BlackRock, J.P. Morgan, Mastercard, and policymakers gather at the third annual London Digital Assets Forum to assess institutional adoption under the UK’s new crypto framework
London, United Kingdom – Following the introduction of HMRC’s new Cryptoasset Reporting Framework (CARF) on January 1st, global financial institutions, policymakers, and financial leaders will gather at the 3rd annual London Digital Assets Forum (DAF3) to assess how regulatory clarity is accelerating institutional adoption of digital assets in the UK.
“In 2025, London maintained its position as a financial hub, closing the gap with first-place New York to just one point in the Global Financial Centres Index,” said Victoria Gago, Co-Founder of DAF. “With its history as a centre of financial innovation, and evolving regulatory environment, London is creating a fertile ground for blockchain to thrive within traditional finance. DAF3 will serve as a premier venue to foster cross-sector partnerships that will propel blockchain integration forward in 2026.”
This year, to account for the rapid expansion of institutional interest in blockchain, DAF3 will run over two days, featuring sessions on policy and regulation, tokenisation, DeFi, and how institutions are moving in the digital assets space as industry experts come to London to discuss the outlook for the year ahead.
Speakers at the event include: Nikhil Sharma of BlackRock; Emma Lovett of J.P. Morgan; Paul Worthington of Stripe; Frederik Gregaard of The Cardano Foundation; Dorothea Ysenburg of Mastercard; Tim Grant of Deus X Capital, and Stani Kulechov of Aave.
London’s renewed momentum extends beyond traditional markets into digital assets. In 2025, the FTSE outperformed the S&P, while the UK consolidated its position as Europe’s leading digital asset hub, accounting for more than a third of the region’s blockchain talent and reaching crypto adoption rates of over 24% of adults.
A recent report by Barclays Bank referred to 2026 as the “year of great regulation” as digital assets come under the purview of mainstream finance, with UK tax residents having to declare their crypto returns as capital gains starting January 1st of this year. This standardisation paves the way for increased institutional support for digital assets, with the FCA stating its intention to open a regulatory sandbox for the testing of stablecoin payments.
Deals focused on enterprise and institutional models account for over 70% of the UK’s digital asset investments. This is a trend that will continue with institutional investors poised to take advantage of regulatory certainty and a fintech-style regulatory sandbox. The Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future is also promising deeper integration between US and UK capital markets, with its first round of policy recommendations due in March.
Beyond content, Digital Assets Forum is designed as an executive-level forum focused on practical outcomes. In addition to main-stage discussions, the event features dedicated breakout rooms for smaller, focused sessions, two private rooms reserved for one-to-one meetings, and a separate space for press briefings and media interviews.
The agenda, audience curation, and meeting formats are structured to enable senior leaders to compare strategies, advance partnerships, and move initiatives forward in a trusted, institution-first environment.
Launched in 2018 in Barcelona, the European Blockchain Convention – organiser of Digital Assets Forum – has quickly become the premier blockchain event in Europe. It connects industry professionals, innovative startups, and leading technology experts. The event provides a platform for sharing insights, fostering collaborations, and exploring the immense potential of blockchain, crypto, and digital assets.
1. Introduction: Why Sponsorship Still Works — When Done Strategically
Event sponsorship has long been a powerful tool for companies aiming to reach qualified audiences, enhance brand authority, and create high-value business relationships. Traditionally, a sponsor’s role was straightforward: place a logo, secure stage time, set up a booth, and hope visibility translated into business.
But today, expectations — and opportunities — have evolved.
A sponsor is no longer a passive participant. Modern sponsorships serve as strategic growth engines, enabling companies to:
Position themselves as industry leaders
Engage in direct conversations with decision-makers
Access curated introductions and targeted networking
Strengthen credibility through brand association
Generate real deals, partnerships, and measurable ROI
When done right, event sponsorship becomes not just a marketing expense, but a high-return investment, especially in industries where trust, influence, and relationships determine success — like digital assets.
The key lies in choosing the right event, activating the sponsorship intelligently, and using every touchpoint to create meaningful engagement.
2. Strategies Sponsors Can Use to Maximize ROI
Below is a comprehensive set of strategies to help sponsors fully capitalize on event participation. These apply broadly, but become even more powerful when paired with an event built for institutional decision-makers, like Digital Assets Forum 2026.
