Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) and BlackRock-backed tokenization firm Securitize signed a memorandum of understanding on Sept. 3, 2026, to support regulated tokenized markets in the emirate through knowledge sharing, ecosystem development, and regulatory engagement. The parties stressed that the MoU creates a cooperation framework only: it does not grant a license, clear a product, authorize a market launch, or set a binding deployment timetable, and neither side named an asset, issuer, fund, or financial institution that will go live through the tie-up. Licensed VARA market participants are to gain access to Securitize’s institutional tokenization experience while remaining inside Dubai’s rules on market integrity and investor protection, with planned work covering tokenization initiatives that may be initiated or facilitated by the regulator and the wider virtual-asset ecosystem—along with market education, data-led research, talent attraction, and the evolution of tokenized financial products. Any resulting products would still need separate regulatory and licensing approvals. Securitize, which operates tokenized-asset infrastructure and became a New York Stock Exchange-listed company earlier in 2026 after integration work linking tokenization technology with regulated capital-market infrastructure, disclosed approximately $5 billion in assets under management as of August 2026 as its own measure. VARA CEO Matthew White said regulatory frameworks and market infrastructure are needed to give institutions to adopt new technology, while Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo framed regulator-industry cooperation as increasingly important as tokenization moves toward financial infrastructure. The MoU follows VARA’s grant of its 50th VASP license to Tribe Tokenisation FZE in June. Broader RWA tokenization shows about $38.5 billion in distributed asset value on RWA.xyz data, with Securitize previously listed near $4.9 billion on that platform measure, while other centers pursue related plans such as reported London Stock Exchange work with Payward toward tokenized UK stocks on a planned LSE 24 venue in 2027, subject to approval. Commercial outcomes, named pilots, and product launches under the Dubai framework remain unannounced.