London, United Kingdom – Following the introduction of HMRC’s new Cryptoasset Reporting Framework (CARF) on January 1st, global financial institutions, policymakers, and financial leaders will gather at the 3rd annual London Digital Assets Forum (DAF3) to assess how regulatory clarity is accelerating institutional adoption of digital assets in the UK.
“In 2025, London maintained its position as a financial hub, closing the gap with first-place New York to just one point in the Global Financial Centres Index,” said Victoria Gago, Co-Founder of DAF. “With its history as a centre of financial innovation, and evolving regulatory environment, London is creating a fertile ground for blockchain to thrive within traditional finance. DAF3 will serve as a premier venue to foster cross-sector partnerships that will propel blockchain integration forward in 2026.”
This year, to account for the rapid expansion of institutional interest in blockchain, DAF3 will run over two days, featuring sessions on policy and regulation, tokenisation, DeFi, and how institutions are moving in the digital assets space as industry experts come to London to discuss the outlook for the year ahead.
Key Speakers and Industry Leaders
Speakers at the event include: Nikhil Sharma of BlackRock; Emma Lovett of J.P. Morgan; Paul Worthington of Stripe; Dorothea Ysenburg of Mastercard; Tim Grant of Deus X Capital, and Stani Kulechov of Aave.
London's Momentum in Digital Assets
London’s renewed momentum extends beyond traditional markets into digital assets. In 2025, the FTSE outperformed the S&P, while the UK consolidated its position as Europe’s leading digital asset hub, accounting for more than a third of the region’s blockchain talent and reaching crypto adoption rates of over 24% of adults.
A recent report by Barclays Bank referred to 2026 as the “year of great regulation” as digital assets come under the purview of mainstream finance, with UK tax residents having to declare their crypto returns as capital gains starting January 1st of this year. This standardisation paves the way for increased institutional support for digital assets, with the FCA stating its intention to open a regulatory sandbox for the testing of stablecoin payments.
Deals focused on enterprise and institutional models account for over 70% of the UK’s digital asset investments. This is a trend that will continue with institutional investors poised to take advantage of regulatory certainty and a fintech-style regulatory sandbox. The Transatlantic Taskforce for Markets of the Future is also promising deeper integration between US and UK capital markets, with its first round of policy recommendations due in March.
Forum Structure and Objectives
Beyond content, Digital Assets Forum is designed as an executive-level forum focused on practical outcomes. In addition to main-stage discussions, the event features dedicated breakout rooms for smaller, focused sessions, two private rooms reserved for one-to-one meetings, and a separate space for press briefings and media interviews.
The agenda, audience curation, and meeting formats are structured to enable senior leaders to compare strategies, advance partnerships, and move initiatives forward in a trusted, institution-first environment.