Choose the Right Event — One That Attracts the Right Audience
ROI begins with alignment. Sponsors should prioritize events that bring together:
Institutional market participants with real capital and mandates
Events that are exclusive, focused, and not retail-driven provide stronger ROI because attendees come with real intent, not noise.
Leverage Event Publicity Before, During, and After
Sponsors should use event branding to amplify their presence:
Pre-promote attendance across social media
Announce speaker roles, booth presence, or special sessions
Use event hashtags to boost reach
Share teasers, thought leadership, or new product news
The event’s visibility becomes an extension of the sponsor’s communication channel.
Create Engaging On-Site Presence
Strategic activation increases interactions and brand recall.
Examples include:
Booths and exhibit stands
Branded lounges, topic lounges, or meeting areas
Banners, branded walls, lanyards, badges, or cloakroom visibility
Hosting a private meeting room
Interactive demo stations
Gamified experiences that attract traffic
Contests, giveaways, or competitions
Every touchpoint matters — and every branded surface becomes an opportunity.
Deliver High-Value Content
Speaking positions can dramatically improve authority and trust:
Keynotes
Fireside chats
Panels
Breakout sessions
Track sponsorship
Topic-led discussions
High-quality content positions sponsors as thought leaders and drives stronger engagement with exactly the right audience.
Engage with the Audience Meaningfully
ROI grows when the sponsor understands the audience and tailors messaging to them.
Key tactics:
Strong value proposition clearly communicated across materials
Staff trained to interact, explain products, and drive conversations
Facilitating networking and hosting invite-only micro-events
Partnering with influencers attending the event
Using giveaways or QR codes to guide attendees toward next steps
Use Every Opportunity for Inclusion in the Event Experience
Sponsors should aim to be integrated into the event itself:
Being included in planning or content discussions
Participating in private roundtables
Getting featured in event PR, newsletters, or highlight videos
Sponsoring exclusive side events (VIP night, closing party, lunches)
Being tied to an official track or stage
Integration builds familiarity — one of the strongest drivers of post-event conversions.
Maximize One-to-One Connections
Personal connections are often the real source of ROI.
Sponsors should:
Schedule 1:1 meetings in advance
Use curated matchmaking opportunities
Take advantage of dedicated meeting spaces
Follow up quickly and personally
Continue nurturing relationships long term
The value of a sponsorship grows exponentially when each encounter becomes the start of a commercial relationship.
Track Key Metrics and Evaluate ROI
Sponsors should measure:
Leads and connections generated
Meetings held
Social engagement
Brand visibility impressions
Deal flow and follow-up progress
Post-event sentiment and visibility
Presence in press, video, and content distribution
Presenting post-event reports — internally or externally — helps quantify impact and justify future sponsorships.
3. Why Digital Assets Forum 2026 Is the Most ROI-Driven Sponsorship Opportunity in Europe
Digital Assets Forum (DAF) 2026 in London is designed from the ground up to maximize sponsor impact, visibility, and commercial opportunity. It is Europe’s leading institutional forum for digital assets, built for clarity rather than hype — a place where capital, regulation, and institutional financial infrastructure meet.
A High-Value Audience That Actually Moves Markets
Sponsors don’t just reach attendees — they reach the industry’s most influential decision-makers:
Allocators, asset managers, and banks
Policymakers and regulators
Family offices, wealth managers, HNWI
Infrastructure providers, exchanges, custodians
Central banks, financial authorities, government leaders
With decision makers only (37% C-Level, 36% Director/Executive, and 27% Manager) in attendance, DAF is engineered around real deal flow and ROI, not retail traffic.
An Event Infrastructure Designed for ROI
DAF 2026 offers expanded, premium features to maximize sponsor interaction and visibility:
Two stages for greater speaking opportunities and content exposure
A dedicated 1:1 meeting area and curated 1:1 meetings
More LPs and GPs than ever — creating unmatched fundraising and deal-making potential
VIP Night for ultra-premium networking
Private roundtables for meaningful exchanges with top peers
Greater exhibition space to showcase products, services, and solutions
Press room access for high-value interviews and exposure
Everything at DAF is engineered for institutional relevance — and institutional ROI.
