Eleven weeks after the European Union’s MiCA deadline, the 12th edition of the European Blockchain Convention (EBC12) returns to Barcelona at a pivotal moment for the industry. It is the region’s first major institutional gathering since the world’s first comprehensive cross-border digital asset regulation became fully law, and the event where European deal flow happens.
MiCA is now fully in force. For European markets, the focus shifts to what comes next: CASP licensing, stablecoin issuance, and the role of CBDCs in cross-border settlement. EBC12 is where that conversation takes place.
Rather than chasing mandates city by city across London, Paris, Frankfurt, Zurich, and Barcelona, EBC12 compresses the European digital asset market into a single two-day commercial arena. It takes place on 16–17 September 2026 at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya.
Europe has set the pace for compliant digital asset markets, giving the industry a clearer framework for how crypto can scale within regulation rather than around it. The institutional signal is unmistakable: Deutsche Börse has invested $200 million in Kraken; Santander’s digital bank, Openbank, has expanded its crypto trading for customers across Germany and Spain. Both will be among the institutions discussing what comes next in Barcelona this September.
EBC expects 80 of Europe’s top 100 banks in Barcelona this September, up from 50 last year. The debate about whether institutions will enter digital assets is over. EBC12 is where they come to work out what comes next.
“Eight years ago, we built EBC because we believed Europe would be where this industry matured. A lot of people thought we were early. In 2026, European banks are deploying capital, institutional products are live across major markets, and the regulatory framework is in place. EBC is where the people driving that change meet once a year to do real business,” said Victoria Gago, Co-CEO of European Blockchain Convention and Digital Assets Forum.
Sessions cover institutional capital allocation, real-world asset tokenisation, regulatory market structure, and the future of stablecoins and CBDCs as global settlement infrastructure.
Confirmed speakers include Emma Landriault, Head of Kinexys Labs at J.P. Morgan; Mohamad Zaraket, Head of Digital Assets Strategy EMEA at BNY; Kathleen Wrynn, Global Head of DA, Invesco; Victor Jung, Vice President, Digital Assets & Currencies, Hamilton Lane; Previn Singh from Fidelity and Colin Payne, Head of Innovation at the Financial Conduct Authority, among more than 300 speakers from across banking, asset management, infrastructure, and policy.
Alongside the main programme, EBC12 features 10,000 pre-arranged one-to-one meetings, a Buy Side Breakfast for allocators and institutional investors, and a dedicated press room with direct access to speakers.
EBC12 expects over 5,000 attendees from 90+ countries for two days of market intelligence, strategic networking, and commercial momentum at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, a new premium venue reflecting the event’s institutional evolution.