Source: Depositphotos
With Bitcoin and several other major assets witnessing a 40+% drop from their recent highs, 2026 has undoubtedly marked one of the worst starts to the year for crypto in more than half a decade. From the outside looking in, the market seems to be going through a major correction phase with broader, macro financial pressures intensifying matters further.
To this point, traders believe that the recent tech‑stock selloffs and U.S. Fed uncertainty has spilled over into crypto, with news of the Fed’s new chair nomination being the major first catalyst to ignite the slip. That said, cyclical pullbacks are pretty much the norm when it comes to digital currencies, with boom‑and‑bust cycles typically leading to a new wave of innovation following substantial corrections.
Crypto industry’s total market cap since the start of the year (source: Coingecko)
Therefore, during any bear market, a question naturally arises, i.e. what should participants do when prices fall?
Many believe this is precisely the time to gather intelligence and plan ahead. For instance, many exchanges double down on security and custody improvements (tightening their AML/KYC frameworks) during such times while financial institutions typically use these pauses to refine their integration plans.
As a result, attending crypto conferences and events can give participants an information edge by putting them in the same room with people making such decisions. They’re not just listening to keynotes but rather eavesdropping on how the next cycle could be shaping out.
Why crypto events matter even more during downturns
One way to see this dynamic up close is to look at the events that have already taken place this year. At CoinDesk’s recently concluded Consensus Hong Kong 2026, for example, regulators trumpeted key milestones, highlighting how Hong Kong banks now custody around $14 billion in crypto assets (up 180% year‑on‑year) alongside surging tokenized deposits, all while the city rolled out a new stablecoin licensing regime.
Even though these updates were not about price movements but rather adoption and regulation, they clearly signaled that foundational work had been happening despite the slide.
On the builder side, ETHDenver once again delivered a five‑day extravaganza in February to help energise Ethereum’s developer community. Themed “New #BUIDLCity”, it lived up to its reputation as the world’s largest ETH‑focused hackathon conference, bringing together builders, students and industry veterans for workshops and collaborative coding challenges, reminding the world that grassroots innovation continues at all times regardless of the pervading market cycle.
Put differently, the “capital” at these events isn’t just money but rather information on what offarounds are actually ship‑ready, how regulation is evolving, and where institutional funds could be positioning themselves for the next 24–36 months.
On that note, here are five upcoming events that any crypto enthusiast should look out for in the coming few months.
1. Crypto Expo Europe
An exposition that promises an inside look into key industry insights is the Crypto Expo Europe which is set to take place between March 1–2, 2026 in Bucharest, Romania. Billed as Eastern Europe’s largest crypto and blockchain conference (with organizers expecting around 3,000 delegates), this year’s edition comes at a moment when the continent’s crypto market is entering a more structured phase, shaped by regulation, institutional interest, and renewed retail participation.
Some of the speakers at Crypto Expo Europe 2026
To elaborate, with Europe launching its MiCA rulebook and institutional capital circling back to crypto, the expo aims to catch decision‑makers just as they adapt to the new landscape. The lineup of speakers and panels reflects just these priorities with the first cohort including veterans such as Justin Sun (founder of Tron), Sebastien Borget (co‑founder of The Sandbox), Binance’s Central & Eastern Europe head Ilie Puscas, BitPay’s head of Europe Alisa Komarova, Gemini’s senior counsel Caner Sevinc and Bitget’s CMO Ignacio Aguirre (alongside many others).
On the agenda front, this year's iteration of Crypto Expo Europe will feature panels on modern exchange security and compliance (with speakers from eToro, Bitget, KuCoin, Mosaic Galaxy and others), showing how custody and AML frameworks are evolving under tougher global standards.
Moreover, sessions on asset tokenization (hosted by BitPay, Ava Labs, Kraken, etc.) will examine real‑world projects, from bonds to real estate, moving on‑chain while talks on institutional crypto adoption are set to explore how digital assets fit into bank and fund strategies.
Finally, the closing keynote titled “What’s Next for the Industry and Where the Major Opportunities Will Come From,” assembles leaders from Binance, Bitget, BingX, Bybit EU and KuCoin to address exactly the questions on everyone’s mind right now, i.e. how does each platform interpret the current downturn, where liquidity is heading, and which products and partnerships will define 2026–27.
2. DC Blockchain Summit
If Crypto Expo Europe aims to offer an up close look at MiCA‑era Europe, the DC Blockchain Summit seeks to deliver a read on how U.S. policy makers, lobbyists and industry leaders are thinking about the rules of the game.
Hosted by DLT-centric trade organization, the Digital Chamber, this year’s version is looking to lean heavily into the intersection of digital‑asset policy, economic competitiveness and financial‑market plumbing, making the event valuable for anyone trying to understand not only what current rules say, but how they might evolve as Congress, the SEC, CFTC and banking agencies wrestle with custody, tokenization and on‑chain settlements.
Speakers will include SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, who is currently using initiatives like “Project Crypto” to sketch what on‑chain U.S. capital markets could look like; Senator Cynthia Lummis, one of the most vocal advocates of comprehensive digital‑asset legislation in Congress and SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, long nicknamed “Crypto Mom” for her dissenting views on enforcement‑first approaches.
3. EthCC
On the opposite end of the spectrum from policy‑heavy D.C. is EthCC (Ethereum Community Conference) which has quietly become Europe’s flagship Ethereum gathering.
Scheduled for March 30 to April 2 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France it still serves as the premier builder‑first, non‑profit, community‑driven conference related to the ETH ecosystem. This year’s iteration is set to feature key representatives from Kraken, Plume Network, the Ethereum Foundation, Waschman, Paxos Labs, POAP, Circle, Tezos, 21 Shares, among others.
4. Paris Blockchain Week
While EthCC captures the technical heart of Ethereum, Paris Blockchain Week has carved out a different niche by becoming a major bridge between trad-fi and crypto with this year’s iteration being no different. To this point, between April 15–16 over 10,000 decision‑makers from global banks, asset managers and regulators are set to converge at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris.
The agenda has been structured around institutional adoption, tokenization, custody models, and post‑MiCA regulatory frameworks with key attendees including Charles Hoskinson of IOHK/Ethereum/Cardano, Yoni Assia of eToro and Lana Dimitrova of OpenPayd (amongst others).
5. TOKEN2049 Dubai
Finally, there’s TOKEN2049 Dubai, a conference that has rapidly become the flagship crypto gathering for Asia and the Middle East. Set to run between April 29–30 at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, the conference is expected to draw 200+ speakers and 200+ exhibitors.
While some of the aforementioned events lean into pure information dissemination, TOKEN2049 positions itself as a full‑blown crypto festival, with the main agenda wrapped in a dense ecosystem of side events, satellite conferences and brand activations across the city. Some names to watch out for this time around include Telegram founder Pavel Durov, Polymarket founder and CEO Shayne Coplan, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino and Tron founder Justin Sun.
Showing up matters
Even though the market backdrop may be uncomfortable at the moment with prices down, volumes thinner than ever, and sentiment jittery, most of the hearsay and hype that otherwise permeates this sector has been stripped away. Put simply, it’s the ideal opportunity for first movers of the next boom cycle to learn about regulatory shifts, technology deployments and new service launches.
Disclaimer: This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.