Ripple Confirms BlackRock To Attend Swell Conference

Ripple has confirmed that a BlackRock executive will be among the high-profile participants at its upcoming Swell 2025 Conference. In particular, BlackRock’s Director of Digital Assets, Maxwell Stein, has been listed as one of the featured speakers for the 2025 Swell conference. The event will take place in New York City from November 4 - 5.

Other speakers include Ripple Chairman Chris Larsen, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, Nasdaq Chair Adena Friedman, and OKX CIO Jason Lau, among others.  Stein’s Main Topic of Discussion  Stein’s participation in Ripple's upcoming conference has fueled discussions in the XRP community. Many are expecting him to shed light on BlackRock’s stance toward crypto ETFs and whether an XRP product could be on the horizon.  According to the official agenda, Stein will join Rory Callagy of Moody's Investors Services to explore how tokenized financial assets are reshaping capital markets. Meanwhile, the agenda did not indicate whether Stein would comment on BlackRock’s XRP ETF plans.  For context, despite increasing institutional interest in XRP, highlighted by several ETF filings, BlackRock has not yet applied to launch such a product. The asset manager currently offers standalone crypto ETFs linked to Bitcoin and Ethereum.  Earlier speculation suggested that the world’s largest manager avoided XRP due to the lawsuit between the SEC and Ripple. Even after the case concluded last month, BlackRock has maintained that it has no immediate plans for an XRP ETF.  It remains uncertain whether BlackRock will review this stance at the Ripple Swell conference.  Ripple Unveils Swell Agenda  Meanwhile, Ripple has unveiled the agenda for the 2025 Swell, confirming that industry leaders will discuss key trends in crypto, including payments, stablecoins, real-world adoption, and regulation.  Per the official agenda, Ripple will hold a welcome reception on November 3, from 4 to 7 PM (ET). The main event will kick off the following day, starting with registration, breakfast, and networking from 7:30-9:30 AM (ET).  Afterward, Ripple President Monica Long will give an opening remark and will subsequently join Nasdaq’s Adena for a fireside chat. Sessions on the use of stablecoins in cross-border payments and crypto ETFs will also be held on November 4. The day will conclude with "Swellebration," a celebratory event to allow attendees to unwind and connect.

Events lined up for Day 2, on November 5, include a discussion on digital asset adoption maturity, U.S. leadership in the sector, crime prevention in the space, as well as keynotes and a fireside chat with the Ripple CEO.