New York City is about to host a major gathering of prediction market insiders. On October 22–23, NEXTPredict NYC 2026 will bring together some of the industry's biggest names for what's expected to be the largest-ever conference dedicated entirely to prediction markets. I'll be there representing Trade Handle, covering the event and catching up with the people making things happen across the industry.
I recently caught up with Nick Giangreco, Head of U.S. Relationships at NEXT.io, to better understand what attendees can expect. We talked about everything from the speaker lineup to why NEXT.io decided it was time to give prediction markets their own two-day event.
Nick shared they are on pace for 2,500 attendees, including executives and industry leaders from finance, sports, technology, media, government, and more. That's a lot of interesting people in one place, but as Giangreco explained, NEXT.io does what it has always done best: bring the right people together.
Watch: Trade Handle's Exclusive Interview With Nick Giangreco
I sat down with NEXT.io's Nick Giangreco to talk about what attendees can expect at NEXTPredict NYC 2026. We covered the speaker lineup, the growing interest in prediction markets, and why this could be one of the industry's biggest events yet.
From a Side Event to an Entire Conference
Prediction markets have become a regular talking point at industry conferences over the past year. NEXT.io has already included dedicated sessions at previous events, including its Malta summit in May. New York is a much bigger commitment. Rather than giving prediction markets a few panels alongside other topics, NEXT.io is building an entire two-day conference around the industry.
"It's by far the largest prediction market conference to date," Giangreco told Trade Handle. He explained that NEXT.io's background in gaming conferences gave the company a strong starting point, but prediction markets have also introduced an entirely new group of participants.
Financial institutions, market makers, professional traders, and exchange operators are now entering conversations that previously centered largely on traditional gaming businesses.
For Giangreco, that combination is what makes this conference different. "Of course there is some convergence between gaming and prediction markets," he said, pointing to NEXT.io's experience bringing executives together and building events around industry relationships.
The Speaker Lineup is Getting Serious
A quick look at the NEXTPredict agenda shows this won't be a small gathering of prediction market enthusiasts. The event's website advertises 200 speakers across five stages, with a target attendance of 2,500 people. The conference will take place at Convene, 30 Hudson Yards, in Manhattan.
Among the notable names discussed during our interview were:
- Jason Robins, CEO of DraftKings
- Chuck Todd, former moderator of NBC's Meet the Press
- David Miller, CFTC Director of Enforcement
- Executives and representatives from prediction market exchanges, financial institutions, and trading firms
- Media professionals and analysts covering the industry's expansion
The timing adds another interesting element. NEXTPredict takes place less than two weeks before the November midterm elections, when political prediction markets will already be attracting considerable attention.
Giangreco expects the discussions to cover far more than politics, though. "You look at any gaming conference and right now every panel, whether it's geared to or not, mentions prediction markets in some capacity," he said.
His advice to attendees was simple: make time for the panels. With regulators, exchange executives, and financial institutions expected to participate, the educational opportunities could be just as valuable as the networking.
NEXT.io Actually Used Prediction Markets to Protect its Event
One of my favorite parts of our conversation had nothing to do with the speaker lineup. NEXT.io recently made headlines by arranging a prediction market trade to protect its conference against flight disruptions. The company worked with Kalshi and market maker Susquehanna on a custom contract tied to flight cancellations at New York's JFK Airport ahead of the event.
NEXT.io announced that the arrangement provided $3 million in coverage for its conference investment. It's an unusual move for an event organizer, and Giangreco was happy to explain how it came together. He credited NEXT.io co-founder Pierre Lindh with developing the idea. Whether it was intended or not it went viral and made for a great news story leading into the conference.
He explained that the bigger point was to show that NEXT.io wasn't simply organizing a conference around a popular industry. The company wanted to show that it understood prediction markets well enough to use them. "We are actually understanding the space. We are participating in the space," he said.
