Beyond Cash, Code & Monetary Power
9 February 2026
On 30 January 2026, Beyond Cash, Code & Monetary Power brought students, researchers and professionals together at THUAS for an afternoon of interactive sessions and panel discussions.
On 30 January 2026, Beyond Cash, Code & Monetary Power brought students, researchers and professionals together at The Hague University of Applied Sciences for an afternoon of interactive sessions and panel discussions on the power issues behind money: who designs it, who benefits from it and who bears the risks? It was the sixth event organised by the New Finance research group on the (digital) future of money.
The first part consisted of three interactive sessions:
A) Crypto: Behind the Scenes
In this hands-on workshop, Jordi Jansen (lecturer at The Hague University of Applied Sciences) took participants behind the scenes of crypto. The focus was on developing a critical eye: how do you recognise where real innovation lies, and where marketing and illusion dominate? The session demonstrated how new technology opens doors, but that not every door leads to long-term value creation.
B) Contagion in cryptocurrencies market: Implications for financial stability
This panel with Mathis Mourey (lecturer-researcher at The Hague University of Applied Sciences), Brunello Rosa (CEO and Head of Research at Rosa & Roubini) and Martijn van der Linden (Professor of Practice in New Finance at The Hague University of Applied Sciences) focused on the question of how shocks in digital asset markets are increasingly affecting traditional financial markets. Focusing on various new forms of liquidity, sentiment and the role of different institutions, the speakers explored where the dangers lie and where policymakers could intervene to safeguard stability.
C) The future of payments
The session on payments focused on the changing mix of public and private money: CBDCs, stablecoins and crypto-assets are developing rapidly. The key question discussed by Tamara Schmidt (Director of the Digital Euro Association) and Ria Roerink (Senior Policy Adviser at De Nederlandsche Bank) was how to organise trust, scalability and interoperability. The conversation focused on European policy objectives, including the strategic dimension of a robust European payment infrastructure.
On behalf of The Hague University of Applied Sciences, Deborah Mevissen (Dean of the Faculty of Business, Finance & Management) and Martijn van der Linden then opened the plenary session. Two topics were central to this session: the “real” price of bitcoin and the position of the US dollar.
What is the “true” price of bitcoin?
In short presentations, Jeroen Blokland (founder of the Blokland Smart Multi-Asset Fund), Mathis Mourey (lecturer and researcher at The Hague University of Applied Sciences), and Thomas Bollen (investigative journalist at Follow The Money) shared their views on the price of bitcoin. In a subsequent panel discussion, led by student Rafael Markus, the price and broader (social) value of bitcoin were further analysed: from inflation, macroeconomic conditions and the need for scarce assets to the necessity of reforming the monetary and financial system in a broader sense. The session brought together different perspectives – investment logic, academic view and reform perspective – and asked what the future market value of bitcoin could be and what the value of bitcoin has been in the debate and developments following the 2008 financial crisis.
Will the US dollar be dethroned?
This session explicitly placed digital forms of money in the context of geopolitics and monetary power. For the first time in generations, ‘what comes after the dollar?’ is not just an academic question, but a subject of realpolitik. First, Julia Simon (Head of Research and Advocacy at Finance Watch), Tamara Schmidt (Director of the Digital Euro Association) and Brunello Rosa (CEO and Head of Research at Rosa & Roubini) presented their visions. In the panel discussion, led by student Andreea Grivincă, they explored scenarios for the future of the international monetary system and what European strategic autonomy requires from politicians, policy and infrastructure.
Want to know more?
With Beyond Cash, Code & Monetary Power, The Hague University of Applied Sciences provided a platform for inspiring insights and discussions about the future of digital money. The New Finance research group is looking forward to the next edition at the end of 2026. For more information about the event or the research group's research, please contact dr. Martijn van der Linden, New Finance research group leader.