In 2026, Cullen International marks 40 years of providing trusted, independent intelligence on digital regulation, policy and law. Founded in Brussels in 1986, at a time when the Internet was not heard of and state-owned monopoly firms were providing telecoms and postal services in most countries, the organisation has accompanied four decades of regulatory development worldwide.

Forty years on, in a far more regulated and interconnected world, this anniversary conference offers an opportunity to take stock and reflect on the role of regulation in shaping economic, societal and technological outcomes.

Against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, evolving approaches to regulation and deregulation, growing calls for simplification, and the extension of regulatory frameworks into new areas, the conference will explore whether regulation is delivering a better world.

It will examine how different regions approach regulation, the EU’s influence alongside other regulatory champions, and how the rule of law and regulatory cooperation and influence are being tested at a global turning point.