From Sibos Exclusion to a New York Finance Gathering
An event that began outside an established banking conference now expects decision-makers from across traditional and digital finance. The blockchain infrastructure provider outlined its Swell 2026 lineup Sept. 29, tracing its origins to a gathering a decade ago. The company anticipates 1,500 participants across traditional finance, crypto, academia, and the $XRP ecosystem in New York next month.
The historical account places the conference’s beginnings within a debate over blockchain’s potential role in global finance. Ripple said: “Ten years ago, shut out of Sibos, Ripple gathered a group of financial leaders to talk about what blockchain could mean for global finance.” Sibos has brought the financial community together since 1978, providing the historical backdrop to that account.
This year’s format combines the Swell conference with Apex, the summit for $XRP Ledger developers, institutions, and investors. The $XRP Ledger is the public blockchain whose native cryptocurrency is $XRP. UBRI Connect, the academic conference of Ripple’s University Blockchain Research Initiative, joins them for the first time. The three-day New York gathering runs Oct. 27-29 at The Shed in Manhattan, with more than 100 speakers, over 80 sessions, and three stages.
