68% of Tokenized Property Investors in Dubai Are First-Time Buyers: Dubai Land Department

Dubai’s real estate market is witnessing a surge in new investors thanks to its innovative tokenization initiative.

Key Takeaways:

• Dubai’s tokenization initiative has attracted 1,025 investors, with 68% being first-time real estate buyers.
• The Real Estate Tokenization Project has funded five ventures using blockchain technology.
• The tokenized real estate market in Dubai is projected to reach $16 billion by 2033.

According to Mahmoud AlBurai, Senior Director of Real Estate Policies and Innovation at the Dubai Land Department (DLD), 68% of the 1,025 investors who participated in funding five tokenized properties were first-time buyers.

The development shows how tokenization is democratizing real estate investment by lowering barriers and making property ownership more accessible and affordable.

In a LinkedIn post, AlBurai shared the success of recently funded luxury properties, noting that 462 investors contributed to two of these tokenized assets.

Altogether, investors hailed from 69 countries, with an average investment of $2,432 each.

Of these investors, 685 were engaging in real estate investment for the first time, signaling a broadening of the market beyond traditional buyers.

Dubai’s real estate sector has also benefited from a strong price rally, with Fitch Ratings reporting a 60% increase in property prices from 2022 through the first quarter of 2025.

Although a moderate price correction of up to 15% is expected due to a surge in new housing supply, Dubai remains focused on leveraging technology to maintain its appeal.

The city’s blockchain strategy, part of the wider UAE digital economy push under the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, includes advances in virtual asset and stablecoin regulations alongside real estate tokenization.

Launched in May 2025, the Real Estate Tokenization Project is a collaborative effort between the DLD, the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), and the Dubai Future Foundation.

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Utilizing the PRYPCO Mint platform powered by the XRP Ledger and issued through Ctrl Alt, the project has already funded five real estate ventures.

The DLD projects that the tokenized real estate market could reach $16 billion by 2033, making up 7% of Dubai’s total property transactions.

On a global scale, the tokenized real estate market is poised for explosive growth.

A report by the Global Financial Markets Association (GFMA) and Boston Consulting Group estimates the global value of tokenized illiquid assets will reach $16 trillion by 2030.

Even more conservative estimates from Citigroup suggest that $4 trillion to $5 trillion worth of tokenized digital securities could be minted by 2030.

Recognizing this potential, major companies are making significant moves in the tokenization space.

In May, Bergen County, New Jersey’s largest county by population, struck a five-year deal with Balcony to tokenize 370,000 property deeds on the Avalanche blockchain, covering an estimated $240 billion in real estate.

This marks the biggest deed tokenization effort in U.S. history and is backed by Avalanche-focused venture fund Blizzard.

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