Korea Blockchain Week 2026 returns to Seoul on September 30–October 1. Discover the event dates, venue, speakers, tickets, agenda, side events and everything you need to know before attending.
Korea Blockchain Week 2026: Everything You Need to Know
If you’ve been around crypto for even a little while, you’ve probably heard KBW popping up in every Telegram group and Twitter/X thread since August. And it’s no coincidence. Korea Blockchain Week 2026 isn’t just another tech conference it’s, along with Singapore’s Token2049, the go-to place for what’s happening in the Asian digital asset market. And this year, the agenda looks to be heavier than ever.
In this guide you will find literally everything you need to know before booking a plane ticket: the Korea Blockchain Week dates, which Korea Blockchain Week speakers have already been confirmed, how much KBW tickets cost, where exactly the event is taking place, but also – something you will rarely read in official announcements – what are the real difficulties you will encounter if you decide to go.
You can get your ticket here.
What is Korea Blockchain Week?
Korea Blockchain Week began in 2018, at a time when the word “blockchain” still sounded exotic to most people. The organizer is FactBlock, a South Korea-based company that has slowly built the event into Asia’s largest crypto conference. The event is led and founded by Seonik Jeon, who at every opportunity emphasizes that KBW’s goal was never simply to fill a room with speakers, but to act as a bridge between the Korean market and the rest of the world.
And the numbers justify this ambition. Last year’s KBW2025 attracted over 13,000 attendees and hosted over 340 speakers, and according to reports from Bloomberg and Chosun Ilbo, the 2025 event featured names as diverse as Arthur Hayes, executives from World Liberty Financial, and former NBA players. Forbes previously reported that South Korea is home to some of Asia’s most important blockchain startups, which explains why KBW has managed to grow so big in a relatively short period of time.
If you’re one of those people who’s looking for “what is korea blockchain week,” the short answer is this: it’s Seoul’s annual, multi-day blockchain and digital asset festival, which combines a central conference with hundreds of parallel, independent side events across the city.
Korea Blockchain Week Dates: When exactly is KBW 2026?
KBW 2026 will take place from September 29 to October 1, 2026, in Seoul, South Korea.
But there is one detail worth knowing, because it confuses a lot of people: the first day, September 29, is dedicated to a closed, institutional forum in collaboration with Upbit, Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange – it is aimed primarily at policymakers, bank executives and senior industry executives, not the general public. The main conference, the one for which you buy a regular ticket, is held on September 30 and October 1, 2026.
Where is KBW Seoul 2026 taking place?
KBW Seoul 2026 is being hosted at the Walkerhill Hotels & Resorts complex in the Gwangjin district of Seoul.
This is a change from previous years, so if you’ve attended an older KBW and remember a different venue, be sure to update your notes Walkerhill is in a quieter, more natural location next to the Han River, a bit further away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, which has its own advantages and disadvantages, as we’ll see below.
Who will speak: Korea Blockchain Week speakers 2026
The list of Korea Blockchain Week speakers for 2026 is growing all the time the organization is accepting applications up until just before the event but the announced line-up already shows where the focus is this year: less “just crypto bros” and more of a mix of macro investors, institutional executives, politics, and pop culture.
At the top of the list is Balaji Srinivasan, known for his book “The Network State” and his predictions about decentralized states and digital sovereignty a speaker who rarely leaves the audience indifferent, whether you agree with him or not. Next to him is Arthur Hayes, co-founder of BitMEX and currently Chief Investment Officer at Maelstrom, who has become almost an institution at KBW in recent years thanks to his provocative, always interesting positions on monetary policy.
On the institutional adoption side, you’ll see Tom Lee, president of Bitmine, sharing the stage with Monica Long, president of Ripple, and Mike Belshe, CEO and co-founder of custodian company BitGo. Also notable are Jeff Yan, CEO of Hyperliquid Labs one of the hottest names in DeFi over the past two years as well as Star Xu, founder of the exchange OKX.
The political/regulatory side is represented by Zach Witkoff, CEO of World Liberty Financial (the project linked to the Trump family), Harry Jung, former deputy director at the White House, David Burt, prime minister of Bermuda, and Caroline Pham, legal counsel at MoonPay. There’s also a dose of pop culture: former NBA player Tristan Thompson returns this year as a “Web3 investor”, continuing a tradition that began in previous years, when KBW even hosted the creators of the film “KPop Demon Hunters”, according to a report by a16z crypto.
KBW Tickets: How much does it cost and how do you buy a ticket?
Now let’s talk about the practicalities, the part that really determines whether you’ll book a flight or not: the KBW tickets.
The official KBW2026 ticket page shows two main categories. The regular Select Pass costs $599, with an early-bird period that, at the time of writing, ends on August 27 at 6:00 a.m. UTC so if you’re reading this early, don’t delay, because the price goes up after the offer ends. There’s also a $99 Student Pass, available to anyone 19 and older with a valid student ID a great option if you’re a student.
Frequently Asked Questions about Korea Blockchain Week 2026
When is Korea Blockchain Week 2026?
The main conference takes place on September 30 and October 1, 2026, with an additional, closed institutional day on September 29. Around these dates, dozens of side events fill Seoul throughout the week.
Where is KBW Seoul 2026 taking place?
At the Walkerhill Hotels & Resorts complex, in the Gwangjin district of Seoul.
How much do KBW 2026 tickets cost?
The basic Select Pass costs $599 (with an early-bird price valid until August 27), while the Student Pass for students 19 and older costs $99. Exact prices are subject to change, so always check the official ticket page.
The final conclusion
Korea Blockchain Week 2026 is not just another date on the crypto calendar it’s one of the few opportunities to see firsthand what the convergence of institutional capital, technological innovation, and mainstream culture looks like in a market that remains, year after year, among the most active on the planet for retail crypto trading.
If you have the budget, the time, and a specific reason to go, the experience will almost certainly offer you something you won’t find in any online webinar.
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