Southeast Asia Blockchain Week 2026 Highlights Web3 and AI Growth in Bangkok
Southeast Asia Blockchain Week 2026, jointly organized by Web3 investment firm Hashed, led by CEO Simon Seojoon Kim, and ShardLab under CEO Hojin Kim, wrapped up its two-day conference at ICONSIAM Hall in Bangkok. The gathering featured regulators from Thailand and Indonesia, executives from SCBX, Bitkub, and Ascend Bit, as well as representatives from major international organizations such as Circle, Tether, and the Solana Foundation. The event highlighted the region’s transition from early-stage blockchain experimentation toward broader institutional integration.
The conference agenda focused on five core themes: navigating the evolving regulatory landscape; the convergence of institutional finance and blockchain ecosystems; the next phase of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization; the rise of the agent-driven digital economy; and the importance of foundational blockchain infrastructure. Together, these discussions reinforced Southeast Asia’s growing role as an active hub for implementing and scaling global Web3 adoption rather than merely observing industry trends.
A major component of the policy discussions included contributions from Butree Vangsirirungruang, Director of Thailand SEC’s Digital Asset Policy Department; representatives from the Thailand Digital Asset Association (TDA); and Muhammad Neil El Himam, Deputy for Digital and Technology Creativity at Indonesia’s Ministry of Creative Economy (EKRAF). Bringing policymakers from two of the region’s largest economies together on one platform marked a significant milestone for the conference.
Thailand’s financial and digital asset sectors were represented by Kaweewut Temphuwapat, CIO of SCBX and CEO of SCB 10X; Bitkub co-founder Atthakrit Chimplapibul; and Apinand Dabpetch, Managing Director of Ascend Bit, the blockchain arm of True Money under CP Group. They discussed the modernization of Thailand’s financial systems through blockchain technology. Additional speakers included David Katz, Vice President of Strategy and Public Policy for Asia Pacific at Circle, alongside Tether executives Ploy Boonyavee and Eddy Christian Ng. Other participating organizations included StraitsX, Ripple, BitGo, Anchorage Digital, Canton, Avalanche, the Solana Foundation, Xapo Bank, Token X, and AWS, covering topics ranging from custody and payments to tokenization and AI integration.
In addition to the main conference sessions, SEABW 2026 hosted four invitation-only roundtable discussions focused on RWA tokenization and settlement infrastructure, commercialization of tokenized assets, enterprise applications of AI and Web3 technologies, and stablecoin settlement systems. The event also distinguished itself from traditional industry conferences through a live performance by K-pop group tripleS, managed by Modhaus. The group’s blockchain-based fan governance model enables NFT holders to participate in decision-making processes, demonstrating how entertainment and Web3 technologies are increasingly intersecting across Asia.
Another major highlight was the SEABW AI Hackathon, designed around the theme “Solve a real-world problem around you with AI.” A total of 92 teams from Southeast Asia and other regions participated in the competition. The top award went to BEBRIDGE for its project RWANDA, an AI-driven evaluation platform that reviews RWA audit reports and assigns trustworthiness ratings to tokens, helping retail investors better understand potential de-pegging risks.
The conference attracted support from organizations spanning the entire institutional blockchain ecosystem. Regional sponsors included SCBX, SCB 10X, InnovestX, Bitkub, Bitazza Thailand, and Token X. International partners featured Tether, the Solana Foundation, Xapo Bank, AWS, SOOHO.IO, AriqoX, Tiger Research, and StayGold.
Ruam Siratanapanta, Head of Digital Asset Business at SCBX, stated that SCBX was pleased to continue its partnership with Hashed and ShardLab in supporting Southeast Asia Blockchain Week. He noted that the region is entering a stage where infrastructure development, regulatory progress, and practical digital asset applications are beginning to align, positioning the event as an important meeting point for institutions, policymakers, and builders shaping the future of the industry.
