From 15 Banks to 250: Inside Paris Blockchain Week's Institutional Wave

About this episode

Michael Amar discusses the growth of institutional participation in the Paris Blockchain Week and the implications of MiCA enforcement on the crypto landscape.

Michael Amar founded Paris Blockchain Week in 2019 because U.S. and Asian investors told him Paris had no crypto ecosystem. This year, 250 banks showed up. At PBW 2026, he sits with David Sencil to put real numbers behind the institutional adoption story, explain why MiCA enforcement is filtering who can attend European events, and predict where the next year's crypto M&A will land. We cover: - The 15-to-250 banks curve, year over year - PBW's "Paris is good for food and vacation, but for crypto, no" origin - MiCA enforcement filtering European events in real time - Why next year is the crypto M&A year - France's strengths and gaps for crypto founders Chapters : 00:17 - Welcome to Bitcoin.com News Live Desk 00:36 - Michael Amar's Background 01:14 - Early Involvement in Digital Assets 02:23 - Launching Paris Blockchain Week 03:21 - Success and Challenges of the Conference 04:18 - Institutional Adoption and Growth 05:01 - Institutional Presence at the Conference 06:18 - European Regulations and Compliance 07:32 - Market Share and Competition 08:46 - Future of Crypto in Paris and Europe 09:33 - France's Role in Web3 and Crypto 10:34 - French Regulations and…

People in this episode

Guests: Michael Amar, David Sencil

Topics covered

• institutional adoption
• crypto ecosystem
• MiCA enforcement
• crypto M&A
• Paris Blockchain Week
• bank participation

Keywords

• Paris Blockchain Week
• institutional adoption
• MiCA
• crypto M&A
• banks
• crypto ecosystem

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Paris Blockchain Week, MiCA

Places: France, Paris

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