The trade also highlights something we discuss regularly at Trade Handle: prediction markets can apply well beyond sports and political outcomes. Businesses can potentially use event contracts to manage exposure to weather, economic changes, and other disruptions. For a conference expecting thousands of people to travel into New York, flight cancellations are a pretty relevant concern.
Why Finance Could Be the Biggest Story in New York
Sports contracts might dominate prediction market headlines, but Giangreco believes institutional finance holds much of the industry's long-term opportunity. He pointed to financial institutions' ability to use event contracts to hedge existing portfolios and manage different types of risk.
"The ability for groups to hedge existing portfolios, existing risk in one of a million different ways," he said, describing the opportunity.
That interest helps explain why companies and Wall Street professionals are becoming increasingly involved in prediction markets. Morgan Stanley is a strategic partner of NEXTPredict, and the conference is expected to attract representatives from major financial institutions alongside exchange operators and trading firms.
The industry still faces important legal questions, particularly around sports contracts and the ongoing disagreement between federal and state regulators. Giangreco acknowledged that uncertainty but remains confident about the broader industry's future. "No matter what, prediction markets are here to stay. It's just a question of in what capacity."
Trade Handle Will Be Reporting Live From New York
For Trade Handle, this conference is a chance to do more than recap what happens on stage. I'll be in New York covering NEXTPredict firsthand, meeting with exchange executives, founders, regulators, and other people working across the prediction market industry.
We plan to bring readers original interviews, conference coverage, and insights from the conversations happening throughout the event. Some of the most interesting stories at conferences don't come from formal presentations. They come from conversations between sessions, unexpected introductions, and discussions with people building products or making decisions that haven't hit the headlines yet.
That's a major reason we're making the trip. Trade Handle has already covered prediction market events in Las Vegas and Malta this year. Those experiences have helped us build relationships across the industry, and New York gives us another opportunity to expand that coverage.
We'll pay close attention to regulatory discussions, institutional interest, emerging exchanges, and the next wave of products being developed around prediction markets. If you're attending NEXTPredict and have a story worth sharing, we'd love to connect while we're there.
What Makes a NEXT.io Event Different?
I've attended plenty of industry conferences over the years, and my first NEXT.io event in Malta earlier this year left an impression. The production, networking opportunities, and attention to smaller details made it noticeably different from many other events I've attended.
Giangreco believes that experience comes down to the people NEXT.io brings together. "One thing that I always say is you go to a NEXT event, it's quality over quantity," he told me. He emphasized that the company focuses on attracting decision-makers rather than simply filling a venue. NEXTPredict is also taking a different approach to the traditional conference floor.
According to Giangreco, exhibitor booths won't fill the space. Instead, it will emphasize educational sessions, networking, and opportunities for attendees to meet one another. "It's all panels. There are no booths at this conference," he explained. For anyone who's spent an afternoon wandering through endless rows of exhibition stands, this will be something fresh and different.
There's Still Time to Attend NEXTPredict
If you haven't made plans to attend, Giangreco said tickets are still available. He also mentioned that NEXT.io is offering complimentary admission to certain qualifying market makers, traders, and exchanges.
Interested attendees can visit NEXTPredict's official website or reach out to Giangreco directly through LinkedIn to discuss attendance. The conference runs October 22–23 at Convene Hudson Yards, with networking activities planned around the main event.
For those already heading to New York, Giangreco advises taking advantage of the sessions and making time to meet people outside the formal program. With so many parts of the prediction market industry coming together, some of the most valuable conversations may not be the ones printed on the agenda.
The Trade Handle Prediction Markets Take
I've been looking forward to NEXTPredict for months, and talking with Giangreco only added to that excitement. We've watched prediction markets grow from a relatively small corner of the financial world into an industry attracting major exchanges, professional athletes, financial institutions, and federal regulators.
Now we're about to see many of those people sitting in the same rooms, discussing where the industry goes next. That alone makes New York worth watching. Trade Handle will be on the ground throughout NEXTPredict NYC 2026, bringing you interviews, news, and firsthand reporting from what could be one of the industry's most important gatherings of the year. We'll see you in New York.