The excesses of financial supervision threaten our democracies

Alexandre Stachtchenko is Director of Strategy at Paymium, the French Bitcoin exchange platform founded in 2011, a position he held from May 2024 to September 2025 before moving to Bitstack. At Paymium, his mandate included repositioning the platform's marketing and commercial approach, addressing user criticisms around accessibility and product complexity, and developing new offerings including a youth-focused product and a stablecoin strategy. He also advocated for Paymium as a matter of French financial sovereignty, arguing publicly that France requires a domestic exchange platform.

Prior to Paymium, Stachtchenko co-founded Blockchain Partner in 2015, a strategy and blockchain consultancy that was acquired by KPMG France in 2021, where he led the blockchain and crypto business unit until May 2023. He co-founded ADAN, the French professional association for digital asset industry participants, and served as president of the Institut National Bitcoin (INBi), a think tank focused on Bitcoin as a tool for French economic and energy independence. He is co-author of several books on Bitcoin and crypto, including a 2023 title on Bitcoin and climate change, and two 2025 works on financial surveillance. He studied at ESCP Business School, graduating with a Master in Management in 2017.