Ripple to host largest Swell 2026 conference in New York

Ripple is preparing to host its largest-ever annual conference, Swell 2026, which will for the first time merge its institutional-focused event with its developer summit, XRPL Apex. The combined conference is scheduled for October 27-29 at The Shed in New York City's Hudson Yards and is expected to draw over 1,500 attendees.

The merger represents a strategic shift for the company, aiming to bridge its institutional partnerships with the developer community building on the XRP Ledger. The agenda is structured around three parallel tracks: an Institutional track for banks and payment firms, an Ecosystem track for developers, and an Innovation track covering emerging areas like asset tokenization and AI-driven finance. More than 75 speakers are slated to participate across over 50 sessions.

The speaker lineup underscores the event's focus on real-world financial utility. Alongside Ripple executives, including CEO Brad Garlinghouse, President Monica Long, and CTO Emeritus David Schwartz, featured speakers include Tom Farley, CEO of the crypto exchange Bullish, and Billy Hult, CEO of the trading platform Tradeweb. Actor and Water.org co-founder Matt Damon is also scheduled to speak,...