Background

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Blockchain Kaigi (The word “Kaigi” in the Japanese language means Meeting or conference) started as an annual international workshop that brings together researchers and practitioners from academia and industry working on blockchain, cryptoassets, and FinTech. Since its inaugural edition at Kyoto University in 2021, the series has grown into a premier forum for sharing the latest theoretical advances and real-world applications in distributed ledger technology. ​

 

The series began as a workshop, previously hosted at Kyoto University, Japan (BCK21, 2021), Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan (BCK22, 2022), RIKEN Kobe Campus, Japan (BCK23, 2023), the University of Zurich, Switzerland (BCK24, 2024), and IIT Bombay, India (BCK25, 2025). This year, BCK26 marks the series' elevation to a full conference, continuing the tradition of a vibrant interdisciplinary community exchange at the Tokyo Skytree Town Campus of the Chiba Institute of Technology in the heart of Tokyo.

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Scope & Topics of Interest

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BCK26 welcomes submissions of original, previously unpublished work that is both theoretical and applied across the full spectrum of blockchain and distributed ledger research. Topics of iinterest include, but are not limited to:

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Technical Foundations

• Consensus protocols, fault tolerance, and scalability

• Cryptography, zero-knowledge proofs, and mathematics

• Smart contract verification and formal methods

• Lightning networks, interoperability, and Layer 2 solutions

• Decentralized Autonomous Organizations (DAOs)

• Network science and hypergraph modelling

 

Applications & Use Cases

• FinTech, AgTech, HealthTech, and InsurTech

• Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) and digital asset markets

• Digital identity, privacy, and self-sovereign identity

• Smart-grid, smart-city, and IoT applications

• Innovative use cases for public good and SDGs

• Token ecosystems, Finternet, and IoU networks

 

Security & Regulation

• Cybersecurity applications of blockchain

• Legal and regulatory issues

• Ledger analytics for AML and privacy

• Modelling on-chain activity

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AI & Advanced Methods

• Machine learning applications to blockchain

• Blockchain infrastructure for AI/ML ecosystems

• Simulation tools and visualisation of transaction trails​

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Submission Guidelines
 

Authors are invited to submit original research not currently under review elsewhere.

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Paper Categories

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• Full papers: 6 pages for an oral presentation, including the references.

• Poster papers: 2 pages for the poster session, including the references.

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For accepted papers, at least one author must present in person at the conference. For enquiries, please contact the Program Chair: Rafik Hadfi (rafik.hadfi [at] i.kyoto-u.ac.jp).

 

Review Process

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All submissions will undergo double-anonymous peer review by at least three members of the Program Committee. Papers will be evaluated on innovation, technical quality, impact, relevance, quality of writing, reproducibility of results, and overall score.

 

Conflict of Interest
 

Authors and Program Committee members are required to indicate any possible conflict of interest. Potential conflicts of interest include advisor-advisee relationships at any time; professional collaborations, employer/employee relationships, or co-authorship within the past 5 years; current institutional conflicts; or close personal relationships.

Submission Site

Submissions will be accepted via EasyChair. The Call for Papers website and submission link will be announced at the conference website.
At least one author of each accepted paper must register at the full registration rate and present the work in person. Papers not presented at the conference will not be included in the proceedings (no-show policy).

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Important Dates

 

• Abstract Submission Deadline: 10 July 2026

• Full Paper Submission Deadline: 15 July 2026

• Notification of Acceptance: 1 September 2026

• Camera-Ready Submission: 30 September 2026

• Conference Dates: 2-4 December 2026
  
  All deadlines are Anywhere on Earth (AoE) time.

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Organizing Committee

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• ​General Chair: Yuichi Ikeda. Kyoto University, Japan

• Program Chair: Rafik Hadfi. Kyoto University, Japan

• Finance Chair: Claudio J. Tessone. University of Zurich, Switzerland

• Local Arrangement Chair: Akihiro Fujihara. Chiba Institute of Technology, Japan

• Publication Chair: Pierluigi Cesana. Kyushu University, Japan

• Web & Publicity Chairs:

  • Krongtum Sankaewtong. Kyoto University, Japan

  • Emi Yoshikawa. Across Ventures, USA

• Volunteers Chair: Shinichi Morishita. Chiba Institute of Technology, Japan

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Steering Committee

• Yuichi Ikeda. Kyoto University, Japan

• Claudio J. Tessone. University of Zurich, Switzerland

• Tomoyuki Shirai. Kyushu University, Japan

• Tetsuo Hatsuda. RIKEN iTHEMS, Japan

• Kenichi Ueda. University of Tokyo, Japan

• Hitoshi Okada. National Institute of Informatics, Japan

• Kazumasa Omote. University of Tsukuba, Japan

• Rafik Hadfi. Kyoto University, Japan

• Pierluigi Cesana. Kyushu University, Japan

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Contact
 

For general enquiries, please contact the Organization Committee at blockchainkaigi2026 [at] gmail [dot] .com