House of Block, the leading Digital Assets & Web3 community founded by Korby Hayre, welcomed senior leaders, innovators, policymakers and pioneers from across the global digital assets ecosystem to its fourth annual Global Digital Assets & Web3 Talks & Polo Event at Ham Polo Club, Richmond.
Now firmly established as one of the industry’s most anticipated invitation-only gatherings, House of Block has earned a reputation for doing something different. Rather than competing with the world’s largest conferences, the event is intentionally positioned after the major global gatherings have concluded, creating a rare opportunity for decision-makers to step away from crowded exhibition halls and engage in meaningful conversations with peers.
Held in the elegant surroundings of Ham Polo Club, just thirty minutes from Heathrow Airport, the event combines thought-provoking discussion, audience participation and relationship-building in a setting designed to encourage genuine dialogue and collaboration.
The day opened with a VIP reception and networking lunch on the club’s Roof Terrace before guests gathered for a programme exploring the forces reshaping the future of digital assets, stablecoins, tokenisation and artificial intelligence. A welcome address from Darko Hajdukovic – London Stock Exchange Group.
The opening session, “The War Room: Capital, Conflict & Consequence,” moderated by BBC journalist Thomas Mason, brought together Professor Brunello Rosa (Rosa & Roubini Associates and LSE), Freddie New ( B HODL) and Katie Ramsey (UK Government) for a wide-ranging discussion on geopolitics, macroeconomics and the implications for digital assets markets.
Stablecoins took centre stage in the second panel, where John Orchard (OMFIF) led an engaging discussion featuring Nima Elmi (Circle), Julie Ng (Moody’s) and Kaushik Sthankiya (Kraken), examining how institutions, regulators and markets are responding to the rapidly evolving stablecoin landscape.
Guests then participated in an interactive AMA session, “Bytes & Billions: Fintech’s Year of Digital Disruption,”with respected fintech commentator Jonny Fry interviewing Charles McManus in a candid conversation that invited questions directly from the audience.
One of the standout themes of the day was the accelerating rise of Agentic AI. This culminated in a lively Oxford-style debate examining whether AI agents will ultimately adopt stablecoin rails rather than traditional banking infrastructure as their preferred settlement layer. Chaired by Emma Lovett (J.P. Morgan) alongside co-chair Simon Barnby, the debate saw Dmitry Lazarichev (Wirex) and Robby Yung (Animoca Brands) challenge Lex Sokolin (Generative Ventures) and Pascal Podvin (nSure.ai) in front of an engaged and highly vocal audience, generating some of the day’s most animated exchanges.
The formal programme concluded with a keynote presentation, “Tokenisation 2030,” delivered by Ronit Ghose, exploring the long-term transformation of financial markets and the opportunities emerging across tokenised assets.
As the discussions drew to a close, the event shifted into its signature social programme. Guests enjoyed networking drinks, a seated Summer Grill dinner and a spectacular sunset polo match on Ham Polo Club’s Front Pitch before gathering for Après Polo celebrations, player photographs and an Ibiza-inspired chill-out lounge that carried conversations long into the evening.
Speaking after the event, Korby Hayre, Founder of House of Block, said:
“We never set out to build another conference. There are already plenty of those. House of Block was created to give senior leaders the opportunity to come together in a more intimate setting and have the conversations that often don’t happen on the main stage.
“The formula is intentionally different. We spend a quarter of the day focusing on the key themes shaping the market and three-quarters creating opportunities for genuine interaction. That’s why people return year after year. It isn’t about scale. It’s about bringing the right people together at the right time.
“House of Block was created to bring senior leaders together in a more intimate setting — to have the conversations that don’t happen on the main stage. We focus on depth over scale, creating the right environment for leaders shaping the future of money, from financial services and digital assets to AI and government, to step back from the noise, challenge ideas and build relationships that last beyond the event itself.
“Talks & Polo Day reflects that philosophy perfectly: high-level thought leadership in a relaxed, curated setting where business influence meets lifestyle. Ultimately, it’s not about scale — it’s about bringing the right people together at the right time in the industry’s calendar, to have the conversations that truly shape the future of money.”
— Korby Hayre, Founder & Producer, House of Block