Premier Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsors can choose from Platinum, Diamond, Gold, Silver, and Bronze tiers or even become the Title partner of DAF, with opportunities including:
Keynote speaking roles
Firesides or panels
Stage branding rights
Booths and branded lounges
Press lounge or VIP speaker lounge ownership
Name badges, lanyards, registration, cloakroom branding
Private meeting rooms
Curated matchmaking and facilitated 1:1 meetings
Closing party sponsorship
Topic lounges and breakout sessions
Each option is designed not merely for visibility — but for influence, relationships, and commercial results.
Let’s Discuss Your Sponsorship Strategy for DAF 2026
If your company wants to connect with the institutions shaping the future of digital assets — from allocators to policymakers — DAF 2026 is the most strategic platform in Europe.
You will gain:
Access to high-level decision makers
Targeted visibility across on-site and online channels
Strategic speaking opportunities
Curated deal-making and private introductions
Premium branding throughout the forum
Long-term relationship-building in an exclusive environment
Spaces for premium sponsorship tiers are limited, and institutional demand for DAF 2026 is already strong. Early conversations ensure priority placement, greater visibility, and access to the most valuable opportunities.
In the digital assets ecosystem, it has become increasingly evident that strategic partnerships between digital asset infrastructure providers and traditional financial institutions are essential for mutual growth and market development. Such partnerships offer a wide array of benefits, including financial support, access to strategic expertise, shared technological and operational resources, marketing and brand amplification, capital flows, liquidity provision, network expansion, regulatory guidance, and knowledge transfer.
A clear example of the impact of partnerships can be seen in the stablecoin sector, where collaborations between issuers, exchanges, custodians, and payment providers have significantly accelerated market adoption, increased liquidity, and enhanced the overall credibility of stablecoins. For instance, partnerships enabling seamless integration with payment networks or major exchanges have expanded the reach of certain stablecoins, contributing to wider acceptance and usage.
For the specific case of Digital Asset partnerships, partnering with digital-asset infrastructure providers offers several important advantages. Collaborations with established financial institutions help reinforce credibility and address trust barriers, as seen in initiatives involving global banks such as JPMorgan or Standard Chartered. Regulatory uncertainty is reduced when working with licensed or jurisdictionally compliant platforms, including regulators-approved custodians or digital-asset banks operating under clear supervisory frameworks.
Partnerships also help overcome market fragmentation through the adoption of interoperable standards and shared networks, such as cross-chain communication protocols or integrations aligned with global messaging standards. These relationships additionally provide access to advanced technology, operational resilience, and expanded market reach.
By selecting partners that align with strategic and regulatory priorities, organizations can more effectively scale digital-asset offerings and strengthen their position within the emerging financial ecosystem.
However, forming effective partnerships in the digital assets space is complex. Selecting the right ecosystem partner often involves navigating regulatory considerations, technological compatibility, reputational risk, financial risk, operational risk, and alignment of strategic objectives. Challenges may include integrating disparate systems, ensuring compliance with evolving regulations across jurisdictions, managing security risks, and reconciling differing corporate cultures or governance standards.
Most partnerships in the ecosystem typically fall into distinct categories, including custodians, exchanges, tokenization platforms, banks, and data providers. Choosing the right partner therefore requires a deep and careful evaluation process. Key considerations for this process include: regulatory and compliance alignment, operational and technological capabilities,governance and risk management practices, financial stability, integration and interoperability potential, and track record within the industry.
A structured and thorough evaluation not only mitigates potential risks but also maximizes the likelihood of creating a partnership that drives sustainable growth, market credibility, and competitive advantage for all parties involved.
Key Evaluation Criteria for Selecting Digital-Asset Infrastructure Partners
Risk Management & Security Controls Strong security standards are essential to safeguard digital assets and sensitive user data. Partners should demonstrate robust key-management practices, encryption protocols, incident-response procedures, and regular third-party security audits.
Regulatory & Compliance Alignment Partners must comply with relevant regulations, licensing requirements, and reporting standards across all jurisdictions they operate in. This includes adherence to KYC/AML rules, sanctions screening, market-abuse monitoring, and transparent documentation to support regulatory audits.
