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.
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