Infosecurity Europe 2026 ran from 2 to 4 June at ExCeL London, bringing together more than 13,000 cybersecurity professionals and over 380 exhibitors for the event’s 31st edition, following last year’s 30th anniversary. The 2026 programme placed Agentic AI, post-quantum cryptography and the impact of geopolitical tensions on cyber defence at the centre of its keynote agenda. New research released alongside the show found that 52 percent of European cybersecurity professionals consider Agentic AI the emerging technology most likely to shape cyber defence over the next three years, well ahead of any other technology named.
The show ran across three days at ExCeL London, with keynote sessions opening on 2 June with Professor Ciaran Martin, Director of the CISO Network at SANS Institute and former Chief Executive of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Tuesday’s programme also featured Shlomo Kramer, the founder and investor behind Check Point, Palo Alto Networks, Imperva, Cato Networks and Sumo Logic, alongside Cynthia Kaiser, former Deputy Assistant Director of the FBI’s Cyber Division and now Senior Vice President of Halcyon’s Ransomware Research Centre. On Wednesday 3 June, Rik Ferguson, Vice President of Security Intelligence at Forescout, addressed post-quantum cryptography in a session titled “Quantum is still far off, we can wait, can’t we?”
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Dates | 2 to 4 June 2026 |
| Location | ExCeL London, United Kingdom |
| Edition | 31st edition, following last year’s 30th anniversary |
| Attendees | More than 13,000, with some industry estimates above 15,000 |
| Exhibitors | More than 380 |
| New for 2026 | OWASP GenAI Security Summit; OWASP Agentic Research Council launch; cyber start-up awards |
| Headline themes | Agentic AI, post-quantum cryptography, geopolitics and cyber conflict |
Table 1. Infosecurity Europe 2026 at a glance. Source: Infosecurity Europe organiser materials and event previews, May to June 2026.
A new addition for 2026 was the OWASP GenAI Security Summit, a half day forum held on Thursday 4 June. During the summit, the Open Worldwide Application Security Project formally launched its Agentic Research Council, a coordinated research effort created to close the gap between fast moving agentic AI capabilities and the slower pace of conventional security research and standards. The council was formed within OWASP’s GenAI Security Project by its Agentic Security Initiative, the same community behind the widely adopted Top 10 guidance for large language model security.
What the source data shows
Infosecurity Europe’s 2026 Cybersecurity Trends Research, conducted by Zing Insights among 396 cybersecurity professionals across the UK, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium and Denmark, found that Agentic AI, AI systems capable of taking autonomous actions toward a goal with limited human oversight, was named by 52 percent of respondents across Europe as the emerging technology most likely to have the biggest impact on cyber defence over the next three years. The next most cited technology, cloud native application protection, was selected by only 16 percent.
The chart below shows how this view varies by country, alongside the Europe-wide comparison with cloud native application protection.
Figure 1. UK cybersecurity leaders were the most likely to name Agentic AI as the most impactful emerging technology, at 64 percent, ahead of Germany at 57 percent and the Europe-wide average of 52 percent. Cloud native application protection, the next most cited technology Europe-wide, trailed far behind at 16 percent. Source: Infosecurity Europe 2026 Cybersecurity Trends Research, conducted by Zing Insights, April 2026.
UK cybersecurity leaders were more likely than their counterparts in any other surveyed country to view Agentic AI as the most significant emerging technology for cyber defence. The same research found that 59 percent of professionals reported increased challenges in cybersecurity collaboration linked to geopolitical tensions, with the UK, France and Denmark reporting similar difficulties. On the question of cross border coordination during major incidents, 43 percent of respondents said they support EU level authority in cyber crises, while others favoured varying degrees of EU involvement.
Why it matters
The scale of the gap between Agentic AI and every other technology named in the 2026 Cybersecurity Trends Research suggests that security leaders see this as a near term priority rather than a longer term consideration. A 36 percentage point difference between Agentic AI and the next most cited technology is a wide margin for a single emerging technology survey question, and it lines up with the show’s decision to introduce a dedicated OWASP GenAI Security Summit and launch the Agentic Research Council during the event itself.
The geopolitical findings point in a related direction. With 59 percent of professionals across multiple countries reporting that geopolitical tensions are making cybersecurity collaboration harder, and with views split on how much authority EU level bodies should have during cyber crises, cross border coordination is becoming a live operational question rather than a purely policy level debate.
Risks, limitations and caveats
The Cybersecurity Trends Research surveyed 396 professionals across six countries, and the source material does not provide a full country by country breakdown for every figure cited. The 64 percent UK figure and 57 percent Germany figure are specific, but the relative positions of Denmark, Belgium and France on the Agentic AI question are described only as being below the German figure, without exact percentages. Similarly, the 43 percent figure on EU level authority in cyber crises is presented without a breakdown of what the remaining respondents who favoured “varying degrees” of EU involvement specifically supported. Attendee figures for the show itself also vary between sources, with most citing more than 13,000 and at least one citing more than 15,000.
Recommended actions
For security teams, the clearest signal from this year’s show is that Agentic AI governance and OWASP’s emerging Agentic Research Council guidance are worth tracking closely, particularly for organisations already experimenting with autonomous AI agents in security operations or software development. Teams that attended the SANS Institute’s hands on workshops, including sessions on red teaming large language model powered chatbots, should prioritise translating those exercises into internal testing programmes for any AI powered tools already in production.
On post-quantum cryptography, Rik Ferguson’s keynote message, that organisations should not wait for quantum computing to mature before addressing crypto fragile components, points toward starting cryptographic inventories now. For executives, the geopolitical collaboration findings suggest it is worth reviewing how information sharing arrangements with international partners and industry groups might be affected if cross border tensions continue to rise, regardless of where an organisation ultimately stands on the question of EU level authority during cyber crises.
Conclusion
Infosecurity Europe 2026 confirmed Agentic AI as the dominant theme in European cybersecurity thinking for the year ahead, with new research showing it far outpacing other emerging technologies in perceived impact, and with the show itself responding through a new OWASP summit and research council launch. Alongside this, the event’s geopolitical research highlighted that cross border collaboration challenges are now a widely shared operational concern, even where views differ on the right institutional response.
FAQ
When and where was Infosecurity Europe 2026 held?
Infosecurity Europe 2026 took place from 2 to 4 June 2026 at ExCeL London in the United Kingdom.
What was the main theme of Infosecurity Europe 2026?
Agentic AI was the dominant theme, supported by new research showing 52 percent of European cybersecurity professionals see it as the most impactful emerging technology for cyber defence.
What new content was added to the 2026 event?
A new OWASP GenAI Security Summit ran on 4 June, during which OWASP launched its Agentic Research Council to focus on agentic AI security research.
What did the research say about geopolitics and cybersecurity?
59 percent of surveyed professionals across the UK, France, Germany, Holland, Belgium and Denmark reported increased challenges in cybersecurity collaboration linked to geopolitical tensions, and 43 percent supported EU level authority in cyber crises.
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