Ripple Expands Blockchain Impact in UAE with Real Estate Tokenization and Digital Asset Custody Agreement
Ripple, a leading digital asset infrastructure company, has made a significant step forward in the Middle East as the Dubai government has chosen XRP Ledger (XRPL) as the platform for tokenizing real estate title deeds. The initiative is part of an effort to modernize its database and title deeds using blockchain technology, aiming for a transparent, secure, and scalable custody system.
On July 16, 2025, Ripple announced a partnership with Ctrl Alt, a company licensed to provide virtual asset services by the Dubai Virtual Assets Authority (VARA). Under the agreement, Ctrl Alt will deploy Ripple’s digital asset custody platform into the Dubai Land Department’s (DLD) Real Estate Tokenization Project. The project aims to tokenize the city’s real estate titles on XRPL, digitizing the entire process of verifying and storing real estate ownership.
Ripple’s Head of Middle East and Africa, Reece Merrick, said: “This is the first time a government real estate registry in the Middle East has tokenized title deeds on a public blockchain. DLD’s choice of XRP Ledger demonstrates the platform’s security, efficiency, and readiness for serious financial applications.”
The partnership between Ripple and Ctrl Alt not only ensures the issuance of regulated tokenized assets, but also provides on-chain custody throughout the entire lifecycle of the asset, from issuance to transfer. With its flexible storage feature, the project facilitates fragmented forms of real estate ownership, opening up opportunities for a more flexible approach to real estate investment, especially for individual and small-scale institutional investors.
The move also underscores Dubai’s ambition to become a global hub for blockchain innovation. The adoption of XRPL as part of its digital land system strategy will increase transparency, reduce administrative costs, and ensure that data cannot be tampered with. As the virtual asset market continues to grow, integrating blockchain into public infrastructure will pave the way for similar applications in other sectors such as finance, insurance, and logistics.
Ripple has now received more than 60 operating licenses in various markets around the world. In the UAE, the company has also been licensed by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) and is expanding its cooperation with financial institutions such as Zand Bank and Mamo. At the same time, Ripple’s stablecoin RLUSD has also been approved to operate within the framework of the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), demonstrating regulatory recognition of Ripple’s technology and development strategy.
Dubai’s lead in public real estate digitization on the blockchain could serve as a model for other countries and cities. As a provider of digital custody infrastructure, Ripple is strengthening its strategic position in one of the fastest growing markets for digital assets and Web3 globally.