MERGE Madrid takes place October 27–29 in Madrid, with the first day at Bolsa de Madrid and the main congress on October 28–29 at Palacio de Cibeles. The conference focuses on institutional crypto, blockchain, Web3, digital assets, and the overlap between traditional finance, regulation, startups, and digital infrastructure.

The format is split across an Institutional Summit, a two-day main congress, an exhibition area, networking formats, 1:1 meetings, startup programming, side events, and immersive experiences. MERGE is built for banks, fintechs, regulators, payment companies, exchanges, custodians, funds, infrastructure providers, blockchain ecosystems, startups, legal teams, compliance teams, and companies working with digital assets in Europe and Latin America.

The Madrid edition includes 3 stages, 200+ speakers, a 7,000 m² exhibition area, 40+ exhibitors, and programming focused on business use cases across Web2 and Web3.

Institutional Summit at Bolsa de Madrid

MERGE starts on October 27 with the Institutional Summit at Bolsa de Madrid. Access is reserved for 400 attendees, focused on speakers and Business Pass holders.

The summit is aimed at a more senior institutional audience, including C-level executives, founders, partners, and senior leadership from banks, custodians, asset managers, regulators, and established digital asset companies. The program includes a welcome session, institutional tracks, roundtables, panels, and an evening VIP cocktail.

Topics listed for the summit include regulated custody, staking, prime services, on-chain banking, institutional custody, stablecoin payment infrastructure, tokenization, RWAs, MiCA, institutional DeFi, cross-border payments, liquidity, and market structure.

Main Congress at Palacio de Cibeles

The main congress takes place on October 28–29 at Palacio de Cibeles. The venue hosts the conference stages, exhibition area, networking spaces, startup track, sponsors, partners, speakers, and general ticket holders.

Across both congress days, the schedule includes conferences and panels, expo and experience areas, networking, startup programming, VIP lunches, a happy hour, and a closing party on the final evening.

The main congress is designed for attendees looking to meet companies across the digital asset market, follow institutional and regulatory discussions, explore blockchain infrastructure, compare products, and connect with teams working across finance, payments, tokenization, Web3, and emerging technologies.

Program Topics

The MERGE program covers several tracks across finance, regulation, infrastructure, payments, capital markets, culture, and Web3 adoption.

The Digital Money, Payments & Stablecoins track covers stablecoins, CBDCs, tokenized money, cross-border payments, local payment rails, custody, and institutional capital markets opportunities linked to stablecoins and Bitcoin.

The Banks, Brokers & Institutional Crypto track focuses on how banks, brokers, asset managers, and financial institutions are working with crypto, custody, tokenization, and digital asset products.

The Tokenization & Capital Markets track covers tokenized bonds, real-world assets, secondary markets, tokenized equities, private markets, funds, treasuries, and regulated tokenization activity in Europe and Latin America.

The Regulation, Compliance & Legal Frameworks track includes MiCA, AML, KYC, on-chain compliance, crypto taxes, fintech regulation in Latin America, and differences between European and U.S. regulatory approaches.

The Blockchain Infrastructure & Emerging Technologies track covers public and private chains, bridges, interoperability, ZK proofs, account abstraction, privacy, applied cryptography, AI x blockchain, smart contracts, and quantum computing risks.

The Innovation, Culture & Web3 Economy track includes Web3 gaming, fan engagement, extended reality, NFTs, digital identity, GovTech, decentralized AI networks, creator communities, and digital culture.

Exhibition Area and Experiences

MERGE includes a 7,000 m² exhibition area with 40+ exhibitors. The expo gives companies space to present products, meet attendees, hold business conversations, and connect with the wider institutional and Web3 ecosystem.

The experience area includes official NFTs, virtual reality experiences, NFT galleries, auctions, raffles, avatars, crypto ATMs, and other digital installations. These formats sit alongside the main conference program and give attendees a way to explore applied Web3 technology beyond panels and booths.

Networking, Side Events, and 1:1 Meetings

Networking is part of the core MERGE format. The conference includes coffee breaks, happy hours, VIP networking, side events, and an official afterparty in Madrid.

