The (un)Banked To Put London's On-Chain Future on Stage

INPUT Global is bringing its "The (un)Banked" conference to London’s Canary Wharf on November 9, marking a significant convergence of traditional finance and digital assets. As the UK finalizes its cryptoasset framework, the event gathers regulators and global banks to determine who will control the infrastructure as financial services increasingly migrate to public blockchains.

What was announced

INPUT Global will host the second edition of its conference, The (un)Banked, at Landing Canary Wharf on Monday, November 9. The event, which follows a previous gathering of 500 finance leaders in Amsterdam, is scheduled to run from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM on the eve of the Digital Asset Summit London. The conference is designed to facilitate a direct dialogue between regulators, global banking institutions, and crypto-native firms regarding the future of London’s financial infrastructure as assets move on-chain.

The speaker lineup features representatives from major financial and regulatory bodies, including Pavel Chichkanov of the Bank of England, Ryan Hayward, Head of Digital Assets and Strategic Investments at Barclays, and Phoebe Zhou at HSBC. Other confirmed speakers include Robert Crossley at Franklin Templeton and Andranik Mnatsakanyan at Visa.

The agenda is structured around five key panels addressing the institutionalization of digital assets:

• $24 Billion and Counting: Inside the Institutional Tokenization Build-Out
• The New Asset Class: How Asset Managers Are Building Digital Asset Strategies
• Beyond the Hype: Are Stablecoins Actually Moving Money?
• Institutional Capital & Digital Assets: ETFs, Venture and What's Next
• The Regulatory Landscape: UK Regulators, MiCA and the Path Ahead

The event takes place as UK banks, including Lloyds, begin testing tokenized sterling deposits on public blockchains for government bond transactions. This shift follows the FCA’s publication of final cryptoasset rules, prompting global banks to expand their digital asset teams within the City.

The companies involved

INPUT Global, the organiser behind the event, operates as a platform for finance leaders to navigate the transition to on-chain infrastructure. Joining as the title sponsor is Aurora Intents, which serves as a cross-chain execution layer designed for on-chain applications, facilitating asset movement across different blockchain protocols. Aurora Intents is a product of Aurora Labs, led by CEO Declan Hannon.

Community support for the London edition includes N3XT, a full-reserve Special Purpose Depository Institution (SPDI). Chartered by the Wyoming Division of Banking, N3XT focuses on bridging the gap between traditional fiat custody and digital asset markets. Also supporting the event is Wincent, a firm active in the digital asset space as a crypto market maker and liquidity provider. These organizations represent the diverse mix of regulated financial institutions and crypto-native builders currently converging in the UK market as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) implements its digital asset framework.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed the development of institutional on-chain tools, particularly through the activities of N3XT. In October 2026, the publication detailed how N3XT and Clear Markets Launch 24/7 U.S. Dollar Custody for Collateral Management, addressing liquidity gaps in traditional trading hours. This followed a partnership where N3XT and Liminal Prime Launch 24/7 Programmable USD Banking for Institutional Markets. Earlier that year, the firm's efforts to modernize liquidity were highlighted when N3XT Launches First USD Deposit Tokens to Break Down Closed-Loop Banking Walls. Additionally, FF News covered the intersection of banking and automation when N3XT Launches MCP to Bridge the Gap Between AI Agents and Live Banking Data.

What this means

The migration of The (un)Banked to London signals that the experimental phase of institutional blockchain adoption is ending. With major lenders like Lloyds already moving real money into tokenized deposits, the industry is shifting its focus from "if" to "how" legacy systems will integrate with public chains. This puts immense pressure on traditional clearing houses and settlement providers to adapt or risk being bypassed by cross-chain execution layers. The central question for the sector remains whether the UK’s regulatory clarity will be enough to anchor the global on-chain liquidity that has historically gravitated toward offshore or US-centric hubs.