The Ticino Blockchain Technologies Association (TBTA) has been established in Lugano with the stated goal of promoting blockchain research, supporting innovative companies, and strengthening academic engagement around the technology. Announced on September 10, 2020, the non-profit association is designed to connect academia and private industry in Ticino while helping build a broader blockchain ecosystem at both the Swiss and international levels.
The initiative reflects growing interest in blockchain in southern Switzerland, where public institutions, universities, and companies are increasingly exploring how the technology could be applied beyond cryptocurrency. According to the announcement, blockchain is viewed as a transformative tool with potential implications for supply chains, financial and payment systems, notarial services, business processes, and government functions. At the same time, the organizers stressed that meaningful progress depends on research, skills development, training, investment, experimentation, and a shift in mindset.
A Regional Platform for Research and Skills Development
TBTA was formed as a response to rising blockchain activity in Ticino, where several international companies have already established a presence. That momentum led academic institutions and private enterprises to open a dialogue around the creation of a competence center focused on research, education, and innovation. The broader ambition is to encourage the creation of new businesses and expand opportunities for highly skilled employment in the region.
Rather than positioning itself as a single-company initiative, TBTA is structured as a collaborative platform. Its mission is to foster the organic growth of the blockchain ecosystem by bringing together companies with technical, financial, and entrepreneurial experience alongside universities capable of providing research capabilities and formal training pathways.
Founding Members and Academic Partners
The association’s founding partners include a mix of blockchain-native firms and broader technology or investment organizations. Listed members include Bitcoin.com, Copernicus Holding SA, Eligma Ltd. (GoCrypto), Euronovate SA, Eventboost SA, Pangea Blockchain Fund, Poseidon Group, Quadrans Foundation, StrongBlock.io, Superflat SA, and Swiss Blockchain Consortium.
TBTA also includes two academic partners: the University of Southern Switzerland (USI) and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland (SUPSI). USI contributes expertise from its Computer Systems Institute and from its Master of Science program in Financial Technology and Computing. SUPSI participates through the Innovative Technologies Department of the Information Systems and Networking Institute, which offers advanced study certificates in blockchain and fintech.
This academic participation is central to the association’s long-term strategy. By linking companies with university departments and specialized programs, TBTA aims to create a framework in which technical research, business needs, and professional education reinforce one another.
Leadership and Strategic Direction
The association is chaired by Giacomo Poretti, President of TBTA and Senior Lecturer-Researcher in SUPSI’s Department of Innovative Technologies. In the announcement, Poretti said the association was pleased to include prestigious international companies among its members, noting that these organizations could help drive innovation in the region together with partners already active in Ticino.
He described the platform as important not only for Ticino but for Switzerland more broadly, arguing that companies and academic institutions can achieve innovative solutions more effectively when they work together. The emphasis, in his view, is on using collaboration to accelerate digital change through creative ideas. The executive committee also includes William Duplessie, Brunello Pianca, Maggie Rokkum-Testi, and Lars Schlichting.
Support from Public Institutions
The launch of TBTA also received positive comments from regional public-sector stakeholders. Stefano Rizzi, Director of the Economics Division of the Department of Finance and Economics and Vice President of the Agire Foundation, said the initiative aligns with the canton’s economic development strategy, which is built around innovation and the networking of skills in Ticino.
Rizzi said that synergies between advanced companies and research institutes could allow Ticino to play a meaningful role in blockchain-related technologies, with possible benefits for employment and economic growth. He also pointed out that the Canton of Ticino had already acted early at the federal level through its role as a founding member of the Swiss Blockchain Federation. According to his remarks, that earlier engagement helped contribute to defining legal foundations intended to enhance the attractiveness and competitiveness of the broader economy.
Universities See Value in Structured Collaboration
Academic leaders framed the initiative as an example of how universities can expand their role through partnerships with industry. Boas Erez, Rector of USI, said he strongly believes in the value of partnership-based research initiatives for both the university and the Ticino region. He argued that knowledge today is not concentrated solely within research institutes, but is more widely distributed across society and industry.
In that context, Erez said structured cooperation with companies allows universities to broaden their multidisciplinary expertise, especially in areas such as economics and computer science, while also increasing their practical impact on the surrounding territory.
Emanuele Carpanzano, Director of SUPSI’s Department of Innovative Technologies, offered a similar view. He said the department supports initiatives that create new synergies between academia and industry and noted that SUPSI works daily on innovative IT skills and solutions across fields such as the Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, and blockchain. He added that these capabilities are already reflected in interdisciplinary projects carried out with local companies, as well as in education, citing the upcoming launch of a Bachelor’s program in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence.
Carpanzano said blockchain should be considered a technology of significant future interest because of the many application areas associated with it. In that sense, he welcomed the creation of an association capable of bringing together the interdisciplinary actors and skill sets already present in Ticino.
Why the Launch Matters
While the announcement was framed as a regional development story, it also points to a broader pattern seen across Europe: blockchain ecosystems increasingly rely on collaboration between universities, companies, and public institutions rather than on isolated startup activity alone. TBTA’s structure suggests that Ticino is seeking to build a durable ecosystem by combining education, applied research, private-sector innovation, and policy support.
The association’s launch does not by itself guarantee commercial outcomes, but it creates an institutional vehicle for coordination. For the region, that may prove useful in shaping talent pipelines, promoting experimentation, and attracting companies interested in operating within a networked environment that already includes academic expertise and public-sector engagement.
As presented in the announcement, TBTA is ultimately intended to serve as a bridge: between research and commercialization, between local priorities and international participation, and between technical development and workforce creation. In a sector where long-term adoption often depends on collaboration as much as invention, that positioning could become one of the association’s most important assets.