Dubai VARA, Securitize Sign MoU to Push $5B Tokenization Drive Into Institutional Era

Key Takeaways:

• Dubai’s VARA and Securitize signed an MoU to support the tokenisation process and digital asset infrastructure in a regulated manner.
• About $5 billion in assets under management, Securitize will be transferring its tokenization expertise to Dubai’s regulator.
• The alliance focuses on institutional engagement, education and awareness in the markets, development of talent and research in tokenized financial products.

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Dubai is taking 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.

The agreement sets the groundwork between 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 different entities under the umbrella of VARA.

The MoU is based on cooperation, not on announcing a specific token or exchange. VARA and Securitize intend to also share insights, discuss regulatory matters, and assist license holders in creating tokenized financial products under the new regulations of Dubai.

The partnership will also extend to market education, research (based on market data) and attracting talent to the digital asset industry.

In the crypto sector, the agreement marks Dubai’s digital asset agenda’s centralization of institutional tokenisation. By tokenizing traditional assets, like funds and securities, it may be possible to offer new means to issue, transfer, and manage financial assets on blockchain networks.

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

It has facilitated the tokenization efforts of various organisations such as BlackRock, Apollo, BNY, Hamilton Lane, KKR and VanEck.

This experience can provide a head start for Dubai’s implementation of regulated tokenization, in both infrastructure and market practices. The company provides digital-securities infrastructure in the U.S. and E.U.

The industry is shifting from experimentation to an era where it is becoming a part of financial infrastructure, and cooperation among players and regulators is becoming ever more vital, said Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo.

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VARA was set up in 2022 to regulate and supervise virtual asset and virtual asset activities in Dubai’s commercial zones outside Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC).

The regulator has been developing the structure that will be attractive to digital asset business but keep on the investment protection and standards. The new MoU aligns with this approach as it is a combination of regulation and experience from an institutional tokenization platform.

Additionally, Dubai provides Securitize with a jurisdiction that is making every effort to establish digital assets and blockchain infrastructure within its financial-market development agenda.

It remains unclear what specific tokenized asset, product launch or technology stack the companies were tying up under the agreement. Rather, the MoU serves as a basis for future opportunities in the areas of tokenization, institutional involvement, research, and development of digital asset markets.

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