Dubai has taken another step toward building a regulated market for tokenized assets. The Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Securitize to support tokenization initiatives and strengthen the emirate's digital asset ecosystem. Under the agreement, Securitize — which manages roughly $5 billion in assets — will bring its tokenization expertise to Dubai's regulator, with the alliance focused on institutional engagement, market education and awareness, talent development, and research into tokenized financial products.\n

VARA and Securitize Target Regulated Tokenization

The agreement sets the groundwork for the two parties to explore the tokenization market in Dubai, encompassing tokenization projects initiated or backed by participants in the local virtual asset industry, including entities operating under VARA's umbrella.

The MoU is framed around cooperation rather than the announcement of any specific token or exchange. VARA and Securitize intend to share insights, discuss regulatory matters, and assist license holders in creating tokenized financial products under Dubai's new regulations. The partnership will also extend to market education, research based on market data, and attracting talent to the digital asset industry.

Within the crypto sector, the agreement marks the centrality of institutional tokenization on Dubai's digital asset agenda. By tokenizing traditional assets such as funds and securities, it may become possible to offer new means of issuing, transferring, and managing financial assets on blockchain networks. The approach mirrors a broader industry shift, as major financial institutions — including several of Securitize's existing partners — have moved from pilots toward products intended for ongoing institutional use, placing a premium on jurisdictions with clear rules.

Securitize Brings $5B Tokenization Platform to Dubai

Institutional Assets Move Further Onchain

Securitize brings a substantial experience base in tokenized assets to the partnership. As of August 2026, the company had approximately $5 billion in assets under management and had partnered with large financial institutions and asset managers to create tokenized funds.

It has facilitated tokenization efforts for organizations including BlackRock, Apollo, BNY, Hamilton Lane, KKR, and VanEck. Among these was BlackRock's BUIDL tokenized fund, launched in 2024 on Ethereum with Securitize acting as transfer agent and placement platform — an early signal that tokenized funds could attract significant institutional allocations. This track record can provide a head start for Dubai's implementation of regulated tokenization, both in infrastructure and market practices. The company provides digital-securities infrastructure in the U.S. and the EU, meaning the Dubai collaboration extends its footprint into the Middle East.

Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo said the industry is shifting from experimentation to an era in which it becomes part of financial infrastructure, making cooperation among market participants and regulators increasingly vital.

Dubai Pushes Deeper Into Institutional Crypto

VARA was established in 2022 to regulate and supervise virtual assets and virtual asset activities in Dubai's commercial zones outside the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), which operates under its own regulator, the Dubai Financial Services Authority. This split means international firms entering Dubai effectively face two distinct licensing regimes, and the MoU signals VARA's intent to compete for institutional tokenization business within its zone. The regulator has been developing a structure designed to be attractive to digital asset businesses while maintaining investor protection and standards.

The new MoU aligns with this approach, combining regulation with the experience of an institutional tokenization platform. In turn, Dubai offers Securitize a jurisdiction that is actively working to establish digital assets and blockchain infrastructure as part of its financial-market development agenda.

It remains unclear what specific tokenized asset, product launch, or technology stack the two parties are pursuing under the agreement. Rather, the MoU serves as a basis for future opportunities in the areas of tokenization, institutional involvement, research, and the development of digital asset markets. For now, the concrete outcomes to watch are whether VARA license holders begin issuing tokenized funds at scale and whether joint research and education programs translate into published regulatory guidance.