Barcelona, 16 September 2026 — The European Blockchain Convention 12 opened today in Barcelona, bringing more than 6,000 attendees, 300+ speakers and participants from over 90 countries together for two days focused on the rapidly evolving global digital asset economy.
The 12th edition of the European Blockchain Convention (EBC12) is taking place on 16–17 September at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, turning Barcelona into a major meeting point for banks, asset managers, institutional investors, regulators, blockchain companies, fintech businesses and technology providers.
Positioned by the organisers as “Europe’s Deal Floor for Digital Assets”, this year's convention places particular emphasis on the accelerating convergence between traditional finance and blockchain infrastructure. Rather than focusing solely on the cryptocurrency market, EBC12 is bringing institutional adoption, tokenisation, stablecoins, payments, custody, investment products and regulation to the centre of the discussion.
Traditional finance meets the digital asset economy
The growing involvement of major financial institutions is one of the defining features of this year's event. EBC12's speaker line-up includes executives and digital asset specialists from BlackRock, Citi, Fidelity International, Fidelity Digital Assets, Deutsche Bank, BBVA, BNP Paribas, Bank of England, Invesco, WisdomTree, CACEIS, Hamilton Lane, Franklin Templeton, UBS Asset Management, Santander, ING, LSEG, Intesa Sanpaolo, VanEck and other international institutions.
Among the speakers announced for Barcelona are Nikhil Sharma, Director of Digital Assets at BlackRock; Nadine Teychenne, Global Head of Digital Assets, Investor and Issuer Services at Citi; Previn Singh, Head of Tokenisation Strategy for Digital Assets at Fidelity International; Immo Garlichs, Product Manager for Digital Assets & Currencies at Deutsche Bank; Gabriel Lera Campo, Digital Assets Specialist at BBVA; and Pavel Chichkanov, Senior Manager at the Bank of England.
The technology and crypto-native side of the market is also strongly represented, with executives and specialists from Coinbase, Aave, Cardano Foundation, Bitwise, Solana, Crypto.com, Consensys and other companies participating in the convention.
EBC12 programme: stablecoins, tokenisation and institutional adoption
The programme reflects how quickly digital assets are moving into mainstream financial markets. One of the central themes is the global expansion of stablecoins and their potential role in payments, settlement and international finance.
Sessions are examining the geopolitical competition surrounding digital dollars and euros, the impact of the US GENIUS Act, the development of institutional stablecoins and the relationship between the American regulatory model and Europe's Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA).
Another major part of the agenda is dedicated to institutional adoption. Discussions cover the next stage of institutional crypto lending, demand for cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds, digital asset custody and the increasing involvement of traditional financial institutions in markets that were previously dominated by crypto-native companies.
Speakers and delegates are also exploring whether banks and asset managers should continue relying on external digital asset custodians or increasingly build their own infrastructure, and what current institutional demand may indicate about the next stage of market development.
Tokenisation moves from concept to financial infrastructure
Real-world asset tokenisation is another major focus of European Blockchain Convention 12.
The programme examines how bonds, funds, private-market assets and other traditional financial instruments can be represented and traded using blockchain infrastructure. Panels are looking at the development of secondary markets for tokenised assets, examples of tokenisation already being used by institutions, and the practical obstacles that still need to be solved before tokenised markets can reach significantly greater scale.
The convention is also addressing investment opportunities across blockchain infrastructure, modern Layer 1 and Layer 2 networks, interoperability and the potential use of blockchain technology in public-sector infrastructure.
AI and blockchain converge in Barcelona
Artificial intelligence has also become part of the EBC12 agenda. Dedicated discussions are examining the convergence of AI and blockchain, including how artificial intelligence can interact with decentralised networks and digital assets and where the combination could create new financial and infrastructure applications.
The programme also includes sessions on decentralised physical infrastructure networks (DePIN), consumer access to decentralised finance, cross-border blockchain cooperation between Europe and the Middle East, investment trends in the UAE and Europe, and the use of Bitcoin and Ethereum as institutional treasury assets.
Privacy, cybersecurity and the growing financial impact of crypto-related attacks are also being addressed during the two-day programme.
6,000+ attendees and a focus on business deals
EBC12 is designed not only as a conference but also as a large-scale business and investment meeting point. According to the organisers, more than 6,000 attendees from over 90 countries are expected in Barcelona, alongside more than 300 speakers.
A significant part of the event is built around direct business connections. EBC says its networking infrastructure is designed to facilitate around 10,000 app-powered one-to-one meetings, allowing investors, institutions, founders and technology providers to identify potential partners and schedule meetings around the convention.
The programme also includes private roundtables, investor gatherings, dedicated meeting areas, networking events, a press room and a series of side events across Barcelona.
Startup Battle puts emerging blockchain companies in front of investors
Innovation is another major element of this year's convention. The EBC12 Startup Battle brings together 12 selected early-stage digital asset companies competing live in Barcelona.
The finalists are presenting their businesses to an audience that includes more than 300 investors and investment professionals, venture capital representatives and digital asset industry leaders.
Three companies will be selected as winners, with prizes and support packages worth more than €100,000. The competition is designed to connect emerging blockchain businesses directly with investors, potential customers, institutions, partners and international media.
Barcelona strengthens its position on Europe's digital finance map
The European Blockchain Convention has been held since 2018 and has developed alongside the transformation of blockchain from an experimental technology into an increasingly important part of international financial infrastructure.
The 2026 edition illustrates that transformation particularly clearly. Banks, global asset managers, financial regulators and institutional investors now share the programme with blockchain infrastructure companies and digital asset businesses.
For Barcelona, EBC12 also brings thousands of international professionals to the city for two days of conferences, investment meetings and industry events, reinforcing the city's role as a European meeting point for technology, fintech and digital business.
European Blockchain Convention 12 runs on 16 and 17 September 2026 at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, Avinguda Diagonal 661–671, Barcelona.
More information, the full programme and tickets are available on the official European Blockchain Convention website. The detailed conference agenda can also be viewed on the EBC12 programme page.
