Santander, BBVA, Trade Republic, Western Union at MERGE Madrid 2026 Stablecoin Panel

Madrid, September 2026 – Stablecoins are no longer confined to the crypto world; they have become a strategic focus for banks, fintechs, and payment firms. Santander, BBVA, Trade Republic, and Western Union are set to attend MERGE Madrid 2026 to discuss how this financial infrastructure could reshape payments, cross-border transfers, investing, and asset settlement.

MERGE Madrid’s upcoming edition runs from October 27 to 29, placing the Spanish capital at the heart of discussions on money’s future. The conference will feature four distinct viewpoints: cooperation between large global banks, development of a European stablecoin under MiCA, adoption of digital assets by a European investment platform, and integration of a digital dollar into a major remittance network.

Four approaches that anticipate the future of digital money

BBVA, Banca Sella, BNP Paribas, CaixaBank, Cecabank, Intesa Sanpaolo, Kutxabank, Piraeus Bank, Raiffeisen Bank, and Bankinter will outline their involvement in Qivalis, an alliance of 37 financial institutions from 15 European countries working on a euro-denominated stablecoin. The goal is to enable faster, cheaper payments and transfers around the clock, as well as settlement of digital assets in a regulated setting. Commercial launch is planned for the second half of 2026, pending regulatory approval.

Santander will present a joint initiative with Bank of America, Barclays, BNP Paribas, Citi, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, MUFG, TD Bank, and UBS to create a digital currency fully backed by reserves and usable on public blockchains. The project is examining currencies tied to G7 currencies, showing how global banks aim to set shared standards for secure, regulated digital money operations.

Trade Republic will share the viewpoint of a top European investment and savings platform on integrating digital assets into daily finance. Attendees can learn about retail investor demands, how to offer easy and compliant access to cryptoassets, and the role of digital platforms in Europe's new financial infrastructure.

Western Union will introduce USDPT, a dollar stablecoin issued by Anchorage Digital Bank on Solana. The firm is incorporating this asset into its Digital Asset Network to link digital money to real-world applications such as round-the-clock transfers, payments, and local currency conversion via its global network. This approach demonstrates how stablecoins can supplement cash and remittance systems rather than operate in isolation.

Paula Pascual, founder of MERGE, said: “For the first time, banks, fintechs, and major payment companies aren’t coming to debate whether stablecoins will have a role in the financial system, but instead to explain how they are building and integrating them and what specific problems they want to solve with them. MERGE Madrid will be the place where we can compare these models and understand what form digital money will take in Europe and Latin America.”

Why does everyone want to launch a stablecoin now?

This surge in interest comes at a critical time for the sector. MiCA has established a European regulatory framework for crypto-asset issuance and distribution, while the rise of dollar-pegged stablecoins has ignited discussions on monetary sovereignty and Europe's capacity to build independent payment systems.

For banks, stablecoins enable near-instant cross-border transfers, programmable payments, round-the-clock operations, and tokenized asset settlement outside traditional hours. For payment and remittance platforms, they reduce middlemen and allow direct links between digital currency and merchants, bank accounts, and cash outlets.

MERGE Madrid’s discussions will extend beyond tech. Attendees will examine who should issue stablecoins, how reserves are safeguarded, what user protections are necessary, how they can operate alongside bank deposits and a future digital euro, and which model holds the greatest practical adoption potential.

Madrid brings together the banking sector building the new digital money

The agenda features leaders from banking, payments, investment, regulation, blockchain infrastructure, and digital assets. Confirmed speakers include Coty de Monteverde (Global Head of Crypto & Digital Assets, Banco Santander), Francisco Maroto (Head of Blockchain and Digital Assets, BBVA), plus representatives from Trade Republic, Western Union, Qivalis, Mastercard, Ripple, and other firms building next-generation financial systems.

On October 27, a Summit for institutions at the Bolsa de Madrid will target banks, investors, regulators, and industry executives. The main conference on October 28-29 at Palacio de Cibeles expects over 3,000 participants and 250 speakers from Europe and Latin America.

Beyond stablecoins and digital payments, the program includes tokenization, custody, regulation, capital markets, Bitcoin, AI in finance, and new blockchain infrastructures. MERGE strengthens its role as a bridge between traditional banking and the digital asset space across Europe and the Americas.

About MERGE

MERGE serves as the premier institutional platform for digital assets, blockchain, and Web3, linking Europe and Latin America. Its events in Madrid and São Paulo gather banks, regulators, corporations, investors, fintechs, startups, and digital-native firms to encourage collaboration and new business models.