Dubai’s real estate and virtual asset regulatory bodies have signed a groundbreaking agreement to integrate blockchain-based property tokenization with the city’s official real estate registry, marking a major milestone in the emirate’s digital transformation efforts.
The Dubai Land Department (DLD) and the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) formalized the partnership on April 6. This move aims to enhance market liquidity, attract global investment, and streamline property management through tokenization—a process where physical real estate assets are converted into digital tokens on a blockchain.
According to the DLD, the integration will be governed through a comprehensive digital infrastructure designed to align with Dubai’s long-term economic vision, which includes doubling the city’s gross domestic product (GDP) over the next decade.
This development builds upon the DLD’s recent pilot phase of its real estate tokenization project launched on March 20. The pilot made the DLD the first real estate registration entity in the UAE to tokenize property title deeds. Officials expect the project to unlock over $16 billion in tokenized real estate investment by 2033.
Tokenization enables fractional ownership, allowing investors—especially smaller ones—to purchase and trade shares of high-value properties. Experts say this could transform the investment landscape in Dubai by lowering entry barriers and increasing participation from a global pool of investors.
Scott Thiel, CEO of the RWA tokenization platform Tokinvest, praised the move as a model for the future of real estate. “In just three weeks, Dubai has gone from pilot launch to strategic execution. The message is loud and clear: the future of real estate investment is onchain,” he told Cointelegraph.
Officials from both agencies said the initiative also supports the Dubai Economic Agenda D33 and Real Estate Strategy 2033, both of which aim to cement Dubai’s status as a leading hub for innovation and global capital.
With this strategic alignment between traditional real estate and blockchain, Dubai is positioning itself at the forefront of Real Estate 2.0.
