The fourth edition of the Ibiza Tech Forum wrapped up May 22 after four days of panels spanning AI, fintech, and Web3. The main digital assets programming landed on May 21, with two panels that captured the mood of an industry that has stopped fearing regulation and started weaponizing it.
Stablecoins and RWAs take the stage
A panel titled 'Redefining Financial Infrastructure: Stablecoins, RWA and the Next Global Markets,' hosted by BeInCrypto, brought together Sam Buxton (Damex), Víctor Sáez (Kraken), Nelson Enrique Moran (Trezora), María Sánchez (Reental), Erick Ortiz (BBVA), and Christopher Siedentopf (CRS Advisory/Qapture Investments). The group talked through how tokenized real-world assets and stablecoins are moving from proof-of-concept to actual balance-sheet products, especially inside regulated frameworks.
Surviving MiCA — and thriving
The second crypto-focused panel, 'Lost at sea no more: How Europe’s Crypto Industry Survived to See MiCA,' gathered representatives from MoonPay, Bit2me, Criptan, Bitvavo, Mandioca, and legal counsel Asensi Abogados. The discussion zeroed in on how operators that once saw MiCA as an existential threat now treat compliance as a competitive moat. The panel’s central observation — that Europe’s regulatory clarity is becoming an exportable advantage — echoed through the rest of the event’s Web3 track.
Quantum computing and startup pitches round out the agenda
Outside the digital assets track, Dynex CEO Daniela Herrmann delivered a keynote on quantum computing. Day one featured the semi-final of The Next Unicorn startup contest, held at Romeos Hotel. The forum also ran Spanish-language sessions on smart mobility, AI in business, and predictive cities, plus a TradingView trading competition on day two. Senior attendees capped the event with a boat trip to Formentera on the final day.
The timing of the forum — just months after MiCA’s full implementation — gave attendees a rare chance to compare notes on how the regulation is actually landing. No one was forecasting the next crisis; the vibe was more about scaling what already works.
