Explore our two-day conference programme filled with inspiring keynote presentations, engaging panel discussions, and plenty of networking opportunities in the company of digital asset and blockchain leaders from Aotearoa and around the world.
The agenda is currently being finalised. Please check back regularly for updates to speakers and session topics.
18:00 – Welcome from Blockchain Forum New Zealand
20:00 – End of event
4:50 PM – 5:05 PM – Transport to Networking Event at Creative HQ
7:40 – Breakfast Opens
Kick off the conference over breakfast with the key voices shaping the digital asset industry in New Zealand.
8:10 – Morning Pulse: Unfiltered takes on the state of the industry – over breakfast
Forget the formal warm-up. Crypto Winter kicks off the way the best conversations do – over coffee and delicious food, with no slides in sight. Trevor will move through the room, mic in hand, checking in with a handful of key voices to get a pulse on what’s happening across the industry right now. Expect candid takes, a few surprises, and the kind of honest conversation you’d only get in a room like this.
Trevor Topfer | Executive Director, Blockchain New Zealand
8:20 – Chair’s Update: BlockchainNZ and the Road Ahead
Jeremy Muir, Chair of BlockchainNZ, will share a brief update on the organisation’s purpose, recent progress and key developments across the sector, including the Digital Assets Roadmap. He will close the breakfast with a look ahead to the next two days of CryptoWinter and the role of BlockchainNZ and its members in continuing to move the industry forward.
Jeremy Muir | Chair, Blockchain New Zealand
9:00 – Mihi Whakatau
Darren Rewi | Founder, Mana Tāhuna Charitable Trust
9:15- MC Welcome: From Opportunity to Action
Setting the tone for the year, moving from identifying opportunities (the 2025 theme) to taking them (the 2026 focus). This session looks at the progress made since last year’s conference, across policy, regulation, and industry momentum. Framed around “New Zealand takes the lead”, Trevor will provide an update on the policy work underway and how New Zealand is positioning itself ahead of global peers.
Trevor Topfer | Executive Director, Blockchain New Zealand
9:30 – Opening Keynote + Q&A with Binance NZ
Details to be confirmed
Jenny Wei | General Manager ANZ, Binance
9:55 – Panel Discussion + Q&A | Beyond 2026: What is New Zealand’s Unfair Advantage?
A year on from CryptoWinter25, where does New Zealand’s digital asset policy landscape stand today, and what should market participants be thinking about next? This panel brings together policymakers and regulators for a snapshot of what matters in the local digital asset economy right now, from recent progress and unresolved questions to the global developments beginning to shape New Zealand’s direction. As other jurisdictions move quickly, the conversation turns to where Aotearoa has an opportunity to act with intent.
Moderator: Trevor Topfer | Executive Director, Blockchain Forum New Zealand
Pawel Borowski | Senior Policy Advisor- Financial Markets, Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE)
Alexandra McNair | Head of Legal, Financial Markets Authority (FMA)
Rocky Yuen | Principal Advisor – AML/CFT Group, Department of Internal Affairs (DIA)
Jeremy Muir | Partner, MinterEllisonRuddWatts
10:40 – Morning tea
11:25 – Keynote | The Bigger Picture: Where the global digital asset economy stands – and what it means for New Zealand
The conversations happening in New Zealand are just a fraction of what’s unfolding across the rest of the world. This session sets the scene – covering where the global digital asset and blockchain economy actually stands right now, what the major jurisdictions are doing, and what all of it means for New Zealand. If we’re going to move the needle locally, we need to understand the scale of what’s already in motion globally.
Sandra Ro | CEO, Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC)
11:45 – Panel Discussion + Q&A | Beyond Crypto: Exploring the Wider Use Cases of Blockchain Technology
This session moves the conversation beyond digital assets as the primary blockchain use case, exploring where blockchain is delivering real value outside of crypto markets. It examines emerging and overlooked applications, revisits so-called “ghost” use cases, and asks whether areas like NFTs are genuinely finished or simply evolving into more practical forms.
