Last week, at the Future of Asset Management Middle East conference, hosted by @FT Live and @MandateWire_ in Dubai, our Head of MENA, Rachel Pether (@RPether), joined the discussion on how blockchain, digital assets, and tokenisation are reshaping access to investment products across the region.
Rachel explained that the concept of real‑world tokenisation goes beyond what most people typically associate with real‑world assets, like real estate or art — extending to existing funds such as money market funds and equities. She highlighted how blockchain can help reduce costs and operational friction by removing reconciliation between systems and counterparties, providing a single source of truth that significantly cuts administrative burden. Rachel also raised the key question the industry must confront: What does real investor demand for tokenised products look like, and who is ready to deploy capital at scale?
She spoke about the progress being made in the UAE, where regulators such as VARA and ADGM have taken an open, collaborative approach to understanding industry challenges and building a thriving, well‑regulated ecosystem. She also noted the broader industry journey of reducing friction between TradFi and DeFi — moving toward a future where it will all simply be considered “finance.” And as institutions become more familiar with regulated counterparties and clearer frameworks, they will gain greater peace of mind when accessing the space.
Thank you to Ryan Lemand, Florent Jouanneau, and Alan Livsey for a truly engaging discussion — we look forward to continuing the conversation as we keep driving adoption forward.
#FoAMME
