ADI Chain partners with Shipfinex to tokenize $500M vessel pipeline

Two firms from the UAE want to turn cargo ships into investable digital tokens. ADI Chain, a Layer-2 blockchain platform based in Abu Dhabi and part of Sirius International Holding, has struck an exclusive partnership with Dubai-based Shipfinex to tokenize a pipeline of roughly 35 commercial vessels valued at approximately $500 million. The deal, announced on August 11, positions itself as the first attempt to build a regulated, institutional-grade tokenized asset class in the maritime sector. How the structure works Under the agreement, the two companies split responsibilities neatly. Shipfinex handles the origination, structuring, and issuance of assets tied to the vessels. ADI Chain provides the blockchain rails and settlement layer, including support for stablecoin-denominated payments aimed at institutional buyers. Each vessel in the pipeline will be wrapped in its own special-purpose vehicle. That’s a legal structure designed to isolate the financial risk of one ship from every other ship in the portfolio, so if a single vessel runs into trouble, the fallout doesn’t cascade across the entire token ecosystem. One important nuance: the tokens will not represent direct legal own...