Reputation, Track Record & Industry Experience Institutions should assess whether the partner has a credible history of serving institutional clients, evidence of operational reliability, and a proven ability to deliver on promised capabilities. Reputation helps mitigate counterparty and operational risks.
Interoperability, Integration & Scalability Successful partnerships depend on the partner’s ability to integrate smoothly with existing systems. This includes evaluating API quality, multi-chain compatibility, standardized smart-contract frameworks, and the ability to scale as transaction volumes or asset classes grow.
Service Quality & Operational Support Reliable support is crucial for institutional operations. Partners should provide clear service commitment, responsive technical and compliance support, strong maintenance processes, regular platform updates, and defined escalation paths for incidents.
Governance & Transparency Institutions must ensure the partner has a well-structured governance framework, transparent operational processes, clear reporting mechanisms, and independent audits. Transparency reduces uncertainty and builds long-term trust.
Financial Stability & Business Continuity Evaluating the partner’s financial health ensures they can sustain operations and invest in long-term platform development. This includes reviewing capitalization, revenue stability, insurance coverage, business-continuity planning, and disaster-recovery capabilities.
Deep Understanding of the Partner’s Product and Capabilities: When evaluating a potential partner, institutions should thoroughly study the partner’s project and technological approach. This includes requesting live demonstrations whenever possible, reviewing documentation, and analyzing key features in depth to understand how the solution performs under real operational conditions. A detailed assessment helps ensure the partner can deliver on its promises and align with long-term strategic needs.
Key Vendor Differentiators in Digital-Asset RFP Evaluations
Proven Track Record Demonstrates reliability, operational maturity, and the ability to perform successfully in real-world institutional environments. A strong history with regulated clients significantly reduces perceived risk.
Regulatory Licenses and Industry Certifications Shows that the vendor operates within legal and supervisory requirements. Proper licensing and recognized certifications indicate compliance readiness and institutional credibility.
Data Transparency and Reporting Capabilities Ensures institutions receive accurate, timely, and auditable information. High-quality reporting supports compliance, risk management, and operational oversight.
Deep Understanding of the RFP Process Vendors must be able to navigate formal evaluations effectively. This includes:
Involving subject-matter experts to improve the technical quality of the proposal
Providing clear, complete, and institution-ready documentation
Responding promptly to follow-up questions and requests for clarification
Maintaining communication after submission and demonstrating a commitment to continuous improvement
Why DAF Attendees Are Actively Evaluating Digital-Asset Providers
Attendees of the Digital Assets Forum (DAF) London 2026 are uniquely positioned—and strongly motivated—to evaluate digital-asset infrastructure providers because the event is intentionally designed to facilitate institutional decision-making, partner selection, and deal origination. As Europe’s leading institutional forum for digital assets, DAF brings together the exact stakeholders who want to modernize their digital-asset capabilities, expand product offerings, and identify credible partners for long-term strategic initiatives.
Institutions attending DAF—allocators, banks, asset managers, and policymakers—are in the midst of defining or refining their digital-asset roadmaps. They are exploring solutions across custody, trading, tokenization, compliance, and data infrastructure, and thus use DAF as a trusted environment to benchmark vendors, compare capabilities, and initiate due-diligence conversations. With regulation rapidly evolving and institutional demand increasing, attendees rely on DAF to identify partners that meet their requirements for security, integration, governance, and institutional-grade performance.
DAF’s design further accelerates this evaluation process. The forum prioritizes private, curated, and executive interactions—not expo-style traffic. Designated 1-to-1 meeting areas, private roundtables, breakout sessions, curated and vetted side events and VIP networking sessions create an environment where decision-makers can explore vendor differentiators in depth, clarify technical and regulatory details, and discuss partnership structures confidentially. Because more than 70% of attendees are C-level executives, evaluations can progress quickly from exploratory conversation to concrete business consideration.
Finally, DAF’s deal-driven mission means that every session is built to support real partnership outcomes. Institutions come to DAF with active mandates, live RFPs, emerging product strategies, and an immediate need to understand which providers can support their roadmap. As a result, attendees are not passively gathering information—they are actively assessing which digital-asset vendors, infrastructure providers, and technology partners can meet their operational, regulatory, and strategic requirements.
