BlockchainWork at TEAMZ Summit 2026: Connecting global blockchain projects in Tokyo

On April 7-8, 2026, more than 10,600 people from 50 countries gathered at Happo-en, a 400-year-old Japanese garden in the heart of Tokyo – not for sightseeing, but for TEAMZ Summit 2026, widely regarded as Asia’s largest Web3 and AI conference.

The event brought together 130+ speakers, 100+ sponsors and partners, and a packed schedule of side events as part of Tokyo Web3/AI Week. The main summit was preceded by a VIP Welcome Dinner on April 6 at Hakuho-kan, located within the Happo-en grounds.

The Venue: “Tradition Meets Tomorrow”

This year’s theme was more than a tagline. Happo-en is a garden with over 400 years of history – a far cry from a conventional conference center. While speakers discussed Layer 1 infrastructure and tokenization on stage, attendees could watch geisha performances, sumo demonstrations, and karate exhibitions just steps away.

It sounds like an unlikely pairing, but it actually captures something real about how Japan is approaching Web3: not breaking from the past, but building on top of it.

Scale and Notable Participants

TEAMZ Summit 2026 attracted major players from across the industry. Sponsors and partners included Binance, XRP (Ripple), Cardano, TRON, SBI VC Trade, EMURGO, Aptos Labs, Startale, Animoca Brands, and Bitcoin.com – a lineup that speaks to the event’s reach at a global level.

The level of political participation from the Japanese government was also notable – unusual for a blockchain conference, and not accidental.

Japan’s Government Vision: Blockchain as National Strategy

Satsuki Katayama, Minister of State for Financial Services, delivered a keynote on the role of Web3 and AI in Japan’s social development strategy. The message was clear: Japan is moving from observation to active engagement in the digital asset space.

Hideto Kawasaki, Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Digital Affairs, also took the stage to outline Japan’s national digital strategy. Yuichiro Tamaki, leader of the Democratic Party for the People, went further – stating directly that Japan’s goal is to become Asia’s leading digital asset nation.

Few blockchain conferences anywhere in the world can claim political participation at this level.

Layer 1 Infrastructure and the Future of Blockchain

Charles Hoskinson, CEO of Input Output and co-founder of Cardano and Ethereum, keynoted on the role of Layer 1 infrastructure in 2026. A dedicated Layer 1 panel also brought together representatives from the Ethereum Foundation, Aptos Labs, Litecoin Foundation, and Midnight to discuss where blockchain infrastructure is headed.

Fredrik Gregaard, CEO of the Cardano Foundation, opened Day 2 with a keynote on digital trust – arguing that trust, not tokens or yield, is the real currency of the next economy.

Where Digital Assets Meet Traditional Finance

Day 1 featured a dedicated program called “XRP Tokyo,” focused on cross-border payments, financial infrastructure, and the broader XRP ecosystem. Justin Sun, founder of TRON and advisor to HTX, shared his perspective on the convergence of crypto and traditional finance in Japan.

Yat Siu, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman of Animoca Brands, analyzed the new economic sphere emerging from digital ownership – a topic that feels increasingly practical as Japan’s digital asset market continues to expand.

AI and Blockchain Converge

Day 2 ran the “WaytoAGI AI Conference” in parallel, exploring the intersection of AI and blockchain, real-world deployment of generative AI, and the potential of next-generation technologies. Deloitte Tohmatsu Group co-hosted a side event on the theme of “Web3 and AI: Redesigning Enterprise and Markets.”

In previous years, AI was mostly discussed as a future possibility. This year, the conversation shifted to something more concrete: how to deploy it, and at what scale.

At the closing, organizers officially announced that TEAMZ Summit 2027 – the 10th anniversary edition will be held on April 6-7, 2027 in Tokyo. The announcement was met with strong applause from the floor.

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BlockchainWork at TEAMZ: Building Bridges Between Japan and Vietnam

Representing BlockchainWork at TEAMZ Summit 2026 was Eiji Shioda, Co-founder and Board Member. Eiji brings over 20 years of experience building businesses and systems in Japan, along with a track record of investing in 100+ crypto projects since 2018. With deep familiarity in both the Japanese and Vietnamese markets, he was at Happo-en to meet and connect directly with potential partners across the region.

“What I value most about TEAMZ is the genuine energy of connection here. People come to connect for real, to build for real. For BlockchainWork, this is a key opportunity to strengthen our partner network between Japan and Vietnam – not just on the technology side, but on the human side. I believe that bridging talent is just as important as bridging technology.” – Eiji Shioda, Co-founder and Board Member, BlockchainWork

Japan is a mature Web3 market – with clear legal infrastructure, a long-established crypto investor community, and capital from Japanese firms and funds increasingly flowing toward Southeast Asia. Vietnam, with its fast-growing blockchain developer community and rising digital asset user base, sits squarely in that line of sight. According to Chainalysis, Vietnam has ranked in the global top 5 for crypto adoption four years running, from 2021 to 2024. The domestic blockchain market is projected to grow from USD 350 million in 2023 to nearly USD 1 billion by 2029. And from 2026, the Digital Technology Law formally legalizes digital assets in Vietnam – a legal framework that is finally catching up to market reality.

The collaboration between Japan and Vietnam creates a meaningful synergy for the regional blockchain ecosystem: Japan brings operational experience and capital depth; Vietnam brings speed, scale, and cost-competitive talent that is growing fast.

Download the report: Vietnam Blockchain Job Market Report 2025

TEAMZ is not just a place to track trends. It is where real partnership decisions begin – and BlockchainWork is there to make sure Vietnam’s blockchain community has a seat at the table.

Event highlights

BlockchainWork – Leading blockchain talent community in Vietnam

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