Business

Lugano Plan ₿ enters phase II: digital infrastructure and technological sovereignty, towards 2030

04 March 2026

Curated by Editorial Team

New Memorandum between the City and Tether: after four years of experimentation with Bitcoin and digital payments, the project evolves into a structural program based on resilience, interoperability and decision-making autonomy.

Four years after the official announcement of the project, the City of Lugano relaunches the Lugano Plan ₿ with the launch of Phase II. Yesterday – March 3, 2026 – a new Memorandum of Understanding was signed with Tether, continuing the one signed on March 3, 2022. The document does not archive the original agreement, but expands its objectives and operational scope, projecting the initiative towards 2030.

While the first phase focused on integrating Bitcoin and stablecoin payments into the urban fabric, the new trajectory focuses on building resilient and interoperable digital infrastructure, in line with the Lugano Duemilatrenta vision and the 2025–2030 Digital Strategy approved by the City Council.

The results of the first four years

Since 2022, the Lugano Plan has gradually taken on an international dimension. On the academic level, university courses and research programs dedicated to blockchain and decentralized finance have been activated, developed in collaboration with Swiss universities and foreign partners such as the Polytechnic of Turin , National Taiwan University.

At the same time, PoW.space was created, a physical hub in the city center that hosts businesses and startups active in the Bitcoin and peer-to-peer sectors. The initiative has encouraged the establishment of over one hundred fintech and blockchain companies, contributing to the positioning of Lugano as an experimental ecosystem recognized beyond national borders.

The project has also consolidated its visibility on the events front. The Plan ₿ Forum—now in its fifth edition, scheduled for October 23 and 24, 2026—recorded over 4.000 participants from sixty countries in 2025, confirming its position as a key event for the sector.

Operationally, more than 400 city businesses have adopted payment systems in LVGA, BTC, and USDT. Tools such as the issuance of digital bonds and the ability to make certain payments to the city government in digital currency have also been introduced.

From urban laboratory to infrastructure strategy

The new Memorandum redefines the scope of the Lugano Plan: no longer just application testing, but the construction of an institutional digital infrastructure. In a global context marked by increased cyber risks and growing dependence on large technology providers, the stated objective is to strengthen the City's ability to independently manage data, services, and platforms.

The Mayor Michael Foletti He emphasized that the first phase demonstrated the possibility of innovation without compromising institutional stability. The government's intention for the second phase is to provide Lugano with infrastructure capable of ensuring operational continuity and decision-making autonomy over the long term.

The guiding principle remains that of incremental experimentation: pilot projects, proof-of-concepts, and subsequent expansion only when measurable results and full regulatory compliance are achieved.

The five pillars of phase II

The Lugano Plan ₿ | Phase II is divided into five strategic areas:

Institutional infrastructure for digital assets: SwissLedger evolves into a blockchain open to financial institutions and businesses, with the possibility of tokenizing real assets and programmable settlements.
Global hub for digital trade and commodities: Digitization of goods, contracts, and commercial documents with instant settlement via stablecoins.
Decentralized digital identity: opt-in and privacy-preserving systems based on zero-knowledge proof, with civic wallets for accessing services.
Local artificial intelligence: development of decentralized AI infrastructures and testing of autonomous agents in controlled environments.
Distributed urban infrastructures: Peer-to-peer networks, decentralized storage, and computing to ensure the resilience of critical services.

The approach is based on interoperability, technological neutrality, cybersecurity, and data protection by design, in compliance with current regulations.

The role of Tether and governance

The collaboration with Tether envisages an indicative total contribution of up to 5 million Swiss francs for the period 2026–2030, primarily in the form of expertise, infrastructure, and applied research. The Memorandum does not constitute a binding contract and does not entail automatic spending obligations for the City; any projects will be governed by separate implementing agreements.

Governance remains the responsibility of the competent municipal bodies. A Joint Implementation Committee is expected to be established to coordinate and review activities annually.

The Plan Foundation, established in 2024, will continue to serve as the operational interface between the parties. Its directors include Denis Roio (scientific director), Marco Argentieri (innovation), Roberto Gorini (ecosystem), and Massimo Morini (education and academic relations).

For Paolo Ardoino, CEO of Tether, Phase II represents a move towards more robust infrastructure and the development of local expertise, with the ambition of supporting Lugano as a global hub in the field of digital infrastructure, while maintaining public governance and institutional autonomy.

Celebrations and community involvement

The fourth anniversary of Lugano Plan ₿ was accompanied by public events. PoW.space hosted a screening of the latest episode of Cypher Tank, a format created during Plan ₿ Week, featuring presentations by startups selected through a contest.

On the sporting front, the home match of theFC Lugano against FC Sion It was called “Plan ₿ Match”, as part of the partnership that sees the city initiative as the club's Leading Partner until 2029. The event involved 700 fans who won free tickets and represents one of the last initiatives at the Cornaredo Stadium before the start of the new AIL Arena in the 2026/2027 season.

A trajectory to 2030

From 2022 to 2030, the Lugano Plan ₿ is a strategic positioning process. The stated objective is not only to adopt emerging technologies, but to help define their use and governance in the public interest.

Reducing critical dependencies, strengthening resilience, developing local skills, and protecting personal data are the cornerstones of this new phase. In a rapidly changing international context, Lugano aims to consolidate its role as an urban laboratory and a replicable digital innovation platform, maintaining transparency, measurable benefits, and institutional accountability at its core.