Bryan Ventura | Partner, Hamilton Locke (Moderator)
Nathalie Whittaker | Co-founder, Toha
Laszlo Peter | Founder and Global CEO, OriginsNext
Dehardt van der Merwe | Founder & CEO, Propopoly
Ryan Johnson-Hunt | CEO, NewMoney
12:25 – Keynote | Institutional Foundations: Building Through the Crypto Winter
As digital assets converge with legacy financial systems, market downturns present a vital opportunity to construct permanent, enterprise-grade rails. In this keynote session, Paul Quickenden (Head of Country – NZ, Swyftx) explores why New Zealand must urgently activate its digital asset strategy before local ventures, talent, and capital migrate offshore.
Paul Quickenden | Country Manager, Swyftx New Zealand
12:40 – Lunch Break
13:40 – Debate | The Future of Banking: Where Traditional Finance Meets the Blockchain
Blockchain rails, neobanks, stablecoins, AI-driven finance — the infrastructure that once made traditional banking indispensable is being rebuilt from the ground up, and the incumbents know it. The world’s largest banks are no longer watching from the sidelines; they’re moving in. This debate explores the collision and convergence of traditional finance and blockchain: where the two genuinely meet, how banks are adapting, and what’s actually being built as these worlds come together.
Moderator
Nicola Reynes-Pene | National Industry Leader for Financial Services, KPMG New Zealand
Debaters
Sean Preston | Head of Enterprise Sales, Cuscal Paymark
Paul Quickenden | Country Manager New Zealand, Swyftx
Jerome Faury | CEO, Immersve
Craig Duffield | Co-founder, Pay It Now
Mark Paice | General Manager Specialist Markets, Kiwibank
Graham Pohl | Strategic Technology Advisor, The Co-operative Bank
Judges
Kate Teppett | Executive Council Member, Blockchain Forum New Zealand
Amy-Rose Goodey | CEO, Digital Economy Council of Australia (DECA)
Ashima Chaudury | Head of Digital Assets Commercialisation, Mastercard
14:40 – Keynote | What the World Is Building: Lessons From Global Digital Asset Markets
Following a recent international tour, Steve Vallas will share key insights from his conversations with regulators and industry across major digital asset jurisdictions. He will reflect on the approaches gaining traction globally, what New Zealand can learn from them, and the work underway to support the development of the digital asset industry.
Steve Vallas | CEO, Blockchain APAC
15:00 – Panel Discussion + Q&A | When Crypto Meets the Tax System, CARF: A New Era of Crypto-Asset Reporting
This session unpacks the Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (CARF) and its implications for the New Zealand market. It focuses on the regulatory and operational impact for platforms, founders, investors and consumers, and what organisations need to be preparing for as reporting and compliance requirements come into force.
Simon Akozu | Tax Partner, MinterEllisonRuddWatts (Moderator)
Rachael Gemming | Director, EY
Tim Doyle | Director, Doyle Accountants
Alex Stone | Partner, Lane Neave
James Stuart | Client Director, Tax Traders
15:40 – Afternoon Tea Break
16:25 – Fireside Chat | What Dasset and Cryptopia Taught Us – and What Changed as a Result
This session reflects on one of the most challenging periods for New Zealand’s digital asset industry, examining the factors that led to major collapses and loss of trust. It focuses on the key lessons learned across governance, risk management, and oversight, and how these lessons continue to shape the industry today.
James Cochrane | Partner, Lane Neave (Moderator)
Tom Aspin | Director, Grant Thornton New Zealand
16:55 – Panel Discussion + Q&A | Stablecoins and Agentic AI: powering the future of online commerce
AI agents are beginning to move from passive tools to active participants in the financial system, capable of initiating payments, executing trades, managing workflows and interacting with digital assets on behalf of users and businesses.
As this shift accelerates, blockchain infrastructure is becoming a natural foundation for agentic finance. But as autonomous systems begin making real financial decisions, trust becomes the central question. How do we build systems that act with intention, stay within boundaries, and don’t go rogue?
This session moves the conversation from theory into practice, exploring what agentic finance and autonomous trading on blockchain infrastructure actually look like today, what is being built now, and what needs to be true for these systems to operate safely and at scale.
Jasmine Wilson | Executive Support, Blockchain New Zealand (Moderator)
James Pinch | Managing Director, KuCoin
Ashima Chaudury | Head of Digital Assets Commercialisation, Mastercard
Ben Hanna | Managing Director New Zealand, Stripe
17:35 – Closing of Day 1
Trevor Topfer | Executive Director, Blockchain New Zealand
4:50 PM – 5:05 PM – Transport to Networking Event at Creative HQ
19:30 – Day 1 Evening Function presented by Binance
Brought to you by Binance New Zealand, the CryptoWinter26 Evening Function is a chance to unwind, catch up and keep the conversation going after day one of the conference.
