Ripple’s Swell 2026 to Draw 1,500 Finance Leaders in New York
Ripple expects about 1,500 participants from traditional finance, cryptocurrency, academia and the XRP ecosystem to attend Swell 2026 in New York, a decade after the company says it was excluded from the established Sibos banking conference.
The three-day event, scheduled for Oct. 27-29 at The Shed in Manhattan, will bring together more than 100 speakers across more than 80 sessions and three stages. This year’s program combines Ripple’s Swell conference with Apex, a summit focused on XRP Ledger developers, institutions and investors, while UBRI Connect, the academic conference tied to Ripple’s University Blockchain Research Initiative, joins the event for the first time.
Ripple outlined the 2026 lineup on Sept. 29, framing the gathering as an evolution of an event that began amid discussions about blockchain’s potential role in global finance.
“Ten years ago, shut out of Sibos, Ripple gathered a group of financial leaders to talk about what blockchain could mean for global finance,” the company said.
Sibos has brought members of the financial industry together since 1978, providing the backdrop for Ripple’s account of how its own conference developed.
Swell 2026 Focuses on XRP ETFs and Financial Adoption
The institutional program will examine how digital assets are being incorporated into banks, asset managers and fintech businesses. Discussions will include the first year of spot XRP exchange-traded funds, digital-asset settlement and the development of artificial intelligence systems capable of moving money.
BNY Global Head of Markets Laide Majiyagbe and Tradeweb CEO Billy Hult are scheduled to discuss trading, liquidity and settlement. Robinhood Senior Vice President and General Manager of Crypto and International Johann Kerbrat will appear alongside Ripple President Monica Long.
Stablecoins will also feature prominently in the institutional agenda. TD Securities Head of Digital Assets Product and Strategy Elizabeth St-Onge is scheduled to participate in a discussion examining whether stablecoins are better issued by individual companies or through collaborative consortiums.
Intercontinental Exchange Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Michael Blaugrund will address tokenized equities, funds and collateral as part of the broader discussion about financial-market infrastructure.
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse will moderate a markets discussion with Tom Farley, chairman and CEO of crypto exchange Bullish and former president of the New York Stock Exchange.
Water.org co-founders Matt Damon and Gary White will separately discuss Ripple Payments and RLUSD, Ripple’s dollar-denominated stablecoin, in connection with transfers supporting water and sanitation initiatives.
XRP Ledger Technology and AI Take Center Stage
The ecosystem portion of Swell will focus on the technology and applications being developed around the XRP Ledger.
RippleX Senior Director of Engineering Ayo Akinyele and Chief Technology Officer Emeritus David Schwartz are scheduled to discuss the future of the ledger. Akinyele will focus on privacy, scaling and infrastructure designed for institutional use.
The program will also examine participation by businesses operating XRP Ledger validators, which help confirm transactions. XRP Ledger Foundation Executive Director Brett Mollin is scheduled to address enterprise involvement, while XRPL Commons President David Bchiri will join a discussion on support for developers and regional initiatives, including XRP Asia.
Academic sessions will explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, cryptography, security and financial systems. Cornell Tech professor Ari Juels will discuss how AI is changing the cryptocurrency sector and how technologies developed around crypto could contribute to the AI ecosystem.
University of Pennsylvania Wharton School professor Kevin Werbach will examine autonomous software connecting decentralized finance with traditional financial markets.
A developer hackathon is also planned for the weekend preceding the main conference.
Ripple said the XRP Ledger has been operating for more than 13 years and has processed well over $1 trillion in volume. The company also said its solutions supported trillions of dollars in transactions last year, although the announcement did not provide a more specific figure.
Separately, Ripple highlighted WaterCredit, Gary White’s financing model, which it said has mobilized $8.2 billion and reached 92 million people. The initiative has a stated goal of reaching 200 million people by 2030.
Writer: Marcus RenfieldCrypto Market Analyst & Onchain WriterMarcus Renfield covers cryptocurrency markets with a focus on onchain data, Bitcoin price action, and emerging market narratives. His writing examines how capital flows, network activity, and broader market structure influence short- and medium-term trends.He aims to provide clear, data-informed analysis for readers seeking a deeper understanding of crypto market dynamics.