The era of speculation is over. That’s the clear message from the Texas Blockchain Council as it prepares to host the North American Blockchain Summit (NABS) on November 18–19, 2026, at the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington.
Under new President Giovanni Capriglione, the longtime Texas House Representative who has authored and passed some of the most consequential digital asset legislation in the state, the Council is shifting from foundation-building to blueprint-drafting. This isn’t just another crypto conference. It’s where the leading figures securing North America’s digital infrastructure, energy strategy, and regulatory frameworks come together to get concrete work done.
DisruptionBanking has been documenting this story since the early days. We were there when it was still the Texas Blockchain Summit. Our team covered presidential candidates laying out crypto policies on stage. We tracked the regulatory shifts. And we’ve spent years building real relationships with the builders, miners-turned-data-center operators, wallet teams, and policy voices who make Texas the undeniable center of gravity for serious blockchain work in North America.
From Texas Summit to North American Blueprints
What started as a Texas-focused gathering has grown into the premier policy and infrastructure event for Bitcoin, blockchain, and digital assets on the continent. Last year’s edition in Dallas (at the George W. Bush Presidential Center) already showed the evolution. This year it moves to Arlington, which is right in the heart of the region Giovanni represented for years in the Texas House.
That move feels symbolic. Giovanni isn’t just a new face at the top of the TBC. He’s the one who filed HB 1666 back in 2023 to protect Texas consumers’ digital asset investments in custodial arrangements. Today exchanges operating in Texas require registration, segregation of assets, and proper reserves. We covered that bill at the time because it mattered. It was practical consumer protection from someone who actually understood both the technology and the risks.
This consumer-first approach is already showing results. In early 2026, the Texas State Securities Board moved quickly with an Emergency Cease and Desist Order against Texitcoin and its related entities for allegedly offering unregistered securities through “mining packages” that promised passive returns. The action was brought under securities laws rather than HB 1666 directly. However, the broader regulatory environment Giovanni helped shape demands greater transparency, segregation of customer funds, and real accountability. This is making it harder for questionable schemes to operate unchecked in Texas. It sends a clear signal: Texas welcomes serious builders while protecting participants from the kind of hype-driven misconduct that has damaged the industry elsewhere.
Now he’s leading the organization that helped make Texas the most forward-leaning major state on these issues. This includes the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve legislation he championed. The foundation Lee Bratcher built over six years is strong. Giovanni is the right person to take it into the next phase: turning Texas policy leadership into concrete North American infrastructure leadership.
The Real TBC Ecosystem, Not Just Talk
One of the things that sets the Texas Blockchain Council apart is that its members actually do things. DisruptionBanking has been on the ground with them.
We told the story of IREN shifting from Bitcoin mining to high-performance data centers, a move that makes perfect sense in a state with abundant energy and land. We’ve covered Quai Network multiple times, including their Christmas fork that gave miners renewed confidence, and we catch up with founder Alan Orwick every year at the North American Blockchain Summit.
We helped shine a light on Krown’s Qastle wallet, one of the most important launches of 2025. James Stephens, CEO of Krown and TBC board member, is deeply plugged into the ecosystem and his company was a sponsor at this year’s Bitcoin Vegas event in May.
We’ve written about The Network Firm (TNF) and their proof-of-reserves work, another organization with strong TBC ties. We’ve tracked BankSocial and its Hedera-based solution for credit unions, including the significant engagement those stories generated on X.
We’ve also gone deeper on the policy side. From Vivek Ramaswamy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appearing at early summits, to detailed looks at how the North American Blockchain Summit itself was changing the U.S. regulatory conversation. And we told the fascinating story of Wyoming’s Frontier Token (FRNT). How one of the smallest states created something genuinely innovative that was clearly not a CBDC.
This wasn’t entirely planned. Initially we looked heavily at markets like Washington DC or Singapore (we still do), but then Texas started to take center stage. Our editorial’s obsession with the Lone Star State has driven sustained engagement with the actual members and the real conversations happening inside the TBC ecosystem.
Why Arlington in November 2026 Changes the Story
NABS26 carries the theme “Blueprints.” That’s deliberate. The speculative phase is behind us. What comes next is the hard work of finalizing technical standards, energy strategies, capital formation, and regulatory clarity that will define North American leadership for decades.
Texas is uniquely positioned for this. It has the energy, the land, the pro-innovation legislature (with people like Giovanni who understand the tech), and now a Council led by someone with both legislative experience and a clear vision for making Texas the jurisdiction of choice.
This is the Texas version of what we saw at SXSW earlier this year with the Texas House and “Y’all Street”. Authentic, grounded, culture-driven leadership rather than imported narratives. Arlington isn’t just a new venue. It’s a statement that the center of gravity is shifting even more firmly into the heart of Texas.
Be There to Follow the Story
If you’re building in this space, whether you’re a miner pivoting to compute, a wallet team, a policy voice, an energy company, or an investor, Arlington in November is where the next chapter gets written. It isn’t just about abstract panels, it’s about the conversations between the people who are deploying infrastructure and shaping the rules.
DisruptionBanking will be there doing what we’ve always done: talking to the builders, digging into the real stories (the IREN pivots, the Quai developments, the new members finding their footing), and making sure the signal cuts through the noise. We’ve been doing this since the Texas Blockchain Summit days. We’re not going anywhere.
Giovanni and the TBC team have a real opportunity right now. The ecosystem they’ve nurtured is delivering tangible results. Media coverage has always been high around TBC, but now it will reach even newer highs. Major outlets such as Bloomberg have increasingly covered developments around the TBC. Over the years membership has grown in number and calibre. How policy is established continues to align with where the Lone Star State is heading. That’s why NABS is one of the most important events in our annual editorial diary.
We want to bring news of the world to Texas, but more importantly, we want the rest of the world to see what’s really happening here in real time
See you in Arlington.
Author: Andy Samu
See Also:
North American Blockchain Summit 2024: U.S. Policy, Stablecoins, and Bitcoin in Focus
How the North American Blockchain Summit is Changing the Regulatory Landscape in the US
Why IREN is Shifting Away from Bitcoin Mining to Data Centers
Rep. Giovanni Capriglione Files HB 1666…
Why Krown’s Qastle Wallet Could Be the Most Important Crypto Launch of 2025
Bitcoin News: How Quai Network’s Christmas Fork Brings Renewed Confidence…
