16–17 September 2026 · ICC Sydney · Darling Harbour

Distributed systems, in the same room.

Southern Ledger Summit brings developers, researchers, founders, and public-sector teams to Sydney for two days of hard technical talks, hands-on workshops, and the hallway conversations that actually move things forward.

Dates
16–17 Sep 2026
Venue
ICC Sydney
Format
4 stages + labs
Language
English
The summit, block by block
Block 00 · Genesis
Two days, one venue
Everything under one roof at Darling Harbour.
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Block 01 · Program
60+ sessions
Talks, panels, and lightning slots across six tracks.
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Block 02 · Labs
Hands-on workshops
Bring a laptop; leave having built something.
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Block 03 · People
1,600 attendees
Builders and operators from across APAC.
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What it is

A working conference, not a hype conference.

Southern Ledger Summit exists for the people who ship: protocol engineers, infrastructure teams, security researchers, founders, and the policy and enterprise folks working alongside them. The program favours substance over spectacle — expect architecture deep-dives, honest post-mortems, and workshops you can actually follow along with.

Now in its third year, the summit has become the fixture where Australia's distributed-systems community compares notes with peers from Singapore, Tokyo, Seoul, and beyond. Two stages run technical talks, a third hosts policy and enterprise sessions, and the lab room runs hands-on workshops all day.

It is an educational and professional-networking event. We don't sell tokens, we don't pitch investments, and nothing on the stage is a recommendation to buy anything. Come to learn, build, and meet the people doing the work.

Who attends
Engineers, founders, researchers, enterprise & public-sector teams
Stages
Protocol · Applied · Policy & Enterprise · Lab
Capacity
~1,600 in-person attendees
Organiser
Southern Ledger Events Pty Ltd, Sydney

Program

Six tracks, one thread: how these systems actually work.

Sessions are curated by an independent program committee. Topics reflect what practitioners are building and debating right now.

01

Protocols & consensus

Research-grade talks on consensus design, data availability, and scaling approaches — with the trade-offs made explicit.

02

Applied & tooling

Nodes, indexing, rollups, and developer experience. The unglamorous infrastructure that everything else depends on.

03

Onchain finance

Market structure, stablecoins, settlement, and risk — examined as engineering and economics, minus the hype.

04

Security & assurance

Audits, formal methods, incident response, and key management, told through real cases and what went wrong.

05

Enterprise & public sector

Identity, supply chain, and government pilots across Australia and the region — what shipped and what stalled.

06

Policy & regulation

Where Australian and APAC rules are heading, discussed with some of the people actually drafting them.

Agenda

A sample of the two days.

Highlights below; the full schedule with room assignments is published closer to the event.

09:00
Doors, coffee & registration
All
09:45
Opening: the state of distributed systems in APAC
Dr. Anika Rao · Meridian Labs
Keynote
10:30
Data availability without the hand-waving
James Whitlock · Tallow Network
Protocol
11:30
Building a rollup you can actually operate
Wei Chen · Cadence
Applied
13:30
Lab: writing and testing a smart contract end-to-end
Dev Patel · Nullarbor Nodes
Workshop
15:00
Stablecoins & settlement: an engineering view
Priya Nadesan · Harbour Clearing
Finance
16:30
Panel: what Australian regulation gets right (and doesn't)
Sarah Okafor & guests
Policy

Speakers

A committee-selected lineup.

AR
Dr. Anika Rao
Distributed Systems Researcher, Meridian Labs
JW
James Whitlock
Protocol Engineer, Tallow Network
PN
Priya Nadesan
Head of Settlement, Harbour Clearing
TA
Tom Ashcroft
Security Lead, Ironbark Audit
WC
Wei Chen
Founder, Cadence
SO
Sarah Okafor
Policy Counsel, Southern Digital Assets Council
DP
Dev Patel
Infrastructure Engineer, Nullarbor Nodes
EM
Elena Marsh
Public-Sector Lead, State Digital Office

// Program and speakers are illustrative and subject to change.

Venue

On the harbour, in the middle of everything.

ICC Sydney sits on Darling Harbour, a short walk from the CBD, Central Station, and dozens of hotels. Light rail and ferries stop nearby, and the airport is about 20 minutes by taxi or train.

Book your pass

ICC Sydney

14 Darling Dr, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
  • 5 min walk from Town Hall & Central stations
  • Light rail stop at the door
  • ~20 min from Sydney Airport (SYD)
  • Hotels within walking distance across all budgets
  • Fully accessible venue with step-free access

Tickets

One event, a few ways in.

Every pass includes both days, all stages, catering, and the community after-hours. Prices in AUD, GST inclusive.

Student
A$79
  • Full 2-day access
  • All stages & lab room
  • Valid student ID required
  • Limited allocation
Choose Student
Most popular
Standard
A$449
  • Full 2-day access
  • All stages + workshops
  • Catering & after-hours
  • Session recordings
Choose Standard
Community
A$149
  • Full 2-day access
  • Community & main stages
  • Catering included
  • For independent builders
Choose Community
Save 17%
Team of 4
A$1,490 / 4 passes
  • Four full Standard passes
  • Reserved seating block
  • One invoice, one contact
  • Ideal for company teams
Choose Team

// Checkout opens on our ticketing partner. Refunds available up to 14 days before the event; passes are transferable any time.

Request a pass

Not ready to check out? Leave your details.

Tell us which pass you're after and our team will follow up with an invoice or a link to complete checkout.

Partners

Backed by the teams building it.

Tallow Network Harbour Clearing Ironbark Audit Cadence Nullarbor Cloud Meridian Labs

FAQ

Good to know before you register.

Who is this event for?+
Engineers, founders, researchers, and enterprise or public-sector teams working with distributed systems and blockchain technology. If you build, operate, secure, or make policy around these systems, you'll be in good company.
Do I need to be highly technical?+
No. The program spans deep technical talks and more accessible policy, enterprise, and applied sessions. You can build a two-day schedule that matches your background.
Is this an investment or trading event?+
No. Southern Ledger Summit is strictly educational and professional networking. We do not offer, sell, or promote tokens, securities, or investments, and nothing presented is financial, investment, legal, or tax advice.
What's your refund and transfer policy?+
Passes are fully refundable up to 14 days before the event and transferable to another person at any time. Refund requests are handled by our ticketing partner.
Is there a code of conduct?+
Yes. All attendees, speakers, and staff agree to our code of conduct, which requires respectful, harassment-free participation. Details are sent with your confirmation and available on request.
Is the venue accessible?+
ICC Sydney offers step-free access throughout. If you have specific access requirements, let us know when you register and we'll make arrangements.

16–17 September 2026 · Sydney

Come build with your peers.

Two days, one venue, and the community actually doing the work. Early passes are limited.