Johannes Kern
Managing Director, Frankencoin Association
Johannes Kern, Managing Director of the Frankencoin Association, argues that the financial infrastructure of the future should not be built exclusively in dollars and that a Swiss franc stablecoin belongs in it.
Why the room needs them.
Johannes Kern is Managing Director of the Frankencoin Association, the Zug-based non-profit that supports ZCHF, a Swiss franc stablecoin. He spoke at Proof of Talk Paris 2026 on a panel about euro, sterling and Swiss franc stablecoins.
The full account.
Johannes Kern is Managing Director of the Frankencoin Association, a non-profit association based in Zug that supports ZCHF, a Swiss franc stablecoin. The association describes Frankencoin as a decentralised, over-collateralised system in which users deposit crypto assets as collateral to mint ZCHF, with no reliance on external price feeds, and says it supports the ecosystem without controlling the protocol itself. Frankencoin was developed by Luzius Meisser as part of doctoral research.
Kern was appointed Managing Director in November 2024, taking on the association's strategic and operational leadership. In his own account of his career, he joined Swisscom Blockchain, which was then doing ICO consulting, in 2018, and later moved to the fund Eleva Digital. finews.ch reported that his work at Swisscom Blockchain centred on business development, business strategy and scaling blockchain projects, that he also held a position at the asset manager L1D, and that he came to Frankencoin from Nerif Networks, where he was Head of Growth on a platform for secure, decentralised automation of blockchain applications.
During Kern's tenure the association has worked on routes into and out of ZCHF. In July 2025 it announced a partnership with the Geneva-based platform Mt Pelerin to let users buy and sell ZCHF against fiat currencies around the clock. In September 2025 Mt Pelerin, the association, Zeal and Gnosis Pay launched a joint offering for holding ZCHF in self-custody and spending it with a Visa card. On 30 June 2026 the association published Frankencoin's MiCA whitepaper in the European register, prepared with the MiCA Crypto Alliance, shortly before the transitional period ended on 1 July 2026.
Kern's stated position is that stablecoins should not be a dollar-only market. "The financial infrastructure of the future must not be built exclusively in dollars," he told finews.com in June 2026.
On 3 June 2026 Kern spoke at Proof of Talk Paris 2026 as Managing Director of the Frankencoin Association, on the Hecto Main Stage panel "Beyond USD: The Future of Euro, Sterling and Swiss Franc Stablecoins", alongside Arnaud Caudoux, Elliot Hentov and Sasha Mills, in a session moderated by Lisa Cameron.
What Johannes believes about the next ten years.
Years of shipping.
Lines that keep proving correct.
“The Swiss franc stands for stability and trust.”
“With the published MiCA Whitepaper, regulated European exchanges now have a basis for giving their customers access to a digital Swiss franc.”
“The financial infrastructure of the future must not be built exclusively in dollars. A digital Swiss franc must be part of it.”
What they have built, written, and backed.
Built
- ZCHF fiat gateway with Mt PelerinPartnership letting users buy and sell ZCHF against fiat currencies around the clock, with Swiss QR-bill payments and a personal IBAN announced (16 July 2025).
- ZCHF Visa spending with Zeal and Gnosis PayJoint launch with Mt Pelerin, Zeal and Gnosis Pay for holding ZCHF in self-custody and spending it with a Visa card (24 September 2025).
- Frankencoin MiCA whitepaperPublished in the European MiCA register with the MiCA Crypto Alliance, giving regulated EU exchanges a basis to offer ZCHF (30 June 2026).
The next Proof of Talk is in Abu Dhabi.
Louvre Abu Dhabi, 3–4 December 2026. Admission is by application, and the room is capped at 2,000.
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