Join us at Rooftop at QT Queenstown from 7.30pm–9.30pm for food, drinks and great company, with views across Queenstown.
Whether you are reconnecting with people you already know or meeting someone new, this is your chance to step away from the formal programme and enjoy the community that makes CryptoWinter what it is.
4:50 PM – 5:05 PM – Transport to Networking Event at Creative HQ
7:40 – Stablecoin Breakfast | Where Money Moves Next
Stablecoins are no longer a crypto-side story; they are becoming part of the global payments and settlement conversation, with APAC moving faster than many markets expected. This breakfast brings together industry, policy and financial leaders to look at what is changing, what it means for the NZ dollar, and how New Zealand can move from watching the shift to participating in it.
Trevor Topfer | Executive Director, Blockchain Forum New Zealand
7:45 – Breakfast Keynote | We’re Not Even in the Game: Stablecoin adoption in APAC and what it means for New Zealand
The next stablecoin panel to open with a quick keynote from Rachael Jones, AUDD, framing the session around stablecoin adoption across APAC vs globally, making the point that the market is massive and New Zealand is barely participating.
Rachael Jones | Head of Ecosystem & Strategic Initiatives, AUDD
7:55 – Breakfast Panel Discussion and Q&A | Can We Keep the NZ Dollar Alive? The rise of stablecoins
This session explores the implications of a New Zealand dollar-backed stablecoin and what it could mean for everyday Kiwis. It examines how stablecoins fit into the evolving global financial system, potential use cases for payments and settlement, and the policy, regulatory, and trust considerations that would shape adoption in New Zealand.
Effie Dimitropoulos | CEO and Co-Founder, AUDD
Delia Burrage | General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer, Macropod
Callum Glendenning | Innovation & Commercialisation Lead; Digital Assets Lead, Visa AUNZ
Steve Vallas | CEO, Blockchain APAC
Aaron Chua | Regulatory Affairs and Policy – Asia Lead, Tether
8:40 – Breakfast Ends
4:50 PM – 5:05 PM – Transport to Networking Event at Creative HQ
9:15 – Opening of Day 2
Trevor Topfer | Executive Director, Blockchain Forum New Zealand
9:20 – Keynote
Details to be announced
9:35 – Panel Discussion + Q&A | Digital Assets for All Kiwis: “This Is Financial Advice”
This session is designed for financial advisers and financial services providers, exploring the role of digital assets within regulated advice frameworks in New Zealand. It examines what it means to responsibly present digital assets to clients, including suitability, risk disclosure, compliance obligations, and how advisers can engage with digital assets as part of broader portfolio conversations.
Darcy Ungaro | Financial Advisor, Radical Investment Limited (Moderator)
Alan Crofts | Fintech and Innovation Specialist, Financial Markets Authority (FMA)
Rupert Carlyon | Founder, Kōura Wealth
Paul Quickenden | Country Manager New Zealand, Swyftx
Meredith Pearson | Senior Counsel, Sharesies
Jenny Wei | General Manager ANZ, Binance
10:15 – Keynote | Hard Assets, Digital Rails: Funding NZ’s Real Economy with Stablecoins
1. The funding gap nobody talks about (2 min)
NZ’s agri and construction sectors are the backbone of the economy but are chronically underserved by traditional finance. Long settlement cycles, seasonal cash flow, and project-based revenue make banks cautious. The result is a structural liquidity gap worth billions.
2. Why stablecoins change the equation (3 min)
USD-pegged stablecoins remove FX friction and settlement delay, introducing potential more affordable funding. A funding pool built on digital assets can deploy capital in hours, not weeks. Smart contracts based terms are transparent, auditable, and enforceable without intermediaries.
3. How the pool model works (4 min) – potential demo, if time and infrastructure permits…
Investors pool, loans issued against real-world collateral (inventory financing): commodity inventory, land, construction contracts, or progress claims. Returns flow back to the pool. This is RWA tokenisation in its most practical form.