MERGE also supports 1:1 meetings through its event app, giving attendees a way to connect with speakers, sponsors, and companies attending the congress. The side-event program runs around the main conference and is aimed at companies and communities hosting smaller sessions during MERGE week.

Startup Contest and Startup Track

MERGE includes a startup contest connecting early-stage Web3 companies from Europe and Latin America. Finalists get a slot in the MERGE Madrid Startup Track and present in front of investors, funds, strategic partners, and the wider conference audience.

Applications opened on June 10 and close on September 6. Selected startups are announced on September 10, followed by an in-person contest at Digitaliza Madrid on September 21. Finalists then pitch during the MERGE Madrid Startup Track from October 27–29.

The startup contest is open to projects less than four years old, with less than €5 million raised, and a direct relationship with the Web3 ecosystem. Eligible startups can apply across four tracks: DeFi & Tokenization, DePIN & Decentralized AI, RWA, and Web3 & Entertainment.

The contest lists €50,000+ in prizes, connections, and strategic visibility. Prizes can include money or services such as mentoring, cloud credits, legal advice, training, infrastructure, introductions to VCs, pitch and tokenomics workshops, and access to ecosystem partners.

Speakers

Confirmed speakers for MERGE Madrid include Coty de Monteverde, Global Head of Crypto & Digital Assets at Banco Santander; Massimo Cervesato, VP Global Blockchain & Digital Assets at Mastercard; Cassie Craddock, VP and Managing Director for the UK and Europe at Ripple; and Francisco Maroto, Head of Blockchain and Digital Assets at BBVA.

The wider speaker list includes people from banks, payment companies, exchanges, custodians, blockchain infrastructure companies, legal firms, compliance providers, investment firms, protocol ecosystems, and public-sector organizations.

Sponsors and Partners

MERGE Madrid includes sponsors and partners across public institutions, digital asset companies, banks, infrastructure providers, payment companies, venture groups, educational organizations, and media.

Current sponsor tiers include Madrid, Crypto Finance, and Ripple as Platinum Sponsors. Gold Sponsors include BME, BSV Blockchain, Bit2Me, BitGo, Bullish, Cecabank, Rain, and Tether. Silver Sponsors include Anchorage Digital, Chainalysis, Dfns, Fireblocks, Hadron by Tether, Hedera, La Familia, Mastercard, Prosegur Crypto, Solana, TRM Labs, and Valour.

The partner list also includes startup and venture partners, ecosystem partners, educational partners, PR partners, and media partners. Web3Voyager is listed among MERGE Madrid’s PR and media partners.

Tickets and Access

MERGE Madrid offers several ticket tiers for the main congress and Institutional Summit.

Discover Pass Day 1 costs €99, excluding VAT, with access on October 28. Discover Pass Day 2 costs €99, excluding VAT, with access on October 29. Both include conference access from 09:00 and expo access from 14:00.
The Standard Pass costs €319, excluding VAT, and covers the main congress on October 28–29, including conferences, the expo area, recorded content, the event app, and onsite and online networking.
The Pro Pass costs €569, excluding VAT. It includes Standard access, plus speaker and sponsor contacts through the event app and VIP lunch access on October 28.
The Business Pass costs €1,799, excluding VAT. It includes access from October 27–29, covering the Institutional Summit at Bolsa de Madrid, the VIP night with speakers and sponsors, the main congress, VIP lunch, speaker and sponsor contacts through the event app, and access to the Speakers & Sponsors Lounge.
The Startup Pack costs €2,500 + VAT. It includes three Standard tickets and a choice between a 20-minute keynote in the startup track or a 2 m² booth in the startup area.
A student pass is available by application.

Who Should Attend

MERGE Madrid is best suited for teams working where crypto meets finance: banks, fintechs, payment companies, custodians, exchanges, asset managers, infrastructure providers, and legal or compliance teams.

It also fits founders, startups, and venture teams building around stablecoins, tokenization, RWAs, custody, market infrastructure, regulated digital assets, and institutional Web3 products.