Tokenized Real Estate Projects Advance in Dubai and the Maldives

Entities in Dubai and the archipelagic nation of the Maldives are moving forward with tokenized real estate development projects worth millions of dollars, combined.

On Friday, the Dubai Land Department announced that it would launch the second phase of a real estate tokenization pilot program. The move followed about $5 million worth of real estate in Dubai being tokenized, allowing the resale of about 7.8 million tokens.

The tokenization infrastructure partner for the pilot, called Ctrl Alt, which is also licensed as a Virtual Asset Service Provider in Dubai, will issue “Asset-Referenced Virtual Asset management tokens” to facilitate the transfer of the tokens on secondary markets.

According to Ctrl Alt, all onchain transactions for the real estate tokens will be recorded on the XRP Ledger and secured by Ripple Custody.

Related: Ripple CEO confirms White House meeting between crypto, banking reps

The Dubai Land Department predicted in May 2025 that the tokenization project could contribute about $16 billion by 2033, equivalent to 7% of the jurisdiction’s total property transactions.

Some experts have said Dubai’s real estate market and crypto-friendly regulatory environment have made the emirate stand out among other jurisdictions globally.

Trump-tied hotel deal in the Maldives is also looking to tokenize

Ctrl Alt’s announcement came a few days after real estate development company DarGlobal and World Liberty Financial, a crypto company backed by US President Donald Trump and his sons, announced plans to tokenize the development phase of a Trump-branded resort in the Maldives. 

The tokenization deal will happen in partnership with financial technology company Securitize.

“We definitely see this as taking over the way other projects are being funded,” DarGlobal CEO Ziad El Chaar told Cointelegraph.

“[Tokenization] will open the door to many more investors, who would like to take part in investing in real estate but don’t have access today.” 

World Liberty announced the deal at a crypto-aligned event at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property on Wednesday.

Attendees included traditional finance players like Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, crypto industry representatives including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, and Senators Ashley Moody and Bernie Moreno.

Magazine: Here’s why crypto is moving to Dubai and Abu Dhabi