Trump International Hotel in Maldives to be tokenized by Securitize
The Trump International Hotel & Resorts in Maldives will be tokenized by Securitize Inc, a RWA tokenization platform. World Liberty Financial (“WLFI”) made the announcement alongside DarGlobal PLC (LSE: DAR), an international luxury real estate developer.
As per the press release, this initial offering reflects WLFI’s broader strategy to design, structure, and distribute WLFI-branded tokenized real-world asset offerings. Trump International Hotel & Resort, Maldives is a flagship luxury hospitality development by DarGlobal, created in collaboration with The Trump Organization, and scheduled for completion in 2030. The resort is set to feature approximately 100 ultra-luxury beach and overwater villas.
The initial tokenized offering aims to provide investors with exposure to a prime Maldivian hospitality asset underpinned by a globally recognized brand. Investors will gain exposure to the underlying asset’s performance, including both potential income distributions and changes in value, within a regulated securities framework.
Eric Trump Co Founder of World Liberty Financial (“WLFI”) noted that they built WLFI to open up decentralized finance to the world. He explained, “For the first time, everyday investors can gain access to an iconic property like Trump International Hotel & Resort, Maldives and can be part of its success. We’re excited about future tokenized offerings as we bring more world-class assets on-chain.”
This statement was backed by Carlos Domingo Co Founder and CEO of Securitize, who believe that real estate has historically been on the of the hardest asset classes to tokenize effectively. He believes that the first scalable on-chain real estate products will be globally sought-after properties issued with compliance, governance, and market structure in mind.
“This marks a breakthrough for real estate investment,” said Ziad El Chaar, CEO of DarGlobal. “Together, we are rethinking how global investors can access, trade, and ultimately gain liquidity in high-quality real estate as it is being developed. WLFI brings a global network of active investors to our properties, by expanding participation and unlocking new pathways toward liquidity in global capital markets.”
The initial offering is expected to be issued on supported public blockchains, with plans to enable access via select third-party partners and wallets, subject to applicable requirements. The parties also plan to support additional on-chain utilities, including the ability for eligible users to collateralize their holdings and borrow through WLFI Markets, where permitted by law.
El Chaar in a recent interview with Lara on the Block explained that Dar Global introduced a new way of tokenization with the complete cycle. So, while others are tokenizing apartments with yields of maximum 3%, when crypto natives can make 8% on DeFi platforms offering loans, Dar Global is tokenizing the development. He expects the IIR will be around 20% as he believes this is achievable. They will also pay investors while the development is being built. He explains, “During the three years of construction, instead of paying back interest to a bank loan, we will be paying this to the investors. Whatever would have been paid to banks will go to them.”
In 2024, Bahrain headquartered, Investcorp, a leading alternative investment firm, and Securitize, partnered to explore fund tokenization opportunities initially within Investcorp’s Strategic Capital Group (“ISCG”).
