Call for Papers — Blockchain Kaigi 2026 (BCK26), Tokyo, 9-12 December 2026 | Abstracts due 17 August

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CALL FOR PAPERS

BLOCKCHAIN KAIGI 2026 (BCK26)
The 6th International Conference on Blockchain

9-12 December 2026
Tokyo Skytree Town Campus, Chiba Institute of Technology
Sumida-ku, Tokyo, Japan

https://www.blockchainkyoto.org/en/bck26
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ABOUT THE CONFERENCE

Blockchain Kaigi 2026 (BCK26) is an international conference dedicated
to the scientific, engineering, economic, and societal aspects of
blockchain and decentralized systems. It brings together researchers,
engineers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and students from around the
world to discuss advances in distributed ledger technologies, Web3
infrastructures, digital assets, decentralized finance, cryptography,
digital identity, AI integration, and next-generation trust
infrastructures.

Since its inaugural edition at Kyoto University in 2021, the series has
been hosted by Kyoto University (BCK21), Tohoku University (BCK22),
RIKEN Kobe Campus (BCK23), the University of Zurich (BCK24), and IIT
Bombay (BCK25). BCK26 marks the evolution of the series into a
full-scale international conference held in Tokyo, providing a rigorous
academic venue while fostering interaction between academia, industry,
startups, and public institutions.


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IMPORTANT DATES (all deadlines Anywhere on Earth, AoE)
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Abstract Registration Deadline .............. 17 August 2026
Submission Deadline (both tracks) ........... 31 August 2026
Notification of Acceptance .................. 30 September 2026
Conference Dates ............................ 9-12 December 2026
Post-Conference Full Paper Submission ....... 28 February 2027
First Review Results ........................ 30 April 2027
Revised Manuscript Submission ............... 31 May 2027
Final Acceptance Notification ............... 30 June 2027
Publication of Proceedings .................. Per publisher schedule


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TOPICS OF INTEREST
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Technical Foundations
- Consensus protocols, scalability, interoperability
- Cryptography, zero-knowledge proofs, formal verification
- Smart contracts, DAOs, Layer-2 technologies
- Distributed systems and decentralized infrastructure
- Network science, graph analytics, hypergraphs

Applications
- Digital assets and token economies
- CBDCs and financial innovation
- Supply chains, healthcare, agriculture, IoT
- Digital identity and privacy-preserving technologies
- Sustainability and SDG-oriented applications

AI and Data Science
- Decentralized AI and AI agents
- Machine learning for blockchain analytics
- Blockchain infrastructure for AI ecosystems
- Data provenance and trustworthy AI

Security and Regulation
- Blockchain security and forensics
- AML, compliance, and risk management
- Governance, regulation, and policy


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SUBMISSION TRACKS
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1) FULL PAPER TRACK
  For authors who wish to publish a full archival paper in the BCK26
  Proceedings.

  Conference submission: 4-page abstract, light peer review.
  Decisions: Oral Presentation / Transfer to Extended Abstract Track /
  Reject. Accepted submissions are presented orally at BCK26.

  Post-conference: authors of accepted oral presentations will be
  invited to submit a full paper of up to 15 pages in Springer
  proceedings format (excluding references, subject to publisher
  requirements), reviewed double-anonymously.
  Decisions: Accept / Minor Revision / Major Revision / Reject.
  Accepted papers will be included in the official BCK26 Proceedings
  (subject to final agreement with the publisher).

2) EXTENDED ABSTRACT TRACK
  For emerging research, work-in-progress, industrial applications,
  demonstrations, and preliminary results.

  Conference submission: 4-page abstract, light peer review.
  Decisions: Short Oral Presentation / Poster Presentation / Reject.
  Accepted Extended Abstracts will be published in the BCK26 Book of
  Abstracts. These are intended for conference presentation and
  discussion and do not constitute archival publications.

At least one author of each accepted paper must register for the
conference and present the work in person.


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REVIEW PROCESS
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All conference submissions undergo an initial light peer review by the
Program Committee. Evaluation criteria: relevance to conference themes,
originality, technical quality, potential impact, and clarity of presentation.

All submissions must be original and must not be simultaneously
submitted to another archival publication venue. The proceedings review
process follows the publisher's policies on originality and plagiarism,
research ethics, AI-assisted writing disclosure, and copyright and
licensing.


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HOW TO SUBMIT
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Submission (EasyChair): https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=bck26

Registration: https://pci.jotform.com/form/261762640280455


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WHY ATTEND
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- Present your latest research to an international audience
- Engage with leading researchers and industry practitioners
- Explore emerging directions in blockchain, Web3, and decentralized AI
- Build collaborations across academia, industry, and government
- Experience Tokyo and the Tokyo Skytree innovation district


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VENUE
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TOKYO SKYTREE TOWN (R) CAMPUS
Chiba Institute of Technology
8F Tokyo Skytree Town, Sumida-ku
Tokyo, Japan

BCK26 is an in-person conference. At least one author of each accepted
submission must register and attend to present the work. Remote
presentations will be considered only under exceptional circumstances
approved by the Organizing Committee.


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ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
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General Chair: Yuichi Ikeda (Nagoya City University, Kyoto University)
Local Organizing Chair: Akihiro Fujihara (Chiba Institute of Technology)
Finance Chair: Claudio J. Tessone (University of Zurich)
Program Chair: Kazumasa Omote (University of Tsukuba)
Publication Chair: Pierluigi Cesana (Kyushu University)
Publicity/Technical Chair: Rafik Hadfi (Kyoto University)


Steering Committee:

Yuichi Ikeda (Nagoya City University / Kyoto University)
Claudio J. Tessone (University of Zurich)
R.K. Shyamasundar (IIT Bombay) 
Alfred Taudes (Vienna University of Economics and Business) 
Tetsuo Hatsuda (RIKEN) 
Hitoshi Okada (National Institute of Informatics) 
Kazumasa Omote (University of Tsukuba) 
Bernhard Haslhofer (Complexity Science Hub) 
Akihiro Fujihara (Chiba Institute of Technology) 
Pierluigi Cesana (Kyushu University)
Rafik Hadfi (Kyoto University)
Ali Emdad (Morgan State University)


Contact E-mail: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>

Please forward this call to colleagues and students who may be
interested.
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