For the first time, the event will feature an extensive lineup of speakers from the White House and major traditional finance institutions, including BlackRock, Nasdaq, Bloomberg, and Citi.
Among the notable names are Maxwell Stein, Director of Digital Assets at BlackRock; Adena Friedman, Chief Executive Officer at Nasdaq; Sandy Kaul, Head of Innovation at Franklin Templeton; and Hunter Horsley, CEO of Bitwise Asset Management.
Other confirmed participants include senior representatives from Citi, Fidelity, JPMorgan Chase, Mastercard, CME Group, Moody’s, State Street, DBS Bank, Bloomberg, and Société Générale, among many others.
This roster of names is the strongest representation of traditional finance in Swell’s eight-year history. Each of these executives brings deep institutional experience in asset management, banking, and capital markets, areas that are now embracing tokenization, digital payments, and blockchain settlement, and where Ripple is looking to become a major player.
Nobody wants to be left behind in the blockchain/crypto movement. Therefore, discussions are expected to focus on how these institutions are preparing to integrate blockchain-based systems into global finance, particularly for cross-border transactions, stablecoin infrastructure, and regulated digital-asset investment products.
The inclusion of a White House voice at Swell 2025 upgrades the conference’s importance beyond the crypto community. It also shows the crypto-positive approach held by the current US administration.
