What began in Malta as a blockchain summit has grown into an international event focused on AI, blockchain, Web3, crypto and digital finance.Eight years after its launch as Malta AI and Blockchain Summit, AIBC is preparing to close its 2026 calendar with its biggest event of the year, taking place in Rome alongside SiGMA World, Affiliate Grand Slam and FX.World.The central idea has evolved. AIBC is not designed simply to put technology companies in a room with other technology companies.The aim is to link individuals developing AI and blockchain products with the industries that may actually purchase, finance, or put them into practice, such as gaming and payments, fintech, trading, marketing, and investment.Why AIBC sits alongside SiGMA WorldThe AIBC World event will take place at Fiera Roma from 02 to 05 November, alongside SiGMA World, Affiliate Grand Slam, and FX.World.A blockchain infrastructure company may arrive looking for crypto businesses and find potential customers in payments or gaming. A digital-asset business navigating European regulation may find itself in the same venue as policymakers, investors and financial-services executives.That is to say, the technology comes first, not at the end of the discussion.The AIBC has stated openly that Rome is the place where it aims to act as a “global bridge”, linking innovators with investors, regulators and existing businesses.Rome is in effect taking up that area of overlap and bringing it all under one roof.Dubai and Manila were the road to RomeRome followed two AIBC events earlier in the year.The journey began in Dubai in February, when AIBC Eurasia brought together companies involved in blockchain, crypto and AI with investors and policymakers.The summit had 14,500 delegates, more than 300 speakers and over 250 exhibitors, with discussions covering stablecoins and digital-asset regulation as well as artificial intelligence and the UAE’s role as a technology hub.Then, Manila arrived in June.AIBC Asia drew 7,800 attendees to the SMX Convention Center, with the programme covering topics such as agentic AI, digital identity, blockchain security, stablecoin payments and the rapidly developing digital economies of South-East Asia.Rome will now conclude AIBC’s journey in 2026 on a much bigger scale.Some very big names are coming to RomeThe list of speakers shows just how broad the programme has grown.Charlie Lee, the creator of Litecoin, will attend sessions examining what 15 years of crypto cycles can teach the industry about building digital money that endures beyond individual bull markets.Dr W. Scott Stornetta, whose work was later cited in the Bitcoin whitepaper, will give a keynote speech examining the origins of blockchain and what might happen in the future.There is also Reeve Collins, one of Tether’s early co-founders, who will take part in discussions on stablecoins and the evolving architecture of digital finance.Robby Yung, CEO of Investments at Animoca Brands, will discuss the connection between AI, Web3 and investment. At the same time, Felix Fan, CEO of Trust Wallet, will take part in the discussion regarding the future of non-custodial wallets.And yes, one of the speakers is not human.The humanoid social robot Captcha Robot, developed by Hidoba Research, will give a live comedy performance and then take part in an audience AMA on 5 November. It may be one of the more entertaining opportunities to find out whether AI has developed a sense of humour before it takes over your spreadsheet.Malta is going to be well represented tooFiorentina D’Amore, Blockchain.com’s CEO and Senior Director of Business Operations for the EU based in Malta, will take part in a discussion that goes beyond AI regulation to examine what occurs when the technology begins to alter workplaces, institutions and everyday life.She will also share the conversation with Kenneth Brincat, the CEO of the Malta Digital Innovation Authority, and with Angelo Dalli, the CSO and CTO at UMNAI.The Malta Financial Services Authority and the Malta Digital Innovation Authority are hosting a special workshop that will examine MiCA and the EU AI Act, focusing on the practical challenges companies face.AIBC has also continued to develop its local community between the major summits. It held an invitation-only event in St Julian’s earlier this year, bringing together about 150 executives from the gaming, blockchain and fintech sectors in the run-up to the Manila and Rome events.More than another tech conferenceAI and blockchain events can easily spend days discussing the future without putting technology companies in front of the people who may actually buy their products.AIBC is attempting to deal with that in a different approach.For gaming and financial services companies, Rome provides an opportunity to take a look at technologies lying beyond their usual industry environment and to meet the people developing them before these tools become standard components of their systems.If you include investors, startup pitches, exhibitors, and regulators in the same setting, the bridge AIBC speaks of begins to make more sense.If you include investors, startup pitches, exhibitors, and regulators in the same setting, the bridge AIBC speaks of begins to make more sense.Rome closes 2026, but not the storyRome is being presented as the flagship event of AIBC’s 2026 programme. It also introduces what comes next.For 2027, AIBC is preparing an even more extensive international programme, with further details to be announced as the platform expands the model it has been developing this year.Actually, all the roads do lead to Rome.The AIBC World event will take place at Fiera Roma from 02 to 05 November 2026.For Malta’s technology community, it is also something of a homegrown story: a summit which began on the island in 2018 has, eight years later, grown into an international platform with a far broader reach.Rome is just a short flight away. Share this with someone who’s already there•