Following the successful launch of the inaugural Global Web3 Developer Conference (GWDC HK) in Hong Kong this February, which ignited a new wave of technological momentum across the Asia-Pacific region and brought together more than 2,000 industry leaders, conference organizer Web3Labs today officially announced a major upgrade: the second Global Web3 Developer Conference, GWDC 2026 Korea, will take place at the aT Center in Seoul, South Korea, from September 29 to 30.
Continuing to uphold the hard-core builder spirit of “For Builders, By Builders,” this year’s conference will turn its focus to one of Asia’s leading technology hubs. It aims to establish a new paradigm for the global Web3 developer ecosystem and the integration of next-generation industries.
According to the organizing committee’s latest projections, the Seoul edition will see a comprehensive leap in scale and impact. More than 8,000 attendees, 500 world-class developers, 100 prominent industry speakers, and 100 exhibitors are expected to gather in Seoul to witness a historic moment in the deep convergence of Web3 and artificial intelligence (AI), opening a new chapter in the development of Web3 across Asia.
Spatial Reinvention: Four Core Zones to Decode the Future of Web3 from Multiple Dimensions
GWDC 2026 Korea breaks away from the one-dimensional format of traditional exhibitions by reinventing the spatial layout of the Seoul aT Center. Through four core themed zones, the conference will provide comprehensive coverage of macro-level strategy, hands-on technology, builder competitions, and business networking.
Main Stage | Strategic Leadership and Global Dialogue
The Main Stage serves as the conference’s core platform for top-level planning and macro strategy. Government officials from Hong Kong, China, and South Korea; decision-makers from leading global technology companies; and visionaries from the Web3 industry will be invited to engage in in-depth dialogue and debate.
Topics will place a strong emphasis on policy coordination and cross-border collaboration, while delivering a hardcore examination of practical AI applications and next-generation decentralized infrastructure, helping define the new direction of technology in Asia.
Innovation Stage | Deep Collision of Vertical Technologies
The breakout forums will reject empty theoretical discussion and focus on delivering practical, actionable insights.
The conference will feature three dedicated tracks. The Developer Ecosystem track will focus on the evolution of open-source culture and developer toolchains. The Web3 and Financial Infrastructure track will decode new pathways for real-world assets (RWA), decentralized finance (DeFi), and cross-border financial innovation. The AI and cloud-native track will go directly into the underlying code behind model training and architectural upgrades.
In addition, the conference’s grand finale, the GWDC Hackathon Grand Final and Awards Ceremony, will also take place here, culminating in a series of high-level project pitches.
Innovation Booth Zone | An Immersive Marketplace for Frontier Technology
The exhibition area will feature more than 99 themed booths spanning AI, blockchain, software as a service (SaaS), developer tools (DevTools), and other diverse sectors.
Moving beyond the conventional and uninspiring booth format, the zone will fully embrace interactive demos to showcase the true technical strength of participating projects.
The venue will also feature on-site coverage by 30 leading key opinion leaders (KOLs), supported by high-frequency engagement across global social media platforms. In addition, highly popular flash-mob dance performances by attractive South Korean girl groups will be creatively integrated into the hard-core technology exhibition area, generating high-density foot traffic and energizing the entire zone.
Hackathon Zone | A 48-Hour Extreme Coding Challenge
As the soul of the conference, the Hackathon Zone will bring together more than 500 elite builders from China, South Korea, Japan, India, and Southeast Asia.
Breaking away from the limitations of a single ecosystem, this year’s competition will invite five leading public blockchains to release development challenges simultaneously.
The organizing committee has prepared a cash prize pool of more than US$100,000, together with substantial computing power and resource support from the world’s leading cloud service providers. The Hackathon Zone will serve as the ultimate proving ground connecting top-tier capital, public blockchain ecosystems, and talented developers.
GWDC 2026 Korea Unveils Its First Wave of Political and Business Leaders and Ecosystem Partners
The core influence of GWDC 2026 Korea’s cross-sector integration continues to gain momentum, successfully bringing together a world-class international lineup spanning government, industry, finance, and academia.
We are honored to announce that the following distinguished keynote speakers have confirmed their attendance at the conference:
- Johnny Ng — Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong
- Min Byoung Dug—Member of the National Assembly of South Korea, proposer of the Digital Asset Basic Act, and Member of the National Policy Committee
- Suk-hun Yoon — Chairman of the Asia Economic Development Committee
- Caspar Wong — Chief Executive Officer of Web3Labs
- Jack Kong — Founder of Nano Labs
- Lee Jae-won — Chief Executive Officer of Bithumb
- Evan Auyang — President of Animoca Brands
- Ella Zhang — Managing Partner and Head of YZi Labs
- Ryan Li — Vice President of Cloud-Native and Digital Transformation Business, Microsoft Greater China
With the support of these distinguished guests, the conference’s global preparations have also received strong backing from leading ecosystem partners across the industry.
Techub News, TinTinLand, ME Group, AMPHI, HypaiLabs, and CH90 Zhonghua Jiuling have officially been unveiled as the first wave of official business partners.
Business partnerships, booth reservations, and developer hackathon registration for GWDC 2026 Korea are now officially open worldwide.
The organizing committee sincerely invites outstanding projects and talented builders from around the world to gather in Seoul and jointly define a new chapter for the convergence of Web3 and AI in Asia.
For more information, sponsorship inquiries, or registration, please visit:
Official Website: www.gwdc.net
Event Registration: https://luma.com/cp87au4f
Event Details: https://gwdcseoul.carrd.co/
About Web3Labs
Web3Labs is a leading incubator and entrepreneurial gateway in the Web3.0 sector. In support of the policy initiatives of the Hong Kong SAR Government, Web3Labs helps global Web3 companies establish a presence in Hong Kong and connect with international markets through market-entry services, investment acceleration, technical collaboration, and compliance support.
Web3Labs has launched a US$10 million global accelerator program and established strategic partnerships with leading international organizations and ecosystems, including Neo, Zetrix, ICP, KuCoin Labs, TON, and TRON, providing comprehensive support and empowerment for high-quality Web3 projects.