For these reasons, DAF London 2026 has become a focal point for institutions seeking to evaluate providers, identify partnership opportunities, and shape the next phase of Europe’s digital-asset ecosystem. Strategic partnerships are critical for institutions to scale digital-asset offerings and manage risk, making it essential to assess providers across security, compliance, technology, and governance to ensure long-term reliability.
Digital Assets Forum London 2026 is for companies looking to connect with top-tier providers, explore partnership opportunities, and gain a competitive edge in shaping the future of digital assets. Should this resonate with you, please reach out to our team for further discussions via the meeting link.
Institutional digital asset budgets are entering a new phase of expansion as 2026 approaches. Across asset managers, banks, custodians, and global market infrastructure providers, spending has shifted from experimentation to scaled deployment—driven by tokenization pilots moving to production, accelerating ETF inflows, and heightened demand for compliant custody, execution, and data infrastructure. With more than £3 trillion in assets represented at DAF, the event offers an unparalleled view into where institutional capital is concentrating and which categories are experiencing the most rapid growth. This report maps the leading signals from market participants, illustrating where digital asset budgets are flowing in the coming year.
This spending surge can be analyzed through five primary categories.
1. Custody
Custody remains a core investment priority, with providers such as GK8 by Galaxy, Anchorage Digital, BitGo, Coinbase, and Fireblocks leading the pack.
Custodians are escalating digital asset investment by launching programs that support early-stage protocols with:
Capital
Technical mentorship
Go-to-market resources
Such initiatives effectively integrate custody, investment, and institutional onboarding, cementing custodians’ pivotal role from protocol launch to widespread adoption.
2. Tokenization
Tokenization is another focal category, featuring major actors like BlackRock, BNP Paribas, JP Morgan, and Bullish.
Tokenization allows institutions to digitize assets for faster, programmable settlement, driving increased investment budgets as firms scale from pilots to full deployment.
3. Data Infrastructure
Companies such as Bloomberg, S&P Global, and Dow Jones are scaling crypto market data and analytics.
Detailed, automated insight into direct and indirect crypto exposures
Coverage across tens of thousands of securities and funds
This strengthens asset managers’ and banks’ ability to manage crypto holdings within increasingly complex portfolios, encouraging budget allocation toward systems that improve transparency, reduce operational risk, and enable informed investment decisions.
4. Risk and Compliance
Risk and compliance remain critical investment areas. Chainalysis, Elliptic, and TRM are recognized for leadership in:
Frozen over $250 million in illicit assets within a year
Demonstrated that real-time institutional-grade compliance partnerships are essential for ecosystem safety and credibility
Investments in compliance solutions directly translate into institutional budget growth, as firms prioritize infrastructure that mitigates operational and regulatory risks.
Institutional Adoption Outlook for 2026
Institutional digital asset adoption is poised for transformative growth in 2026, with adoption drivers directly influencing budget allocations. As institutions move from experimental pilots to full-scale deployment, their spending reflects operational needs, risk mitigation, and infrastructure maturity.
Key factors driving 2026 budgets include:
Enhanced infrastructure → Operational efficiency, faster settlement, and lower transaction costs, prompting institutions to allocate capital toward scalable technology solutions.
Integrated compliance → Reduced regulatory risk and assurance for stakeholders, increasing investment in monitoring, reporting, and governance tools.
Advanced data solutions → Better market intelligence and portfolio management capabilities, justifying higher budget allocations for analytics platforms.
Emerging capabilities (AI-driven analytics, multi-custodian strategies) → Improved risk management, transparency, and regulatory adherence, which encourage greater capital deployment.
Operational requirements → adoption → budget growth → Each operational need—security, speed, transparency—translates into budget decisions to ensure adoption is sustainable and scalable.
5. The Role of DAF in Budget Allocation Trends
DAF occupies a central role in the institutional digital asset ecosystem, uniquely serving as Europe’s flagship forum for high-stakes engagement among asset managers, banks, custodians, and market infrastructure leaders—all of whom are actively expanding their digital asset budgets in 2026.
