ADI Foundation and SettleMint launch UAE digital securities infrastructure

By AI, Created 8:43 AM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – ADI Foundation and SettleMint said they have built infrastructure for tokenized securities on ADI Chain under the ADGM regulatory framework. The partnership targets institutional adoption by linking issuance, trading, settlement and custody in a single regulated system.

Why it matters: - The partnership is aimed at making regulated tokenization easier for institutions in the UAE. - The setup is designed to connect issuance, trading, settlement and custody in one framework. - That could reduce the operational friction institutions face when tokenizing securities across multiple systems and jurisdictions.

What happened: - ADI Foundation and SettleMint announced a strategic partnership on May 18, 2026, in Abu Dhabi. - The companies said they developed digital securities infrastructure on ADI Chain to support tokenization under ADGM’s regulatory framework. - The infrastructure combines ADI Foundation’s compliance-ready Layer-2 blockchain with SettleMint’s Digital Asset Lifecycle Platform, or DALP. - The partnership started with equity tokenization and is intended to support other eligible tokenized securities, subject to regulatory approvals.

The details: - ADI Foundation’s role is to provide the immutable settlement ledger on ADI Chain. - SettleMint’s DALP handles token creation, on-chain recording, post-trade servicing and full lifecycle management. - SettleMint uses its ERC-3643 implementation in the platform. - Every transaction is recorded on-chain through ADI’s blockchain infrastructure. - The companies said the system is being built within one of the more progressive digital securities frameworks globally. - ADI Chain is described as the first institutional Layer 2 blockchain for stablecoins and real-world assets in the MENA region. - ADI Chain provides settlement infrastructure for a dirham-backed stablecoin initiated by IHC and FAB and licensed by the UAE Central Bank. - ADI Foundation is an Abu Dhabi-based non-profit founded by Sirius International Holding, a subsidiary of IHC. - SettleMint is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and has offices in the UAE, Singapore and Japan. - SettleMint said DALP helps financial institutions, market infrastructure operators and governments build, deploy and manage digital assets and blockchain applications at scale. - The announcement includes references to ADI Foundation and SettleMint.

Between the lines: - The partnership is a signal that tokenized securities infrastructure is moving from pilot projects toward regulated market plumbing. - The emphasis on public blockchains plus compliance suggests the companies are trying to make digital assets workable for mainstream institutions, not just crypto-native users. - The market backdrop is supportive: BCG projects digital assets could grow from about $0.6 trillion in 2025 to $18.9 trillion by 2033, while RWA.xyz pegs tokenized real-world assets at about $30.92 billion and tokenized U.S. Treasuries at about $15.20 billion. - Those figures help explain why regulated on-chain exposure is becoming a priority for institutional allocators.

What’s next: - The infrastructure is expected to expand beyond equity tokenization as additional eligible instruments receive regulatory approval. - ADI Foundation and SettleMint said the blueprint could be used by central securities depositories, exchanges or clearing houses looking to add digital asset lifecycle management. - The broader aim is to support further development of digital asset infrastructure in the UAE and the wider region.

The bottom line: - ADI Foundation and SettleMint are positioning the UAE as a test case for regulated tokenized securities at institutional scale.