Madrid, Spain, July 28, 2026 — Chainwire

Europe is seeking to ensure that the future of digital money is not defined solely in dollars. As regulators advance the development of the digital euro and the United States accelerates the adoption of private stablecoins, European banks have begun moving to secure their role in the next major financial transformation.

One of the clearest examples is Qivalis, a consortium led by 37 European financial institutions that is working on the launch of a euro-denominated stablecoin regulated under the MiCA framework. The project is intended to provide a payments and instant-settlement infrastructure that operates 24 hours a day and is designed for an increasingly digital and global economy. For banks and payment providers, the effort also reflects a practical question facing the industry: how to keep settlement, compliance, and cross-border transfers aligned with the pace of digital finance.

The significance of that initiative will be reflected at MERGE Madrid 2026, where several institutions involved in the Qivalis consortium, and in Europe’s broader stablecoin and digital-asset strategy, will take part. Banks including BBVA, Cecabank, BNP Paribas, Banca Sella, Raiffeisen Bank, and Piraeus Bank have confirmed their participation in the event, which will be held from October 27 to 29 in Madrid and will bring together major players shaping the next generation of financial infrastructure.

The development reflects a broader trend in which banks, payment networks, stablecoin issuers, and regulators are competing to define how money will move over the next decade. Madrid is set to be one of the central meeting points in that competition this year.

MERGE’s next edition will take place between the Madrid Stock Exchange (Bolsa de Madrid) and the Palacio de Cibeles. The event is expected to bring together more than 3,000 attendees and over 250 international speakers from financial institutions, regulatory bodies, technology companies, and firms focused on financial infrastructure.

“We are living through one of the greatest changes in the recent history of finance. The conversation is no longer about whether digital assets will play a relevant role, but about who will build the infrastructure that will move the money of the future. At MERGE, we are going to bring together many of the players leading that transformation — from banks and regulators to technology companies and global payment networks,” said Paula Pascual, founder of MERGE.

Stablecoins have become one of the financial sector’s main areas of innovation. Unlike traditional cryptocurrencies, these digital assets are designed to maintain their value against fiat currencies such as the euro or the dollar, enabling instant, programmable, and cross-border payments. That combination has made them relevant not only for crypto markets, but also for payments, treasury operations, and other parts of financial infrastructure now being examined by established institutions.

Their growth has fueled competition among banks, technology companies, and global payment networks. While Europe pursues initiatives such as Qivalis, other organizations are advancing alternative projects backed by leading financial and technology institutions. At stake is the question of who will control the financial infrastructure used by citizens, businesses, and artificial-intelligence agents in the years ahead.

MERGE Madrid has become one of the leading international forums for examining this transformation. The 2026 edition will feature financial institutions including BBVA, Santander, Cecabank, Unicaja, Kutxabank, BNP Paribas, Eurobank, Renta 4, Raiffeisen, and Banca Sella, alongside payments and financial-infrastructure companies such as Visa, Mastercard, Ripple, Stripe, Circle, and Rain.

Over three days, participants will discuss stablecoins, asset tokenization, regulation, artificial intelligence applied to financial services, and new payment infrastructure. A major part of those discussions is expected to focus on the role that Qivalis and other regulated stablecoins may play in building the European digital economy.

A central feature of MERGE Madrid 2026 will be the MERGE Institutional Summit, which will open the event on October 27 at the Madrid Stock Exchange. The invitation-only summit is designed as a high-level forum for dialogue among financial institutions, regulators, payment networks, and major corporations, bringing together decision-makers shaping the future of money, digital assets, and global financial infrastructure.

With its smaller, invitation-only format, the Institutional Summit has become one of the main venues for strategic debate on the evolution of the financial industry in Europe and Latin America.

About MERGE

MERGE is the leading institutional crypto, blockchain, and Web3 event in Southern Europe and Latin America, serving as a bridge between traditional finance and digital assets. The organization hosts conferences, events, training, podcasts, and reports throughout the year. With two annual editions — MERGE Madrid and MERGE São Paulo — it brings together more than 5,000 attendees and more than 200 international speakers at each edition.

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Ignacio Born
MERGE
[email protected]

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