Lugano Tribune, luganotribune.com
LUGANO
Plan B Forum: Lugano becomes the Bitcoin capital for two days as the fifth edition opens
On October 23 and 24 at the Palazzo dei Congressi, more than 100 speakers including Paolo Ardoino, Adam Back and Elizabeth Stark. In 2025 more than 4,000 participants came from 64 countries.
Translated from the Italian original. Read in Italian
This article was translated from the Italian edition of Lugano Tribune.
The Plan B Forum returns to Lugano: the fifth edition of the conference takes place on October 23 and 24, 2026 at the Palazzo dei Congressi, with more than 100 world-class speakers including Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, and Elizabeth Stark, CEO of Lightning Labs. Talks will be simultaneously translated into Italian.
The 2025 edition drew more than 4,000 participants from 64 countries and tens of thousands of francs in crypto transactions, in Bitcoin, USDT and LVGA, at the city's shops. For 2026 the program promises hands-on workshops in Italian even for beginners, meetings with industry companies and a contest judged by leading experts; the two days close with a final party and the drone show over the lake.
Plan B Forum 2026 in figures
| Dates | October 23 and 24, 2026 | Lugano Region |
| Venue | Palazzo dei Congressi, Lugano | Lugano Region |
| Speakers | Over 100 | Lugano Region |
| 2025 participants | Over 4,000 from 64 countries | Tether |
| Tickets | Peer CHF 249 (early bird), Cyber Punk CHF 2,999 | planbforum.ch |
The more than 100 announced speakers include Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, and Elizabeth Stark, CEO of Lightning Labs, with simultaneous translation into Italian; Friday runs from 9:00 AM to 6:30 PM. Alongside keynotes, panels and masterclasses, the program offers hands-on Italian-language workshops for beginners, industry networking and a contest judged by leading experts.
The 2025 edition, held October 24 and 25, drew more than 4,000 participants from 64 countries, up 38 percent on 2024, with over 800,000 livestream viewers. A symbolic highlight was the reinstallation of the Satoshi Nakamoto statue at Parco Ciani by Italian artist Valentina Picozzi, with replicas placed in El Salvador and Japan as part of a project to bring the Bitcoin symbol to 21 cities worldwide.
Plan B phase II
The Forum comes as the city advances the second phase of Plan B, announced in March 2026: after activation and international positioning, the goal is to build resilient digital infrastructure for the administration's security, operational continuity and decision-making autonomy. Since 2022 the initiative has enabled more than 400 city shops to accept payments in LVGA, BTC and USDT, helped more than 100 fintech and blockchain companies set up in Lugano, and spawned PoW.space, the physical hub in the city center for Bitcoin and peer-to-peer startups.
Billed by Lugano Region as Europe's leading Bitcoin conference, the event targets professionals and the merely curious alike: the practical Italian-language workshops are designed for complete beginners too.
