On 1 July 2026, the 18-month grandfathering window under MiCA in the EU and EEA closed. After this date, any entity providing digital-asset services to EU clients without the required licence is in breach of EU law. So, it must cease offering such services. In fact, the crypto industry has long been waiting for this moment.
Amid this, there are industry events which bring together the world’s leading digital asset and finance players to work out how to actually operate in the new environment. The upcoming European Blockchain Convention, set to take place on 16–17 September 2026 in Barcelona, is one of them.
It will be the event’s 12th edition, with 80 of Europe’s top 100 banks expected, up from 50 last year. The event takes place at the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya, almost exactly eleven weeks after the MiCA deadline passed.
There, CASP licensing, stablecoin issuance, and CBDC-based cross-border settlement will be discussed as new conditions everyone is already working under. Among the speakers:
- Emma Landriault (Kinexys Labs, J.P. Morgan);
- Mohamad Zaraket (BNY);
- Kathleen Wrynn (Invesco);
- Victor Jung (Hamilton Lane);
- Previn Singh (Fidelity International);
- Colin Payne (Financial Conduct Authority).
“European banks are deploying capital, institutional products are live across major markets, and the regulatory framework is in place,” said Victoria Gago, Co-CEO of EBC and Digital Assets Forum. “EBC12 Barcelona is where the people driving that change meet once a year to do real business.”
The format is built for such businesses, as there will be 10,000 pre-arranged one-to-one meetings, a Buy Side Breakfast for allocators, and a dedicated press room. And yes — Drofa Comms is proud to be an Official Media Partner of EBC12 in Barcelona. We’re glad to support our clients and partners at the event and to take part in an event of such scale.
