Ripple’s Swell conference returns to New York this fall with its biggest event yet
Ripple is bringing its flagship conference back to New York City this October, and the company is making sure everyone knows this isn’t just another industry gathering. The 2026 edition marks the first time Ripple will combine its Swell conference with its developer-focused Apex event, creating what the company is calling its largest gathering to date.
CEO Brad Garlinghouse described the return to New York as a significant moment for Ripple, and the speaker lineup suggests he’s not just being polite about his own event. Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman, actor and philanthropist Matt Damon, Ripple President Monica Long, and CTO Emeritus David Schwartz are all confirmed to take the stage.
What’s actually happening at Swell 2026
The conference runs October 27 through 29 at The Shed in Hudson Yards, Manhattan. Multiple programming tracks will cater to different audiences, from traditional finance executives exploring tokenization to developers deep in the technical weeds. Early registration is already open, with early-bird pricing available until July 11, 2026.
The event builds on momentum from prior years. Ripple’s previous Swell conference drew more than 1,500 attendees and featured 75 speakers across 50 sessions. The 2026 edition is expected to surpass those numbers, given the expanded format and the caliber of speakers already announced.
A decade of Swell and a very different regulatory landscape
The Swell series has been running for roughly a decade, with previous editions held in cities like Las Vegas and Singapore. The 2025 conference was held in New York City, and the 2026 edition follows that return, reinforcing Ripple’s commitment to engaging the U.S. institutional market. Swell has historically focused on payments innovation, blockchain infrastructure, and regulatory developments, while Apex has catered to developers building on the XRP Ledger. The combined format signals that Ripple wants institutional decision-makers and the people actually writing the code in the same room at the same time.
Having Nasdaq’s CEO on stage isn’t something that happens at conferences the traditional finance world considers fringe. Adena Friedman runs one of the largest stock exchanges on the planet, and her presence signals that the conversation between crypto infrastructure companies and legacy financial institutions has moved past the introductory phase.
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
You may also like
The AI boom may follow the path of the 19th-century railway bubble, and builders may not be the ultimate winners
Goldman Sachs analyst Bobby Molavi compared the current situation to the 19th-century British railway mania: 500 companies spent more than the nation's annual income building 8,000 miles of railway, with most early investors losing out, while the real beneficiaries were the later "passengers." He pointed out that the current AI craze is driven by both debt and momentum, and that the S&P 500’s forward P/E ratio of 18x is only "a bit cheaper." Whether the builders can retain value is uncertain, and history does not offer an optimistic answer.
If Anthropic's IPO goes smoothly and the stock price rises next week, then everything remains the same for AI. Otherwise, some companies will go bankrupt.
The shrinking valuations of two major giants have triggered a chain reaction—investors are adopting more conservative revenue multiples for AI startups and are directly halting high-valuation financing for companies with zero revenue. Multiple venture capital firms have advised their portfolio companies to lower valuation expectations and to quickly build up cash reserves. Market participants warn that the outcome of Anthropic’s IPO will be a barometer for the industry: if successful, the boom will continue; if it fails, some companies may face elimination.
After the Brazilian election, political discount deepens; Morgan Stanley remains bullish on Petrobras (PBR.US), focusing on fuel pricing and dividends
Morgan Stanley still maintains its most optimistic "Overweight" rating, but has lowered its year-end 2027 target price from $31 to $25.
Corning (GLW.US) receives initial "Buy" rating from Jefferies! AI factories driving a fiber optic rush, with a potential global supply gap of up to 30%
For Corning, the recent profit growth mainly comes from the expansion of AI clusters. As the number of optical links crossing cabinets and campuses increases, customers need to deploy more optical fibers within limited conduit and cabinet space, thus driving demand for high-density optical cables and connection systems.
Crypto prices
More
