Ripple Unveils Swell 2026 Agenda Highlighting XRP in Institutional Finance

Ripple announced the full program for Swell 2026, a three‑day conference in New York that will explore the next phase of finance. The event, scheduled for Oct. 27‑29 at The Shed in Manhattan, will bring together more than 100 speakers from traditional banks, crypto exchanges and the XRP developer community.

Key Participants and Schedule

Among the confirmed speakers are Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, CME Group Chairman and CEO Terrence Duffy, Bullish Chairman Tom Farley and Water.org co‑founder Matt Damon. The agenda lists over 80 sessions across three stages, with an expected audience of more than 1,500 attendees.

Institutional Focus

The conference will cover liquidity and settlement, tokenization of real‑world assets, and the role of bank‑grade stablecoins. Representatives from BNY, Barclays, State Street and Jump Trading will discuss how blockchain infrastructure can support issuance, trading, custody and settlement of tokenized funds. CME Group’s presence links the event to established futures, options and clearing markets.

Developer and Technology Themes

Ripple’s CTO Emeritus David Schwartz will speak on the future of the XRP Ledger, including its use for payments, decentralized finance, interoperability and AI‑driven money movement. Sessions will also address post‑quantum security and the integration of AI agents that initiate payments.

Spot XRP ETFs and Investor Outlook

Sw​ell will feature a dedicated discussion on U.S. spot XRP exchange‑traded funds, which have attracted roughly $1.71 billion in net inflows and hold about $1.39 billion in assets. The session will examine the first year of these products, focusing on market demand, custody, liquidity and regulatory considerations.

Combined Institutional and Developer Event

For the first time, Ripple is merging its institutional Swell conference with the developer‑focused Apex event, creating a comprehensive platform that spans finance, technology and investment perspectives.