The Ripple Swell 2026 speakers span global finance, crypto, and academia, with keynotes from Water.org co-founders Matt Damon and Gary White, Tom Farley of Bullish, and Ripple’s Brad Garlinghouse. Three tracks—Institutional, Ecosystem, and Innovation—bring leaders together in New York to shape where payments, tokenization, stablecoins, and the XRP Ledger go next. Ripple gathers 1,500 leaders this October in New York for its biggest event yet. For the first time, Swell runs alongside Apex and UBRI Connect, uniting banks, fintechs, builders, and researchers under one roof. Expect practical insights on moving real money at scale, tokenizing assets, and the next phase of adoption. The agenda blends hands-on engineering talks with C-suite strategy, giving decision-makers and developers a shared map for the year ahead.

Why this milestone year matters

Over the last decade, traditional finance and digital assets moved closer step by step. Clearer rules, better rails, and live use cases changed the tone. The XRP Ledger has run for over 13 years and processed well over $1 trillion in volume. Ripple’s solutions moved trillions of dollars last year. The infrastructure works. Now the industry asks what to build on top of it, and who will lead. That is what this Swell sets out to define. Swell 2026 also marks the 10th anniversary of the conference. With Apex and UBRI Connect joining the week, developers, institutions, and academics can compare notes in the same halls. That tight feedback loop—research to product to scale—should speed progress across payments, stablecoins like RLUSD, tokenized funds, and new compliance frameworks.

Meet the Ripple Swell 2026 speakers

These Ripple Swell 2026 speakers connect big industry shifts to concrete action. Their talks focus on how to expand access, reduce friction, and manage risk as new rails meet old systems.

Matt Damon and Gary White, Water.org

Actor and producer Matt Damon and Water.org CEO Gary White explain how finance tools bring safe water and sanitation to people who need it most. They highlight WaterCredit, which has mobilized billions of dollars and reached tens of millions of people. They also show how Ripple Payments and RLUSD speed cross-border transfers across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Tom Farley, Bullish (NYSE: BLSH)

The Bullish Chairman and CEO, and former NYSE President, offers a markets-first view. He lays out why the wave of institutional adoption in crypto is underway, what liquidity looks like when more assets go on chain, and how market structure is evolving across venues.

Brad Garlinghouse, Ripple

Ripple’s CEO sits down for a wide-ranging fireside chat on digital assets, global finance, and what comes next. He also moderates two sessions: a market outlook with Tom Farley, and a conversation with Matt Damon and Gary White on expanding financial access through strong partnerships.

Johann Kerbrat, Robinhood

Robinhood’s SVP and GM of Crypto and International shares how retail and institutions can meet on the same digital asset rails. With engineering roots and privacy-focused crypto experience, he discusses scale, security, and user access with Ripple President Monica Long.

Laide Majiyagbe, BNY

BNY’s Global Head of Markets covers how trading, liquidity, and settlement are changing. From tokenized money market funds to stablecoins, she and Tradeweb CEO Billy Hult explore how institutions redesign operations for same-day and even instant flows.

Three tracks that map the future

Swell’s program groups sessions into three tracks—Institutional, Ecosystem, and Innovation—so each audience can go deep while staying connected to the big picture.

Institutional: For financial services leaders

This track focuses on execution. Sessions ask what happens when AI starts moving money, what the first year of a spot XRP ETF teaches, and what it takes to harden digital assets for bank-grade production. Expect guidance on governance, risk, controls, and real-time operations. Speakers to watch:

Michael Blaugrund, Intercontinental Exchange (ICE): The former NYSE COO and current VP of Strategic Initiatives unpacks onchain equities, funds, and collateral—and what changes next for market plumbing.

Elizabeth St-Onge, TD Securities: The head of Digital Assets Product & Strategy debates stablecoin models with leaders from Visa and Cari Network, weighing single issuers versus consortiums for global payments scale.

Ecosystem: For builders on the XRP Ledger

This track showcases new XRPL features and projects. Developers can join the XRPL Hackathon the weekend before Swell to prototype with core contributors. Talks focus on performance, privacy, interoperability, and institutional tooling. Speakers to watch:

David Schwartz and Ayo Akinyele: Ripple’s CTO Emeritus and a leading RippleX cryptographer discuss where the XRPL goes next, from privacy-preserving tech to scale and robust network design.

Brett Mollin, XRPL Foundation: He explains why enterprises should run validators—not to chase yield, but to gain a voice in network health and governance.

David Bchiri, XRPL Commons: He shares how community groups across regions support builders with education, meetups, and open-source collaboration.

For builders, the lineup of Ripple Swell 2026 speakers includes the people who write code, set standards, and keep the network secure. This blend of vision and hands-on detail helps teams ship faster and smarter.

Innovation: Research at the frontier

The Innovation track taps Ripple’s University Blockchain Research Initiative to bring new science into practice. Talks probe security, trust, crypto economics, and how AI and blockchain reinforce one another. Speakers to watch:

Ari Juels, Cornell Tech: The IC3 co-founder examines how AI changes crypto—and how cryptography, oracles, and proofs can make AI more secure and auditable.

Kevin Werbach, Wharton: The legal scholar explains how agentic AI links DeFi and traditional finance as traders test autonomous systems in real markets.

What to watch for during Swell’s 10th anniversary

Swell is known for major product and partnership news. With so many policymakers, banks, fintechs, corporates, and asset managers present, expect updates that push real-world adoption. Watch for:

New corridors and use cases for Ripple Payments and RLUSD.

Tokenized funds and collateral workflows that reduce operational drag.

Practical controls for AI-driven finance, including audit and compliance.

Stronger links between institutional platforms and public chains.

The network effect will be in the hallways. Deals form when product teams, market operators, and researchers meet face to face. Bring questions about latency, settlement finality, and how to manage risk when speed goes up and fees go down.

How to get the most value on-site

A few simple steps can turn a busy week into real outcomes:

Pick a primary track, then add two sessions outside your lane to broaden your view.

Bookmark talks from Ripple Swell 2026 speakers who map to your priorities—payments, tokenization, market structure, or research.

Schedule short 1:1s. Ten minutes with a product owner can save months later.

If you build, arrive early for the XRPL Hackathon to test ideas with core engineers.

Follow up the same day. Share notes, next steps, and owners while the context is fresh.

The road ahead with Ripple Swell 2026 speakers

This year shows a clear shift from pilots to production. Systems run, volume moves, and the questions turn to scale, trust, and access. The Ripple Swell 2026 speakers bring the right mix of vision and detail to answer those questions. If your work depends on faster, safer, and smarter finance, this is the room to be in—and the moment to act. See you in New York, where the conversations and connections with Ripple Swell 2026 speakers will help set the next decade of progress.

(Source: https://ripple.com/insights/the-swell-2026-lineup-is-here/)

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