Tag: Gijs Op de Weegh

StablR Ltd (Malta, C 104007) positions itself as a MiCA-ready euro-stablecoin issuer. Official filings show a simple Dutch holding chain, but deeper registry work and legacy links to Payvision’s cyber-crime scandal raise doubts about the project’s true beneficial owners (UBOs). While no hard evidence yet ties Payvision founder Rudolf Booker (or other ex-shareholders) directly to StablR, multiple red flags—including addresses previously used by Booker-controlled entities and a board dominated by former Payvision managers—demand regulatory scrutiny.

The EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA) was sold to legislators as the end of Europe’s regulatory patch-work. In theory, every crypto-asset service provider (CASP) will live under the same anti-money-laundering (AML), governance and disclosure standards from 30 December 2024. In practice, the first six months of “early bird” licensing suggest that member states are already competing to become the Cayman Islands of MiCA.

StablR, the Malta-based and MFSA-regulated issuer of EURR and USDR stablecoins, promotes itself as a compliant, euro-denominated digital currency provider under the EU’s new MiCA regime. However, what is missing in its clean-cut public image is the checkered past of its founder and CEO, Gijs op de Weegh, who served as COO of Payvision, a Dutch payment processor infamous for facilitating cybercrime.

In April 2025, Mohamad Shaker — the head of the largest boiler room in German cybercriminal Uwe Lenhoff’s vast cybercrime empire — was sentenced to 8 years in prison by a German court. Shaker's conviction marks another milestone in dismantling one of Europe’s largest cybercrime organizations. Yet, while some lieutenants have faced justice, the key facilitators — including executives of Payvision and the Amsterdam-based money laundering network — remain untouched.

MiCA compliance, Malta EMI license, real-time attestations, institutional governance— the latest whitepaper (v3.1) from stablecoin issuer StablR Ltd reads like a checklist of regulatory best practices. But behind this sleek, compliant façade lies a troubling contradiction: the company’s leadership history and backers tell a story that regulators and investors should not ignore.

StablR, an EU stablecoin issuer, continues to operate under heightened scrutiny due to both its leadership’s controversial legacy and the evolving regulatory environment in the EU. The company issues two stablecoins: EURR (euro-pegged) and USDR (dollar-pegged). As of May 1, 2025, StablR reports 12,654,544 EURR issued and 5,400,469 USDR issued.

The Payvision scandal is one of the most shocking cases of corporate complicity in global cybercrime. A Dutch payment processor, Payvision, actively facilitated fraud networks, laundering and distributing stolen funds for years. Despite overwhelming evidence, Dutch authorities refuse to hold those responsible accountable and continue to withhold crucial investigative reports that could help victims recover their stolen money.

FinTelegram anticipates that Tether, the world’s leading stablecoin issuer, may be banned in the EU starting in 2025 due to non-compliance with the EU’s new MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation) framework. Tether has not applied for or received MiCA authorization, raising questions about its future in Europe. Moreover, its investment in the European stablecoin issuer StablR represents a red flag.

Tether, the world’s leading stablecoin issuer, has shocked the crypto and financial world by investing in StablR, an EU stablecoin issuer run by former Payvision COO Gijs op de Weegh. This move raises serious questions about Tether’s due diligence processes and ethical commitments, as StablR’s leadership is tied to one of Europe’s most notorious financial scandals involving cybercrime facilitation. Crypto investors and stablecoin users should proceed with caution.

JPMorgan Chase, a financial powerhouse in the U.S., and ING Group, a dominant banking institution in the Netherlands, have both ventured into the acquisition of FinTech companies to expand their digital capabilities. However, these acquisitions' strategies and subsequent management have diverged significantly, reflecting differences in corporate governance, regulatory environments, and responses to crises. Here is our comparative analysis.

In the rapidly evolving landscape of cryptocurrency regulation, the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCAR) emphasizes the need for maximum transparency, particularly for stablecoin issuers. The former Payvision founder and COO, Gijs op de Weegh, founder and CEO of the new stablecoin issuer StablR, recently presented a piece of partially accurate biographical information that can mislead potential investors.

Card payments are the most important and popular online payment systems. Only by checking the billing descriptors (set by the acquirer) can you identify the processing acquirer. EFRI identified the following billing descriptor used by Payvsion when processing the card transactions for Gal Barak and Uwe Lenhoff. EFRI is looking for scam victims that lost money via Payvision. Here are the identifying billing descriptors.