Alexander Höptner is the Chief Executive Officer of AllUnity, a regulated company established to issue a Euro-denominated stablecoin. Höptner is recognized for his leadership roles at major European financial institutions, including Deutsche Börse and Börse Stuttgart Group, as well as the cryptocurrency derivatives platform BitMEX. ^{[1] [2]}​

Education

Höptner's academic background is in business administration. Sources variously report that he earned a Diplom-Kaufmann, a German degree equivalent to a Master of Business Administration, from several institutions, including the University of Passau, University of Regensburg, Goethe University Frankfurt, and the University of Bayreuth between the early 1990s and 2000. ^{[1] [3] [4]} He also completed an executive education program in Management for the Financial Services Industry at the University of St. Gallen from 2007 to 2008. ^[5]

Career

Höptner's career demonstrates a clear progression from roles within traditional exchange infrastructure to leadership positions at the forefront of the cryptocurrency sector. He began his career in the late 1990s and early 2000s in consulting and entrepreneurship, with positions including IT Consultant at Arthur Andersen and founder and CEO of tradeity AG. ^{[5] [6]}​

Deutsche Börse

In the early 2000s, Höptner began a long tenure of approximately 15 years at Deutsche Börse AG, the operator of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. ^[2] Over this period, he held a variety of executive and management positions, gaining extensive experience in the structure and strategy of traditional capital markets. His responsibilities included serving as EVP Head of Market Structure & Regulation, Head of Product Development at the derivatives exchange Eurex, and Managing Director for Global Corporates in North America, based in New York. ^[1] During his time at Deutsche Börse, Höptner was reportedly instrumental in establishing two start-ups focused on the trading of virtual assets on the blockchain within the gaming industry, which marked an early foray into the concepts that would later define the cryptocurrency space. ^[7]​

Börse Stuttgart Group

In 2018, Höptner was appointed CEO of Börse Stuttgart Group, Germany's second-largest stock exchange, as well as CEO of its subsidiary, EUWAX AG. ^[1] In this role, he spearheaded the exchange's strategic push into digital assets, transforming the traditional institution into a prominent European hub for cryptocurrency services. Under his leadership, Börse Stuttgart became the first traditional stock exchange operator in the European Union to offer crypto markets to both retail and institutional clients. ^[2]​

Two key initiatives were launched during his tenure:

• BISON: A mobile application designed for retail investors, providing a straightforward way to buy and sell cryptocurrencies. ^[5]
• Börse Stuttgart Digital Exchange (BSDEX): Germany's first fully regulated trading venue for digital assets. BSDEX created a compliant and secure environment for both retail and institutional participants, operating under the German Banking Act. ^[1]

These initiatives established Börse Stuttgart's reputation as a pioneer in regulated digital finance, a theme that would continue throughout Höptner's career. He left the CEO position in December 2020. ^[1]​

100x Group (BitMEX)

Höptner transitioned fully into the cryptocurrency industry in January 2021 when he was appointed CEO of 100x Group, the parent company of the BitMEX cryptocurrency derivatives exchange. ^[1] He was tasked with leading the firm's business transformation and its "Beyond Derivatives" strategy, which aimed to expand BitMEX's product offerings to include spot trading, brokerage, custody, and educational services. ^[5] After his tenure as CEO ended in late 2022, he served as the Chairman of the Board for 100x Group from January 2023 to January 2024. ^[1] During part of this period, from January 2023 to April 2024, he also served as Chairman of the Board for his former company, Börse Stuttgart GmbH. ^[6]​

Chief Executive Officer of AllUnity

In December 2023, Höptner was announced as the designated CEO for AllUnity, a newly formed company with the mission to issue a regulated, Euro-denominated stablecoin. He officially assumed the role of CEO in April 2024. ^{[8] [1]} AllUnity was established as a joint venture by a consortium of major financial firms: DWS Group (a global asset manager), Flow Traders (a global market maker), and Galaxy (a digital asset financial services firm). ^[9]​

Based in Frankfurt, Germany, AllUnity GmbH operates as a regulated e-money institute, holding an e-money license from Germany's Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin). ^[1] The company's primary focus is the issuance of EURAU, a fully cash-collateralized stablecoin redeemable at par value. The project is designed to be compliant with the European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, aiming to provide a trusted and efficient on-chain payment solution to promote the institutional adoption of tokenized assets. ^[10]​

Under Höptner's leadership, AllUnity has secured a series of strategic partnerships to build its ecosystem, particularly in late 2025:

• Deutsche Börse Group and Clearstream: In November 2025, AllUnity announced a partnership with Deutsche Börse Group to facilitate the use of the EURAU stablecoin on its D7 digital asset platform. As part of the agreement, Deutsche Börse's post-trade services provider, Clearstream, will act as a custodian for the stablecoin, offering institutional-grade security and reliability. Höptner described the collaboration as a "game-changer for the adoption of tokenized assets" and a "major step forward for our goal of establishing the Euro stablecoin ‘EURAU’ as a leading digital currency in the tokenized economy." ^{[10] [11]}
• Projective Group: On November 25, 2025, AllUnity announced a collaboration with Projective Group, a financial services consultancy, to integrate EURAU into corporate treasury workflows. The partnership aims to help enterprises use the stablecoin for global treasury operations, liquidity management, and cross-border payments, with a focus on integrating it with systems like SAP via the SAP Digital Currency Hub. Höptner stated, "Our partnership with Projective Group is a key element in our strategy to bring the benefits of stablecoins to the corporate world." ^[6]
• 21.finance AG (21X): On November 27, 2025, a partnership was revealed with 21X, a regulated EU DLT trading venue from 21.co. The agreement will make AllUnity's stablecoin available as a settlement currency on the 21X platform, facilitating the seamless trading of digital assets. "Partnering with 21X allows us to extend the reach of EURAU to a wider audience of investors and traders," Höptner commented. ^[4]
• SOOHO.io: On December 4, 2025, AllUnity announced a strategic partnership with the South Korean blockchain security firm SOOHO.io. The collaboration focuses on advancing institutional stablecoin infrastructure, particularly in security and compliance, with the goal of bridging the European and Asian markets. Höptner said the partnership is "a significant step forward in our mission to bridge the worlds of traditional finance and digital assets... facilitating greater adoption across Europe and Asia.” ^[5]

