

DeFi Founders Summit — Dubai 2026
250 NFT passes. The premier DeFi founders gathering. TOKEN2049 Week · Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai · May 9–10, 2026
About
The highest-signal gathering in DeFi. 250 hand-selected founders, protocol architects, liquidity providers, and institutional investors. Two days at one of Dubai's most iconic venues - no filler, no noise.
Past attendees include core contributors from Aave, Uniswap, MakerDAO, and Lido. Dozens of protocols that attended went on to raise $50M+ within months.
Location
Madinat Jumeirah Conference & Events Centre Al Sufouh 1, Dubai, UAE
Day 1 — May 9 · Foundations & Infrastructure
9:00 AM — Registration & Welcome Coffee
10:00 AM — Opening Keynote: The State of DeFi 2026
11:00 AM — Panel: Cross-Chain Liquidity & Bridging Wars
12:30 PM — Lunch & Networking
2:00 PM — Workshop: Tokenomics Design That Survives Bear Markets
3:30 PM — Fireside: MEV, Orderflow & Protocol Revenue
5:00 PM — Investor Pitch: 10 Protocols, 5 Minutes Each
7:00 PM — Cocktail Reception & NFT Holder Mixer
Day 2 — May 10 · Capital, Governance & The Future
9:30 AM — VIP Investor Breakfast
10:30 AM — Keynote: Institutional Capital Entering DeFi
11:30 AM — Panel: On-Chain Governance — What Actually Works
1:00 PM — Lunch & 1-on-1 Matchmaking Sessions
2:30 PM — Workshop: Building for $1B TVL
4:00 PM — Panel: Regulatory Landscape — Dubai, EU, US
5:30 PM — Closing Keynote & NFT Holder Rewards Reveal
7:30 PM — VIP Founders Dinner (invite only)
Access
Entry by NFT pass only. 250 passes total - on-chain verified at the door.
Registration is open for 14 days. After it closes, all registered attendees will receive an email with a link to mint their NFT badge on the official website. Your NFT is your ticket — no QR codes, no PDFs. Mint closes May 8.
Included
Full two-day access · Premium catering · Evening cocktail reception · AI-powered 1-on-1 matchmaking · Exclusive swag kit · Post-event Alpha Insights Report · On-chain proof of attendance · Partner airdrops
Speakers
50+ speakers · 70% founders & C-suite · $50B+ combined TVL in the room
Vitalik Buterin (Co-Founder, Ethereum) · Rachel Conlan (CMO, Binance) · Mike Belshe (CEO, BitGo) · Matthew White (CEO, VARA Dubai) · Dan Held (GP, Asymmetric) · Ben Slavin (Head of ETFs, BNY) · Clara Chappaz (Digital Affairs, French Govt) · Natasha Cazenave (Executive Director, ESMA) · Darko Hajdukovic (Digital Markets, LSEG) · Lukas Enzersdorfer-Konrad (Deputy CEO, Bitpanda) · Kathleen Wrynn (Digital Assets, Invesco) · and 40+ more
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Defi Founders Dubai is a free independent taking place on Saturday, May 9, 2026 at Madinat Jumeirah Conference & Events Centre, Madinat Jumeirah - King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud St - Al Sufouh 1 - Dubai - United Arab Emirates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Attendance is free — register to secure your spot. Currently 18 people have registered out of 18 spots. The event runs for approximately 34 hours.
Join this independent over 34 hours for an engaging session of learning, discussion, and networking with fellow attendees.
This independent in Dubai is ideal for:
This morning independent is part of the growing events scene in Dubai. Whether you're based in Dubai or visiting for the independent, it's a great opportunity to connect with the local community. Browse more upcoming events in Dubai on Rifio.
Defi Founders Dubai covers topics including Crypto, TOKEN2049 Dubai. Find similar events by browsing these topics on Rifio.