Ripple Will Host Swell 2026 Conference in October

The financial infrastructure event in New York City will bring together over 1,500 industry participants.

Updated on Sept. 29, 2026 in Remote Work

Isometric editorial illustration showing a modular, geometric structural monolith representing global financial infrastructure, in a muted palette of teal, oxblood, and slate. — Ripple has consolidated its major financial infrastructure events, including Apex and UBRI Connect, into a single Swell 2026 conference in New York City. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Ripple has scheduled its upcoming Swell 2026 conference to take place at The Shed in New York City from October 27-29, 2026. The company is consolidating its Apex and UBRI Connect events into this single gathering, which is expected to draw more than 1,500 attendees.

Why it matters

The consolidation of these events reflects a broader strategy by Ripple to centralize its industry discourse around financial infrastructure and global payment systems. Operators should monitor these high-level discussions as they often signal shifts in the regulatory or technological standards affecting cross-border money movement.

Ripple expects more than 1,500 people to attend the event, which now combines the formerly separate Apex and UBRI Connect programs into the Swell conference. The firm intends to unify its event outreach strategy across these channels beginning in October 2026.

The players

Brad Garlinghouse

The CEO of Ripple who oversees the company's enterprise blockchain and payment product strategy.

Monica Long

The president of Ripple who manages the firm's global operations and corporate direction.

Matt Damon

An actor and co-founder of Water.org, which operates infrastructure projects across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Gary White

A co-founder of Water.org and an expert in water and sanitation financing models.

Tom Farley

The chairman and CEO of Bullish, a digital asset exchange platform.

The details

The conference at The Shed features a mix of keynote conversations, fireside chats, and panel discussions centered on the infrastructure required to move money globally. By merging Apex and UBRI Connect into the Swell platform, Ripple is streamlining its engagement with developers and institutional partners under one banner. The program will highlight real-world applications of financial technology, including a keynote conversation moderated by CEO Brad Garlinghouse.

The Swell 2026 conference takes place from October 27-29, 2026.
Water.org, founded by Matt Damon and Gary White, was established in 2009.

Market Landscape

This event marks a strategic departure from Ripple's previously fragmented conference schedule by centralizing outreach into one primary summit. The move reflects a broader industry trend of simplifying corporate event calendars to maximize density of institutional and developer attendance.

Business operators in the fintech space should track the policy and infrastructure discussions emerging from this conference to gauge upcoming shifts in cross-border payment standards. Companies should evaluate whether their internal payment strategies align with the technological trends discussed by key institutional speakers.

The takeaway

The merger of Ripple's event ecosystem indicates a growing focus on efficiency in corporate communication. Operators should monitor the outcomes of the October 2026 conference for new standards regarding global financial infrastructure and capital efficiency.