UN:BLOCK Europe 2026, Northern Europe’s leading blockchain and financial technology – fintech – conference, is set to welcome more than 2,500 attendees from around the world this year. The conference will take place on April 1–2, 2026, at Hanzas Perons in Riga (16A Hanzas St.). It is regarded as the largest Web3 conference in Northern Europe and one of the most significant blockchain and crypto technology events across Scandinavia, the Baltics, and Poland.
This year, the conference is expected to bring together 2,500 industry professionals, including 100 speakers, as well as representatives from approximately 400 companies across more than 40 countries. Participants will include representatives from leading cryptocurrency exchanges, including Kraken, as well as Ryan Fang of World Liberty Financial. One of the conference’s main partners is global financial technology company Mastercard.
Reinis Znotiņš, Executive Director of the Latvian Blockchain Association (LBAA), says the conference’s rapid growth reflects rising interest in blockchain technologies and their practical applications in business.
“Last year, we succeeded in bringing together a large number of world-class speakers from some of the industry’s biggest companies, such as Binance, KuCoin, and Gravity Team. At the same time, we created a high-quality and educational conference around a topic that is attracting growing interest from entrepreneurs today: how to use the expanding crypto economy and blockchain technology to drive business development. This significantly increased the conference’s visibility across the Baltics as well as in Scandinavia and Poland,” Znotiņš explains.
Key topics: Real World Assets and Stablecoin adoption
This year’s programme will place particular emphasis on Real World Asset (RWA) tokenisation, stablecoins, digital asset regulation, and the integration of digital assets into the traditional financial system.
“Stablecoins are already reshaping the international payments system. Today, a cross-border transfer, for example from Latvia to the United States, can take several days and pass through multiple banks while incurring high fees. With stablecoins, such payments can be made almost instantly and at significantly lower cost,” says Znotiņš.
He adds that the tokenisation of real-world assets, or RWAs, is also becoming increasingly important, allowing individuals to digitally acquire ownership rights to a portion of a real asset, such as real estate. Major financial market players, including BlackRock and NASDAQ, are already actively working in this area.
Two stages: one for Web3, one for traditional finance
The conference programme will be split across two parallel stages. One will focus on the blockchain and Web3 ecosystem and blockchain technologies, while the other will be dedicated to fintech, regulation, cybersecurity, and the role of artificial intelligence in the financial sector.
“Traditional financial institutions are showing growing interest in blockchain technology. This is also evidenced by the fact that Mastercard is one of the conference’s partners and sponsors,” Znotiņš notes.
The conference will also host a high-level political debate on industry regulation and development.
“The political discussion will be especially important, because the sector is growing rapidly, while there are still differing views in the political sphere about its development. The discussion will help clarify how Latvia sees the future of this industry — as an opportunity or as a risk,” Znotiņš says.
Strengthening Latvia’s position as a Web3 hub
Organisers emphasise that a conference of this scale plays an important role in positioning Latvia as a growing Web3 hub and raising its profile within the international blockchain and fintech ecosystem.
“We are already seeing companies from Hungary and Lithuania choosing to obtain licences in Latvia. Companies from the United States, Australia, and Turkey are also applying for European MiCA licences in Latvia,” says Znotiņš.
He adds that the conference is designed to reinforce Latvia’s place on the international fintech and blockchain map. “UN:BLOCK demonstrates that Latvia has the potential to become an important centre for Web3 innovation, dialogue, and business development in Europe,” stresses Znotiņš.
The conference is organised by the UN:BLOCK Europe team in cooperation with the Latvian Blockchain Association, Gravity Team, Sorainen, and other partners. Support is provided within the framework of the project “Support for the Improvement of the Technology Transfer System,” co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the Latvian state budget.
For more information and conference registration, visit: www.unblockeurope.com #EUfunds
For media inquiries:
Reinis Znotiņš
Executive Director of the Latvian Blockchain Association
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +371 29525675
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