4. NZ-specific opportunity (3 min)
NZ is a high-trust, well-regulated environment with deep agri export pipelines and a construction sector under sustained pressure. Both sectors have clear, measurable collateral. The country is small enough to pilot at scale and credible enough to attract offshore capital. Pacific neighbours face the same gaps and would follow a working model.
5. What needs to happen next (3 min)
Regulatory clarity from the FMA on stablecoin-backed lending structures, custody standards for on-chain collateral, trusted data oracles with traceability and compliance overlays, and a willingness from sector bodies to engage. The technology is ready, the question is whether the sectors will move.
Laszlo Peter | Founder and Global CEO, OriginsNext
10:30 – Morning Tea Break
11:15 – Know Your Agent: Identity, Authority and Trust in an AI Economy
As AI agents begin to act, transact and make decisions on our behalf, a new question emerges: how do we know who — or what — we can trust? This keynote explores the identity and governance infrastructure needed for agentic systems, from verifiable credentials and delegated authority to revocation and accountability, and considers where New Zealand could play a leading role in shaping trusted digital identity for the AI economy.
Andy Higgs | Executive Director, Digital Identity New Zealand
11:30 – Keynote | The evolving role of crypto in New Zealand’s financial system
Digital assets are reshaping how people invest, transact, and build businesses. However, questions remain about whether New Zealand’s current settings are fit for purpose in a rapidly evolving global market. This session will explore the growing role of crypto in New Zealand, and how policy can support innovation, investment, and economic growth while maintaining trust in the system.
Hon Nicole McKee | Courts Minister, Associate Justice Minister, and Deputy Leader ACT Party.
11:45 – Panel Discussion + Q&A | Building from New Zealand: The Brutally Honest Conversation
This session offers an open and honest look at why it remains challenging to build and scale companies in New Zealand, spanning regulation, access to capital, and talent constraints. Drawing on real-world stories and experiences from VCs and founders.
Bryan Ventura | Partner, Hamilton Locke (Moderator)
Chas Garunaratnee | Founding Partner & Principal Consultant, Kotuku Consulting
Mike Sweet | COO, Immersve
Pramodya De Alwis | CEO/Co-Founder, SPICE
and more panellists to be announced
12:25 – Keynote | Settling Dairy Exports at Macropod Speed with AUDM
China’s appetite for Australian dairy has never been stronger, but the settlement rails behind it are still stuck in the past. Paul unpacks Macropod’s pilot with JT Shanghai, using stablecoin-powered tokenised settlement, programmable escrow and milestone-based payment releases triggered by IoT cold-chain data.
Paul Goldman | Head of Business Development, Macropod
12:40- Lunch Break
13:40 – Roundtable Discussions
After a day and a half of keynotes and panels, it’s time to pull up a chair. These rotating roundtable discussions move the conversation from stage to table – smaller groups, sharper questions, and the chance to actually dig in with the people shaping each topic. Delegates will have the opportunity to attend up to 4 roundtables.
Topics Include:
What role could stablecoins play in payments, settlement and digital commerce in New Zealand? The table will explore who should issue them, what would drive adoption, and how they should interact with bank money.
Australia and New Zealand are taking different approaches to digital asset regulation, AML/CTF and financial crime risk. What can each country learn from the other, where would greater alignment help, and what should businesses operating across both markets prepare for next?
Should New Zealand build modern instant-payment infrastructure, or move towards blockchain-based and programmable rails? This discussion will compare the benefits, costs and risks of upgrading the current system versus taking a different path.
As digital assets become more widely used, what should New Zealand watch for in its tax settings? This discussion will explore where current rules may create uncertainty or friction, and how the system can support compliance without discouraging investment and innovation.
Tokenisation was built to unlock capital, so why are markets still focused on tokenising equity when debt may be the better fit? This discussion will compare debt’s predefined terms and payment structures with the legal, governance and ownership complexity of equity. It will also examine whether the market’s progress on tokenised debt is a practical starting point or a signal of where tokenisation creates the most value.
15:40 – Afternoon Tea Break
16:25 – Major Industry Announcement
Be there on the day to find out what it is!
16:40 – Panel Discussion + Q&A
Details to be announced
17:15 – Closing remarks
Trevor Topfer | Executive Director, Blockchain Forum New Zealand