Public Appearances and Commentary

Höptner is a frequent speaker at financial and technology conferences, where he discusses topics at the intersection of traditional and decentralized finance. His public appearances include events such as the Proof of Talk Summit, EURO FINANCE Tech Day, and conferences organized by RUW Fachkonferenzen. ^{[9] [2] [7]}​

His public commentary consistently focuses on the importance of regulatory compliance, institutional adoption of digital assets, and building secure infrastructure to connect the two financial worlds. Upon the announcement of AllUnity, he stated, "AllUnity will be a different company. It is a company designed to solve one of the key challenges in the digital asset space: providing a safe and stable bridge between the traditional and decentralized financial worlds... We are committed to working closely with regulators to establish a resilient framework under the upcoming MiCA regulation." ^[8]​

Interviews

The Future of Crypto Derivatives #01

On July 6, 2021, Alexander Höptner appeared on the YouTube channel Henri Arslanian in an episode titled “The Future of Crypto Derivatives with BitMEX’s CEO Alexander Höptner”. The content below summarizes positions attributed to Höptner during the interview.

The interview addressed the development of crypto derivatives and their role in digital asset markets. Höptner described derivatives as a continuation of financial instruments adapted to blockchain-based markets, created to provide price discovery, hedging, and leveraged exposure. He referenced his professional background in traditional exchanges as a factor that influenced his focus on market structure and operational processes.

He discussed the Bitcoin perpetual swap as a derivative contract designed without an expiration date. According to his statements, the mechanism was structured to maintain price alignment with spot markets through periodic funding payments between counterparties and the use of isolated margining models for position risk management.

Höptner stated that crypto derivatives markets were expected to expand alongside spot markets, with increased activity in linear contracts, options, and structured instruments. He indicated that participation from institutional market participants could influence product standardization and operational practices over time.

Regarding regulation, he described a gap between existing financial regulatory frameworks and the operational characteristics of crypto markets, particularly real-time settlement and continuous trading. He indicated that regulatory approaches focused on restriction could be replaced by frameworks centered on risk disclosure, education, and market surveillance.

The interview also covered BitMEX’s operational direction. Höptner described internal plans presented at the time to broaden the platform’s services beyond derivatives, including spot market functionality, asset custody, brokerage infrastructure, and support for tokenized instruments. These initiatives were presented as part of operational diversification rather than market positioning.

He referenced tokenization and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as formats for representing digital ownership. He connected these concepts to earlier developments in virtual asset markets, stating that such instruments would likely be subject to existing securities and compliance requirements depending on jurisdiction.

He also mentioned personal interests in gaming and technical education as background context. During the interview, he stated a personal price expectation that Bitcoin could exceed 100,000 USD within a one-year timeframe and later behave similarly to a store-of-value asset, framing this as a speculative viewpoint rather than a market forecast. ^[13]​

From Traditional Finance to Regulated Euro Stablecoin Infrastructure #02

In an interview published on the YouTube channel “Bitcoin, Fiat & Rock’n’Roll” on August 24, 2025, Alexander Höptner discussed his professional background and his involvement in the development of AllUnity.

Höptner outlined a career path that began in traditional financial market institutions in Germany and later expanded into the digital asset sector. He referenced work on regulated cryptocurrency products, including trading applications and market venues developed under local regulatory frameworks. These activities were described as part of an effort to integrate conventional financial infrastructure with blockchain based systems.

He stated that his interest in blockchain technology started in 2013, with early experiments in asset tokenization and digital payment models. According to his account, these experiences informed a long term focus on regulated digital value transfer mechanisms within established legal structures.

​AllUnity was described by Höptner as a company formed to issue a euro denominated stablecoin under the framework of an Electronic Money Institution license in Germany, subject to supervision by BaFin. He stated that the initiative is positioned around euro based settlement and is structured to operate within existing European regulatory requirements.

He indicated that the intended use cases include corporate treasury operations, cross border payments, and settlement processes for financial institutions. In his description, the stablecoin is designed to operate alongside existing banking systems and central bank digital currency projects, rather than to function as a replacement.

Regarding regulation, Höptner stated that interaction with supervisory authorities formed a central part of the project’s structure. He described the licensing process as procedural and compliance driven, and noted that governance and regulatory alignment were treated as core operational requirements.

He referenced the participation of a consortium of financial and technology firms in the project’s ownership and operational framework. According to his explanation, this structure was established to address operational, liquidity, and compliance related aspects of the initiative.

He stated that adoption of euro denominated stablecoin instruments is expected to increase over a multi year period, with potential application in international settlement and trade related payments. He also noted that additional fiat denominated stablecoins may be considered in the future, subject to regulatory and operational conditions. ^[14]