessible applications, and ensuring that both merchants and consumers can transition smoothly into more programmable, interconnected financial environments. [\\[8\\]](#cite-id-rY5BOOzbyMMxCfhb) \n\n[YOUTUBE@VID](https://youtube.com/watch?v=a-N0zG6c51k)","summary":"Gisli Kristjansson is the co-founder and CEO of Monerium, a company issuing regulated stablecoins. 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