The Global Blockchain Show will return to Riyadh on 29–30 June 2026, aiming to draw over 10,000 delegates along with more than 250 speakers, 200 exhibitors, and 300 media representatives. Organized by VAP Group with the Times of Blockchain, the event will host keynotes, panels, and workshops on blockchain, Web3, and emerging technologies while featuring global industry leaders and innovators.

The European Central Bank plans to begin selecting EU-licensed payment service providers in the first quarter of 2026 for a limited digital euro pilot. Executive Board member Piero Cipollone said the 12-month test is slated for the second half of 2027 and will include a small group of PSPs, merchants, and Eurosystem staff.

The European Blockchain Regulatory Sandbox in the EU brings blockchain projects and nearly 125 regulators into confidential conversations to resolve legal questions under frameworks such as MiCA and the GDPR. After three cohorts, a 230-page best practices report highlights how early rulemaking, combined with structured dialogue, can clarify compliance for smart contracts and decentralization rather than stifle innovation.

In January 2026, the XRP Ledger executed an amendment intended to strengthen on‑chain lending. On Feb. 18, 2026, Ripple developer Mayukha Vadari said the newly launched XRPL Sandbox lacks tools to test protocol amendments and does not surface full transaction responses. He was responding to Anodos Finance CTO Kostas' announcement that positioned the environment as plug‑and‑play for "upcoming amendments."

In a Wednesday report drawing on roughly 2,500 internal investigations, AMLBot found that 65% of the 2025 crypto incidents it handled involved social engineering and user access or response lapses rather than protocol flaws. By case count, investment scams led at 25%, followed by phishing at 18% and device compromises at 13%.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde is reportedly considering stepping down before her term ends in October 2027, just as the EU prepares key decisions on the digital euro and stablecoin oversight. Potential successors share a cautious view on crypto, while the ECB is planning a 12‑month digital euro pilot from the second half of 2027 and aims to be ready for a possible first issuance in 2029, subject to EU lawmakers' approval.

On 18 February 2026, Peter Thiel and Founders Fund exited ETHZilla, moving their stake from 7.5% to 0% according to U.S. SEC filings. The shares fell more than 5% in overnight trading and are down roughly 97% from 2025 highs as the firm shifts from an Ethereum treasury strategy to tokenizing jet engines with projected yields near 11%.

In episode 516, Head of BD Xenia Soborova shares how Solana's builder-heavy culture and capital-preserving reward models aim to reengage idle wallets. She outlines Tramplin's randomized redistribution of staking yields and its non-custodial setup on Solana nodes, positioning on-chain businesses as more sustainable than high-risk speculation.