Next Block Expo 2026 In Warsaw Brings Institutional Focus To Crypto
- Warsaw delivered one of the more substantive weeks on this year’s European circuit.
- NBX 2026 stood out not for its sheer size, but for the quality of what was actually being discussed on the floor.
- Two themes dominated NBX 2026 in a way that was hard to ignore.
- NBX hosted a dedicated AI summit running alongside the main programme, and its presence extended well beyond the agenda.
What Happened
Alongside his stage appearances, Jakub recorded eight video interviews with executives, founders, and investors across institutional crypto.
Market Context
Warsaw delivered one of the more substantive weeks on this year’s European circuit. BeInCrypto was there as official media partner, with our Polish Editor, Jakub Dziadkowiec, covering the full event, recording eight exclusive interviews, taking the stage twice, and capturing a conference that left a mark on the European circuit.
NBX 2026 stood out not for its sheer size, but for the quality of what was actually being discussed on the floor. The 116 speakers and 51 exhibitors split fairly clearly across three conversations: exchange executives and institutional players debating market structure and regulation; Polish lawmakers and public figures weighing in on digital payments and financial infrastructure in Europe; and infrastructure builders focused on what scaling in a regulated environment actually looks like in practice.
He delivered a keynote and Q&A session on crypto portfolio diversification, making the case for why concentration risk is one of the most underappreciated conversations in this industry right now. He also stepped in as panel moderator for one of the event’s sharper discussions: “Who Owns the Market: Exchanges, Data, or the Compliance Layer?” a question that, depending on who you ask, has about five different right answers.
Miko Matsumura, Managing Partner at Gumi Cryptos Capital
Why It Matters
Institutional Focus and High-quality Engagement
The event maintained a balance between intimacy and scale, allowing attendees to run into the same interesting contacts multiple times while keeping the energy of a full conference hall afloat.
Details
The Themes That Kept Coming Up
Two themes dominated NBX 2026 in a way that was hard to ignore.
The first was AI. NBX hosted a dedicated AI summit running alongside the main programme, and its presence extended well beyond the agenda. Several stands on the floor featured interactive robots, including the kind of autonomous, four-legged machines that until recently existed mostly in research videos. Attendees were stopping, talking to them, and occasionally looking a little unsettled. The point landed regardless.
The second was compliance. Regulatory conversation at crypto conferences has historically ranged from performative to panicked. At NBX, it felt settled. The institutions in the room are not waiting to see how regulation lands anymore. They are building for it, and in several cases, they are helping shape it.
That combination, AI integration and regulatory maturity, is a reasonable summary of where European crypto is heading. NBX reflected that clearly.
BeInCrypto On-Stage Presence
Jakub did not just cover the event from the sidelines. He took the stage twice.
Both sessions reflected the tone of the conference overall. Serious, specific, and not interested in retreading ground the industry has already covered.
Exclusive Interviews
Interviewees included:
Georg Harer, Co-CEO at Bybit EU, Check out the exclusive interview here
Suzanne Morsfield, CFO at LUKKA
Mike Vitez, Co-founder and CTO at Saturnia Design
Princess Sophia Volkonsky, CEO of Castillia
Sabina Liu, Managing Director at KuCoin EU
Milko Hensel, CEO at Maerki Baumann and Co. AG
Player1Taco, Crypto Influencer and Trader