EVA Announces Its Second Validator Symposium in Cannes

The Ethereum validator community is gathering again.

On March 31, 2026, the Ethereum Validators Association (EVA) will host its second Validator Symposium in Cannes, France, bringing together validators, staking operators, institutional participants, and protocol stakeholders for an evening of focused discussion on Ethereum staking, validator operations, and the protocol changes shaping the next phase of the network.

The first EVA symposium made one thing clear. Validators want a real forum to exchange ideas, surface operational concerns, and engage directly with the organizations influencing Ethereum's roadmap. What began in Buenos Aires as an important first step in validator coordination now continues in Cannes with a second gathering designed to deepen that conversation.

This next symposium will build on the momentum of the first by bringing together a high-signal audience and a strong lineup of speakers representing different parts of the Ethereum staking ecosystem.

Strengthening Validator Representation

Validators are responsible for the performance, resilience, and neutrality of Ethereum's proof-of-stake system. They manage infrastructure, absorb operational risk, and secure the network every day. As Ethereum continues to evolve, validator perspectives need to be heard not only in side conversations, but in structured forums where operators, institutions, and protocol participants can engage directly.

The EVA was created to help provide that structure.

The Cannes symposium is part of that mission. It is an opportunity to bring the people running and shaping Ethereum validation into the same room to discuss the issues that matter most, including validator economics, institutional staking realities, protocol design, and the practical impact of upcoming Ethereum Improvement Proposals.

Featured Speakers

Pat McGowan, EVA

Pat McGowan, EVA's Head of Product, will open the symposium with a look at how validator coordination has evolved since Buenos Aires — what the EVA has been building, where the gaps remain, and how the EVA Hub is developing as infrastructure for validator voice and participation across the ecosystem.

Bitcoin Suisse

Bitcoin Suisse will take the second speaking slot with Lukasz Kadziela and Yves Holenstein, bringing an important institutional perspective to the discussion. Their session is expected to explore the operational realities of staking at institutional scale, including the complexity of custody-integrated validator operations and the inefficiencies that arise when protocol design does not fully reflect how sophisticated operators actually function.

Institutional operators face challenges that are often invisible in more simplified staking models, and those realities deserve more attention in Ethereum's broader validator conversation.

Alex Stokes

Alex Stokes of the Ethereum Foundation will lead the final session, focusing on upcoming EIPs and related protocol developments. This will serve as an important follow-up to the first symposium, where validator concerns were voiced candidly and directly. Cannes offers a chance to continue that dialogue with more context, more operational experience, and a stronger foundation for constructive exchange between validators and protocol contributors.

Event Details

Guest admissions begin at 4:30 PM, and programming will begin at 5:00 PM.

Agenda

Continuing the Conversation

The first EVA Validator Symposium showed how much value there is in getting the right people in the room. In Buenos Aires, validators raised direct concerns about economics, MEV dynamics, and the operational burden of protocol upgrades — feedback that has since shaped the EVA's priorities and ongoing engagement with protocol contributors. Validators, staking providers, researchers, and Ethereum contributors all benefit when operational reality and protocol direction are discussed openly.

The second symposium in Cannes is designed to continue that process.

By convening leading operators and institutions alongside protocol stakeholders, the EVA aims to strengthen communication across Ethereum's validator ecosystem and ensure that the people securing the network remain part of the conversation shaping its future.

We Look Forward to Seeing You

Ethereum's validator layer has matured into one of the most important parts of the network. It deserves serious coordination and serious representation.

The EVA's second Validator Symposium in Cannes is another step toward building that foundation. We look forward to welcoming you.

To learn more about the EVA, visit ethva.org.