ADI Chain and Shipfinex have entered a partnership to develop a regulated route for tokenised maritime assets, with an initial pipeline of around 35 vessels valued at approximately US$500m.
Shipfinex will originate, structure and issue eligible maritime assets, while ADI Chain will provide the blockchain, distribution and settlement infrastructure.
Each eligible vessel will be held within a separate special-purpose vehicle, with its value, liabilities, income and investor rights assessed independently.
Depending on the final structure, the resulting Maritime Asset Tokens could represent vessel-backed credit, charter-linked income or economic interests in individual ships.
Shipfinex said its Maritime Asset Token architecture and per-vessel legal structure have already been designed, with the programme now moving through the pilot and operational-readiness stage.
“Ships keep global trade moving, but access to maritime investment remains narrow and fragmented,” said Capt Vikas Pandey, founder and CEO of Shipfinex.
“Combining our maritime origination and asset structuring with ADI Chain’s infrastructure will allow us to create a regulated digital route into this market, with every instrument tied to a real vessel, its economics and its legal structure.”
ADI Chain will provide the infrastructure for the assets and associated cash flows to move on-chain, with primary allocations and distributions expected to settle through stablecoins denominated in UAE dirham, US dollars and other currencies.
The model will retain existing legal and operational structures governing commercial ships, including ownership, flagging, insurance and maritime protections.
Shipfinex holds In-Principle Approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority for broker-dealer services and is working towards operational launch. No Maritime Asset Tokens have yet been issued publicly.
The first phase will focus on finalising the regulated issuance route, confirming the product structure and preparing vessels from Shipfinex’s pipeline for tokenisation.
