Blockchain Life and AI Future 2026 in Dubai

Blockchain Life and AI Future 2026 in Dubai is a two-day forum for the crypto, Web3 and artificial intelligence industries at Festival Arena by InterContinental Dubai Festival City, on Tuesday 1 and Wednesday 2 December, open from 8am to 6pm each day. It is the 17th Blockchain Life Forum, held this year together with the AI Future Forum, and organisers expect more than 15,000 attendees. Any ticket gives access to both forums.

The event bills itself as the crypto and AI event defining the future, and it is aimed squarely at people who build, fund or work with these technologies.

What Blockchain Life is

Blockchain Life was founded by Sergei Khitrov and has grown into one of the larger recurring crypto gatherings held in Dubai, with editions focused on Web3, cryptocurrency and mining. The 13th edition in October 2024 was held at this same Festival Arena, with an expo of more than 200 booths and speakers including Justin Sun of TRON, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, Animoca Brands co-founder Yat Siu, Ledger CEO Pascal Gauthier and Dr Marwan Alzarouni of the Dubai Blockchain Center, alongside founders from Tezos, Trust Wallet, VeChain, Celestia and Sui and AI voices such as Google Cloud’s Tiago Henriques. That year also introduced simultaneous translation into more than 70 languages. The 15th anniversary edition followed in October 2025, drawing around 15,000 people from 130 countries, with more than 200 speakers and a week of side events branded Blockchain Life Week. It also added an expanded outdoor zone with a lounge, food and drinks, massage stations and DJ sets until sunset, a sign that the forum is as much about meeting people as about the talks.

Organisers say that founders and senior management from companies such as Binance, Tether, Ripple, Solana, OKX and Telegram have traditionally attended. The 2026 speaker line-up has not been published on the ticket page, so check the official channels for names.

The official site gives a sense of scale for 2026: more than 200 speakers, more than 200 expo booths and visitors from over 130 countries, with the forum established in 2017 and organised by Listing.Help and Jets Capital. Around it, Blockchain Life Week runs more than 100 side events across Dubai from 27 November to 6 December, so the two forum days sit inside a much bigger week of crypto events.

Adding the AI Future Forum

The big change for 2026 is the AI Future Forum, which runs alongside Blockchain Life rather than as a separate event. The combined format means a single ticket covers both, so you can move between crypto sessions and AI talks across the two days. There are dedicated AI ticket options, AI Standard, AI Business and AI VIP, which mirror the Blockchain Life tiers and give the same access to both forums.

Choosing a ticket

There are three levels, each available in a Blockchain Life or AI version:

• Standard: access to the expo and the conference hall, the official networking app, and water, coffee and tea.
• Business: everything in Standard, plus a chef’s gourmet lunch on both days and video recordings of the speeches, useful if two sessions you want clash.
• VIP: everything in Business, plus dedicated VIP registration desks, the VIP and Speaker Lounge with its own networking, coffee breaks and lunches, and the official afterparty with food, drinks and a show.

Because the networking app comes with every ticket, it is worth downloading it in the days before the event and lining up meetings early. With more than 15,000 people across two days, the meetings you arrange in advance are often the most valuable part of a forum this size.

Festival Arena and getting there

Festival Arena is the events venue of InterContinental Dubai Festival City, on Al Badia Boulevard in Dubai Festival City, across the Creek from the older parts of the city and close to Dubai International Airport. It hosted Blockchain Life in 2024, so returning visitors will know the layout.

By car, take Rebat Street (D83) towards Al Badia, then follow Al Badia Boulevard, taking the first, second and third exits at the roundabouts before turning left; the venue is on the left. The listing advises using GPS. Taxis and ride-hailing apps are an easy alternative, particularly on the VIP afterparty night.

The second day falls on 2 December, Eid Al Etihad, the UAE’s National Day, so the forum closes on a day of national celebrations across the city.

Who it suits

The forum suits crypto and Web3 founders, investors, developers, exchange and wallet teams, AI start-ups and business leaders who want to understand where digital assets and AI are heading. It also suits newcomers to the UAE’s tech scene who want to meet a large part of the industry in one place. For more events like this, see our business and networking listings, what is on in December, our guide for people new to the UAE and more things to do in Dubai.