On September 10, 2020, the Ticino Blockchain Technologies Association (TBTA) was officially established in the Swiss canton of Ticino. This non-profit organization aims to accelerate blockchain research, innovation, and real-world adoption by bringing together leading companies, academic institutions, and public stakeholders.
Mission and Core Focus
TBTA is dedicated to fostering an organic growth of the blockchain ecosystem at both Swiss and international levels. Its key areas include supporting research projects, providing advanced training, and incubating startups that leverage distributed ledger technology. The association also seeks to drive digital transformation across supply chains, finance, payments, notary services, business processes, and government operations.
Founding Members and Academic Partners
The founding partners include major industry players such as Bitcoin.com, Copernicus Holding SA, Eligma Ltd. (GoCrypto), Euronovate SA, Eventboost SA, Pangea Blockchain Fund, Poseidon Group, Quadrans Foundation, StrongBlock.io, Superflat SA, and the Swiss Blockchain Consortium. In addition, two leading universities in southern Switzerland — Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) and Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI) — serve as academic partners. USI contributes expertise from its Computer Systems Institute and Master of Science in Financial Technology and Computing, while SUPSI offers Certificate of Advanced Studies programs in Blockchain and Fintech.
Government and Industry Support
Ing. Giacomo Poretti, President of TBTA and Senior Lecturer-Researcher at SUPSI’s Department of Innovative Technologies (DTI), commented: “We are very pleased to have prestigious international companies among the members of the association able to drive innovation in this region together with partners already active in Ticino. This platform is important not only for Ticino, but for the whole of Switzerland — companies and academic institutions join forces to achieve innovative solutions together, driving digital change with creative ideas.” The executive committee also includes William Duplessie, Brunello Pianca, Maggie Rokkum-Testi, and Lars Schlichting.
Stefano Rizzi, Director of the Economics Division of the Department of Finance and Economics (DFE) and Vice President of the Agire Foundation, emphasized that TBTA aligns with the canton’s economic development strategy focused on innovation and networking. “Through synergies between state-of-the-art companies and research institutes, Ticino can play an important role in promising blockchain-related technologies, with positive impacts on employment and economic growth,” he said. Rizzi also noted that the canton was an early promoter of the “Swiss Blockchain Federation” and has contributed to creating a favorable legal environment.
Academic Voices: Co-creating Knowledge
USI Rector Boas Erez expressed strong support for the partnership-based initiative: “Today knowledge is not only found in research institutes; it is distributed more widely. These structured cooperations with companies allow us to expand our multidisciplinary expertise — in this case in Economics and Computer Science — and our impact on the territory.”
Emanuele Carpanzano, Director of SUPSI’s DTI, added: “We strongly believe in working with the different players in our territory and support initiatives that foster new synergies between academia and the industrial world. DTI develops innovative IT skills and solutions in enabling technologies including IoT, Artificial Intelligence, and Blockchain. We consider Blockchain technology to be of significant interest going forward, and we welcome the birth of a new association that brings together interdisciplinary actors and skills present in Ticino.”
With its strong foundation, TBTA is poised to become a key hub for blockchain innovation in Switzerland, bridging the gap between theoretical research and practical application while fostering a vibrant startup ecosystem.