Dubai’s DMCC is deepening its drive into the tokenised economy through a new strategic partnership with global cryptocurrency platform Crypto.com, aiming to modernise how commodities are traded, financed and settled across international markets.
The agreement brings together the world’s largest free zone and commodities hub with one of the most recognised names in digital assets. Under a newly signed Memorandum of Understanding, the collaboration will examine how blockchain can streamline operations across major commodities segments — including precious metals, diamonds, energy and agricultural products — by reducing settlement friction, improving price transparency and opening access to wider pools of market participants.
A key focus of the partnership is assessing whether tokenised commodities could eventually be listed on the Crypto.com Exchange, subject to regulatory approvals and the exchange’s existing listing requirements. The two organisations will also jointly explore digital asset custody models, liquidity‑facilitation mechanisms, and the potential for digital‑asset payments across DMCC digital platforms and selected member use cases.
Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and CEO of DMCC, framed tokenisation as a defining opportunity for the global commodities sector. “The rapid ascent of tokenisation is a structural opportunity to modernise how commodities are financed, traded and settled,” he said. He added that the ability to move real assets on‑chain could significantly enhance transparency and efficiency in a market that still relies on legacy systems and slow settlement cycles. The partnership, he said, further positions Dubai at the forefront of the global shift toward blockchain‑enabled trade.
As part of the expanded collaboration, Crypto.com will also work with the DMCC Crypto Centre to introduce a series of educational and technical programmes. These include workshops, hackathons, and capability‑building initiatives designed to strengthen institutional understanding of tokenised asset models and foster responsible innovation across Dubai’s fast‑growing Web3 ecosystem.
Crypto.com President and COO Eric Anziani highlighted the scale of the opportunity. “Tokenised real‑world assets represent one of the most significant advancements in the digital economy,” he said. “Working with DMCC… provides an exceptional platform to explore these opportunities responsibly and at scale.”
Mohammed Al Hakim, Crypto.com’s President and General Manager for the Middle East and Africa, said the partnership would help expand Dubai’s digital asset infrastructure and promote deeper interaction between blockchain solutions and traditional financial systems.
The agreement builds on DMCC’s earlier partnership with Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), signed this year to advance global infrastructure for tokenised commodities. Together, these initiatives form part of Dubai’s broader strategy to create secure, compliant and scalable frameworks for integrating real‑world assets into the digital economy.
With over 26,000 companies across energy, precious metals, diamonds, agriculture and technology, DMCC has cultivated one of the most diversified commercial environments for innovation in trade. Its technology ecosystem alone hosts more than 3,400 firms, providing fertile ground for real‑world blockchain applications across global supply chains.
News source: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/