Johan Van Overtveldt (born 2 October 1961) is a Belgian economist and politician. He currently serves as Minister of Finance in the government of Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium.
Van Overtveldt obtained his master’s degree at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, which he followed with a doctorate from Erasmus University Rotterdam. After working for several years in the private sector and publishing multiple books on economics, he was elected to the Chamber of Representatives in 2003 and served until 2014. During this period he held various ministerial positions before being appointed as Minister of Finance in 2014 by Geert Bourgeois’s new Flemish government. In 2017, Van Overtveldt became one of Europe’s first ministers to introduce cryptocurrency regulations when he proposed a law that would classify cryptocurrencies as financial instruments subject to anti-money laundering rules set forth by European Union directives.
In 2018, Van Overtveldt announced plans for Belgium to launch its own digital currency called “Belcoin” – a token that would be exchangeable against euros but not tied to any central bank or asset class like gold or silver. The initiative has been met with much enthusiasm from both private investors and regulators alike who see it as an opportunity for Belgium to take part in the global crypto revolution while also providing increased transparency into how public funds are spent within government ministries such as education and welfare services departments. Belcoin is expected to go live sometime during 2020 following approval from Parliament later this year