With more than £3 trillion in assets under management represented on-site, DAF offers unmatched insight into where capital is concentrating and which verticals—custody, tokenization, data, and compliance—are driving growth.
DAF also functions as a catalyst for institutional adoption: the forum aggregates sector signals, facilitates deal-making, and sets benchmarks for adoption, compliance, and technical innovation. Every session is engineered for commercial outcomes, helping attendees translate insights into actionable budget allocations.
DAF’s Audience: The Decision-Makers Who Control the Budgets
The event’s high-level attendance is a testament to its strategic positioning:
37% C-Level
36% Director/Executive
27% Manager
Core groups include:
Allocators
Asset managers
Banks
Policymakers
Infrastructure providers
DAF attracts the professionals responsible for shaping budget allocations and executing investment mandates across:
Hedge funds & crypto funds
Trading firms
Private equity & venture capital
Insurers
Tokenization platforms
Custodians
Market data providers
Regulatory authorities
This elite audience ensures that DAF is not just a discussion platform but a venue where budgets, mandates, and strategic investments are directly influenced by market insights and peer interactions.
DAF’s Mission and Its Alignment With 2026 Budget Shifts
DAF’s core mission—being Europe’s leading institutional forum shaping the future of digital assets—directly aligns with the spending surge mapped above.
As budgets move from experimentation to scaled deployment, DAF:
Aggregates sector-leading signals to inform allocation decisions
Facilitates deal-making that translates insights into actionable investments
Sets benchmarks for institutional adoption, compliance, and technical innovation
By convening the right decision-makers, providing curated sessions, and offering structured networking, DAF ensures attendees can translate adoption strategies into concrete 2026 budget growth.
Following two sold-out editions, Europe’s premier digital assets conference returns to London, doubling in size and scope to unite traditional finance and crypto under one roof.
London, UK – February 5-6, 2026 — The third edition of the Digital Assets Forum (DAF), organized by the European Blockchain Convention (EBC), will take place at Convene, 122 Houndsditch, in the heart of London’s financial district. After two sold-out, one-day editions, the forum now expands to two full days, reflecting accelerating institutional adoption and London’s strategic position as Europe’s capital markets hub for digital assets.
DAF3 will gather leading figures from asset management, family offices, banks, hedge funds, and digital-asset firms – representing €3 trillion in AuM – creating a powerful platform for high-level networking, deal-making, and insight exchange. The expansion includes a dedicated 1:1 meetings program, AI-powered networking app, and private meeting zones designed to maximize meaningful connections between investors and innovators.
“After two fully sold-out editions, it was clear the market needed more space, both literally and figuratively,” says Victoria Gago, Co-Founder of EBC and DAF. “This year’s two-day format gives institutions and crypto leaders the time and structure to forge real partnerships and tackle the most important developments shaping the future of finance.”
“We’re moving into an era where every asset, from funds to real estate to carbon credits, can exist on-chain,” adds Daniel Salmerón, Co-Founder of EBC and DAF. “DAF3 is where traditional and digital finance meet to define how this transformation will happen: securely, transparently, and at scale.”
The event arrives as tokenization becomes one of finance’s fastest-moving frontiers. Analysts forecast over $16 trillion in tokenized assets by 2030, while leading firms launch products spanning treasuries, credit, and real estate. Digital Assets Forum 3’s agenda goes beyond tokenization and DeFi, covering market structure, custody, AI’s role in finance, stablecoins, compliance, and banking innovation. With regulatory frameworks maturing across Europe and the UK, London serves as the ideal venue for strategic dialogue between policymakers, allocators, and digital-native pioneers.
Together, these voices represent the full spectrum of modern finance, from banks and asset managers to crypto-native investors and quantitative innovators, united by a shared vision for a more efficient, tokenized, and data-driven financial future.
About Digital Assets Forum (DAF): Europe’s leading institutional forum for digital assets, established in 2024 by the European Blockchain Convention. DAF is built for clarity, not noise – exclusively focused on connecting allocators, asset managers, banks, and policymakers to drive real deals, mandates, and partnerships. Previous editions have hosted senior executives from BlackRock, Fidelity, Standard Chartered, and Coinbase Institutional, making it the go-to venue for strategic dialogue in the financial industry.
