Key facts
- ADI Chain and Shipfinex are partnering to tokenize commercial ships.
- Shipfinex plans to tokenize approximately 35 vessels valued at $500 million.
- The tokens will represent financial claims tied to vessels, not legal ownership.
- ADI Chain will provide the blockchain infrastructure for distribution and settlement using stablecoins.
- The initiative is currently targeted at qualified institutional participants.
- The broader global shipping market is valued at approximately $2.1 trillion.
Dubai-based maritime asset tokenization platform Shipfinex has partnered with ADI Chain to tokenize a pipeline of approximately 35 vessels valued at $500 million. This collaboration aims to create new financing channels for shipowners by bringing a portion of the multitrillion-dollar maritime industry onto the blockchain. The vessels will be placed in separate special-purpose vehicles, with the resulting tokens potentially representing vessel-backed credit or other economic interests. ADI Chain will supply the necessary distribution and settlement infrastructure, with transactions expected to utilize stablecoins denominated in UAE dirham, US dollars, or other currencies. This initiative is currently in the pilot and operational-readiness stage, with no Maritime Asset Tokens publicly issued and the regulated issuance route still being finalized. The partnership comes as the market for tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) continues to grow, with Standard Chartered forecasting this market could reach $4 trillion by the end of 2028. While this deal represents a small fraction of the global shipping market, valued at about $2.1 trillion, it signifies an expansion of tokenization into capital-intensive physical assets.