ShardLab CEO Hojin Kim added that few regions are experiencing simultaneous growth in both regulatory certainty and institutional adoption. He emphasized Bangkok’s strategic role at the center of this transformation and explained that as AI and digital assets increasingly merge into a unified agentic economy, fostering direct collaboration between regulators, institutions, and innovators is essential to ensuring the next stage of adoption develops through cooperation rather than fragmentation.
The conference agenda focused on five core themes: navigating the evolving regulatory landscape; the convergence of institutional finance and blockchain ecosystems; the next phase of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization; the rise of the agent-driven digital economy; and the importance of foundational blockchain infrastructure. Together, these discussions reinforced Southeast Asia’s growing role as an active hub for implementing and scaling global Web3 adoption rather than merely observing industry trends.
A major component of the policy discussions included contributions from Butree Vangsirirungruang, Director of Thailand SEC’s Digital Asset Policy Department; representatives from the Thailand Digital Asset Association (TDA); and Muhammad Neil El Himam, Deputy for Digital and Technology Creativity at Indonesia’s Ministry of Creative Economy (EKRAF). Bringing policymakers from two of the region’s largest economies together on one platform marked a significant milestone for the conference.
Thailand’s financial and digital asset sectors were represented by Kaweewut Temphuwapat, CIO of SCBX and CEO of SCB 10X; Bitkub co-founder Atthakrit Chimplapibul; and Apinand Dabpetch, Managing Director of Ascend Bit, the blockchain arm of True Money under CP Group. They discussed the modernization of Thailand’s financial systems through blockchain technology. Additional speakers included David Katz, Vice President of Strategy and Public Policy for Asia Pacific at Circle, alongside Tether executives Ploy Boonyavee and Eddy Christian Ng. Other participating organizations included StraitsX, Ripple, BitGo, Anchorage Digital, Canton, Avalanche, the Solana Foundation, Xapo Bank, Token X, and AWS, covering topics ranging from custody and payments to tokenization and AI integration.
In addition to the main conference sessions, SEABW 2026 hosted four invitation-only roundtable discussions focused on RWA tokenization and settlement infrastructure, commercialization of tokenized assets, enterprise applications of AI and Web3 technologies, and stablecoin settlement systems. The event also distinguished itself from traditional industry conferences through a live performance by K-pop group tripleS, managed by Modhaus. The group’s blockchain-based fan governance model enables NFT holders to participate in decision-making processes, demonstrating how entertainment and Web3 technologies are increasingly intersecting across Asia.
Another major highlight was the SEABW AI Hackathon, designed around the theme “Solve a real-world problem around you with AI.” A total of 92 teams from Southeast Asia and other regions participated in the competition. The top award went to BEBRIDGE for its project RWANDA, an AI-driven evaluation platform that reviews RWA audit reports and assigns trustworthiness ratings to tokens, helping retail investors better understand potential de-pegging risks.
The conference attracted support from organizations spanning the entire institutional blockchain ecosystem. Regional sponsors included SCBX, SCB 10X, InnovestX, Bitkub, Bitazza Thailand, and Token X. International partners featured Tether, the Solana Foundation, Xapo Bank, AWS, SOOHO.IO, AriqoX, Tiger Research, and StayGold.
Ruam Siratanapanta, Head of Digital Asset Business at SCBX, stated that SCBX was pleased to continue its partnership with Hashed and ShardLab in supporting Southeast Asia Blockchain Week. He noted that the region is entering a stage where infrastructure development, regulatory progress, and practical digital asset applications are beginning to align, positioning the event as an important meeting point for institutions, policymakers, and builders shaping the future of the industry.
ShardLab CEO Hojin Kim added that few regions are experiencing simultaneous growth in both regulatory certainty and institutional adoption. He emphasized Bangkok’s strategic role at the center of this transformation and explained that as AI and digital assets increasingly merge into a unified agentic economy, fostering direct collaboration between regulators, institutions, and innovators is essential to ensuring the next stage of adoption develops through cooperation rather than fragmentation.
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