ABF2025 was in Kigali. ABF2026 is Nairobi. The move is deliberate.
Kigali was the right city to prove the thesis: Africa had enough talent, capital, and momentum to sustain a world-class blockchain conference. 1,600 people showed up. Binance came as Title Sponsor. Rwanda passed landmark virtual assets legislation the same year. The thesis held.
Nairobi is the right city to scale it.
Kenya has the highest mobile money penetration of any country in the world. M-Pesa has been processing more daily transactions than most national banking systems since the 2000s. The Kenyan government has been among the most progressive on the continent on digital asset regulation. Nairobi’s startup ecosystem produced four unicorns in the last decade. The developer community is dense, experienced, and building at speed.
When ABF2026 opens at Sarit Expo Centre this October, it is not introducing blockchain to a city that needs an introduction. It is bringing the continent’s most important blockchain gathering to the city that has been quietly building the infrastructure for a decade.
East Africa’s Position
The African blockchain conversation has historically centred on West Africa, and with good reason. Nigeria and Ghana have built extraordinary ecosystems. But East Africa has been constructing something different: policy frameworks and financial infrastructure at a government level that will define the next decade of digital finance on the continent.
Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda are all moving. ABF2026 in Nairobi signals that East Africa is not a footnote in this story. It is central.
The Venue
Sarit Expo Centre sits in Nairobi’s Westlands district, one of the city’s most connected commercial areas. The Arabuko Hall holds 3,000 people in full conference format. Four dedicated breakout rooms support parallel technical workshops. Thirty-five exhibition booths fill the floor. Hotels, transport links, and the city’s professional community are all within reach.
ABF2026 runs October 15-17; Days 1 and 2 are open conference days, a 7-a-side football tournament takes place on Day 3 along with a curated afternoon across select Nairobi sites and a private closing ceremony dinner for VIP guests, speakers, and partners.
Nairobi is the most deliberate choice we could make for this moment in Africa’s digital economy.
| Register for ABF2026 at africablockchainfestival.com. For sponsorship and partnership enquiries, contact collaboration@africablockchainfestival.com. |