NEAR Foundation to Host NEARCON 2026 in San Francisco on Feb 23-24
The NEAR Foundation is reviving its flagship conference, NEARCON, after a two-year hiatus. The event will take place from February 23-24, 2026, at Fort Mason in San Francisco, shifting from its previous location in Lisbon.
- The theme for 2026 is "The Internet Wants to Think," focusing on AI and blockchain integration.
- Keynotes, live demos, and workshops are planned, addressing user-owned AI and AI agents transacting on-chain.
- NEAR Foundation CEO Illia Polosukhin aims to connect with the AI revolution through this move.
- Applications to attend or speak at the event are currently open.
NEARCON 2023 Recap
- NEARCON 2023 attracted 3,000-5,000 attendees globally, featuring talks, workshops, and hackathons.
- Discussions included AI, blockchain, and the open web, promoting education and networking within the NEAR ecosystem.
- Details on speakers for NEARCON 2026 are yet to be released, but notable leaders are expected.
NEAR & Aptos Partnership
NEAR has partnered with Aptos to enhance cross-chain functionalities:
- Introduced one-click cross-chain swaps via NEAR Intents (e.g., BTC to APT) without bridges.
- Shelby hot storage is integrated into the NEAR AI stack for efficient data processing.
- Users can execute swaps across 19 blockchains with minimal fees and quick finality.
- Over $955 million in swaps have been processed across 115 tokens, advancing NEAR's cross-chain capabilities.