The conversation around blockchain is increasingly moving beyond crypto markets and toward the infrastructure connecting digital assets with payments, banking and global finance. This October, many of the people working on that transition will gather in Lisbon.
Meridian 2026, Stellar’s annual flagship conference, takes place October 28–29 at Convento do Beato. The two-day event brings together developers, founders, financial institutions, policymakers and digital asset companies to explore how blockchain technology is being used in the real world.
Here are five reasons to have Meridian on your calendar this fall.
One of Meridian’s biggest draws is the mix of people attending. Rather than focusing exclusively on crypto-native companies, the conference brings blockchain builders into the same room as banks, financial infrastructure providers, investors and policymakers.
The 2026 speaker lineup reflects that mix. Confirmed speakers include Nadine Chakar, Global Head of DTCC Digital Assets; Jamie Walker, Head of Digital Assets and Money Movement at U.S. Bank; Michael Shaulov, CEO and co-founder of Fireblocks; Ginger Baker, VP of Product Management at Meta; and Anthony Scaramucci, founder and managing partner of SkyBridge Capital.
Other participants come from organizations including MoneyGram, SG-Forge, WisdomTree Digital Assets, PwC, EY, Curve Finance, WalletConnect, Ondo Finance and Anchorage Digital.
That makes Meridian an opportunity to hear from both sides of an increasingly important conversation: the crypto companies building new financial infrastructure and the established institutions figuring out how to use it.
Meridian puts a strong emphasis on real-world applications of the Stellar network rather than concentrating solely on broader market narratives.
Across two days, the program includes keynotes, fireside chats, technical sessions, workshops and ecosystem showcases. The schedule is designed around real-world uses of Stellar alongside networking and product discovery.
That means discussions extend into areas such as payments, financial access, tokenized assets and the infrastructure required to connect digital assets with existing financial systems.
For attendees trying to understand where blockchain adoption is moving beyond experimentation, Meridian provides an opportunity to see products, infrastructure and use cases being discussed by the organizations actually building them.
For developers, the Meridian experience can start several days earlier.
HackMeridian takes place October 25–26 in Lisbon, immediately before the main conference. The two-day event brings developers, founders, designers and technical teams together to turn ideas into working products built on Stellar.
The connection between the hackathon and the main conference also gives builders a chance to put their work in front of the wider ecosystem. Top HackMeridian projects are set to pitch on Meridian’s main stage as part of the Stellar Shark Tank session.
For developers, that makes the week more than a traditional conference experience. It is also an opportunity to build, demonstrate products and connect directly with other technical teams.
Large crypto conferences can attract tens of thousands of people, which is useful for scale but can make meaningful conversations harder.
Meridian is considerably more focused. Its 2025 edition brought together more than 1,000 attendees from 65 countries, with over 115 speakers participating across more than 60 sessions.
The 2026 program also builds networking directly into the schedule. Attendees can join a pre-conference Stellar Lounge networking session on October 27, followed by evening gatherings during the conference and a closing celebration on October 29.
For founders, investors, developers and financial professionals, the smaller setting can provide more opportunities to connect with people working on similar problems rather than simply navigating another enormous exhibition floor.
The location does not hurt either.
Meridian takes place at Convento do Beato, a historic 16th-century convent in Lisbon’s Marvila neighborhood. The venue sits roughly 15 minutes by car from Lisbon Humberto Delgado Airport, making it relatively easy for international attendees to reach.
Lisbon has also become a familiar meeting point for Europe’s technology and crypto communities, and Meridian arrives just before another busy stretch of technology events across Portugal and the rest of Europe.
For anyone planning a fall conference calendar, Meridian offers a combination that is increasingly difficult to find: institutional finance, crypto-native builders, technical content and networking in a relatively focused setting.
With digital assets becoming more closely connected to payments and traditional financial infrastructure, Meridian 2026 offers two days to see how that convergence is developing and meet some of the people building it.