Santander, BBVA, Trade Republic and Western Union to Discuss the Future of Stablecoins at MERGE Madrid 2026

Stablecoins are moving from niche crypto projects to mainstream financial strategies. Four major players – Santander, BBVA, Trade Republic and Western Union – will join the MERGE Madrid 2026 conference to discuss how digital money can reshape payments, cross‑border transfers, investment products and asset settlement.

Event overview

MERGE Madrid 2026 runs from 27 to 29 October in Madrid. The first day hosts an Institutional Summit at the Bolsa de Madrid, followed by a three‑day conference at the Palacio de Cibeles. Organisers expect more than 3,000 participants and 250 speakers from Europe and Latin America.

Four complementary approaches

• European stablecoin alliance (Qivalis): A consortium of 37 banks from 15 European countries, including BBVA, Banca Sella and Intesa Sanpaolo, is developing a euro‑denominated stablecoin. The aim is faster, 24/7 payments and regulated settlement of digital assets, with a commercial launch planned for the second half of 2026, subject to authorization.
• G7‑backed digital money initiative: Santander will present a collaborative project with banks such as Bank of America, Barclays, Citi and UBS to issue a digital currency fully backed by reserves and deployed on public blockchains. The study focuses on currencies linked to G7 fiat currencies and common standards for secure, regulated use.
• Retail investment perspective: Trade Republic, a leading European investment platform, will discuss how digital assets can be integrated into everyday financial services, addressing retail demand, regulated access and the role of platforms in adoption.
• Dollar‑stablecoin for remittances: Western Union will showcase USDPT, a US‑dollar stablecoin issued by Anchorage Digital Bank on the Solana network. The token will be incorporated into Western Union’s Digital Asset Network to enable 24/7 transfers, payments and conversion to local currencies.

Key discussion topics

Beyond technology, participants will examine:

• Who should issue stablecoins and how reserves are protected.
• Guarantees required for users and how stablecoins can coexist with bank deposits and the future digital euro.
• Potential for real‑world adoption in Europe and Latin America.
• Implications of MiCA regulation, which provides a specific framework for crypto‑asset issuance in the EU.

Broader agenda

The conference will also cover tokenization, custody, regulation, capital markets, Bitcoin, AI applications in finance and emerging blockchain infrastructures, reinforcing MERGE’s role as a bridge between traditional banking and the digital‑asset ecosystem.