Owning a piece of Dubai real estate used to require millions of dirhams. In 2026, the minimum investment is AED 2,000. Dubai Land Department has launched the region’s first regulated property tokenisation project, and a secondary market for trading tokens went live in February 2026. Here is everything you need to know.
What Is Real Estate Tokenisation?
Real estate tokenisation means converting a physical property into digital tokens recorded on a blockchain. Each token represents a fractional share of that property — similar in concept to buying a small number of shares in a company rather than acquiring the whole business.
In Dubai’s model, tokens are directly linked to officially registered title deeds from the Dubai Land Department. This means your token ownership is backed by a legal property record, not just a digital agreement.
Who Is Running the Programme?
The project is a joint initiative by the Dubai Land Department (DLD), the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), the Central Bank of the UAE, and the Dubai Future Foundation. The current platform for investors is Prypco Mint, developed by property technology firm Prypco.
The initiative is built on the XRP Ledger blockchain, with trades and transfers secured by Ripple Custody. DLD aims to tokenise 7 percent of Dubai’s real estate market — approximately AED 60 billion or $16 billion — by 2033.
Phase 2: Secondary Market Now Open
In February 2026, DLD and Ctrl Alt launched Phase 2 of the tokenisation project, enabling a secondary market for property token trading. Around 7.8 million tokens tied to ten Dubai properties are now eligible for trading within a controlled market environment.
This is a significant step. In the pilot phase, investors could buy tokens but had to hold them until the lock-in period expired or the property was sold. Now, token holders can trade their stakes in the secondary market, giving the asset class a degree of liquidity previously unavailable in physical real estate.
How to Invest: Step-by-Step
- Visit mint.prypco.com and create an account.
- Complete KYC (Know Your Customer) and AML verification by submitting your Emirates ID and required documents.
- Browse the available tokenised properties, which include full pricing details, risk factors, and investment projections.
- Select a property and purchase tokens (minimum AED 2,000).
- Receive an official DLD property token ownership certificate.
- Earn monthly rental income based on your share, if the property is tenanted.
- Sell your tokens on the secondary market once the lock-in period expires, or wait for the property to be sold.
Fees and Costs
Investors should be aware of the following fees on the Prypco Mint platform:
– Entry fee: 2 percent on the investment amount
– Exit fee: 1 percent on selling or exiting
– Annual management fee: 0.5 percent
– DLD registration fee: 2 percent (50 percent lower than the standard DLD fee for conventional transactions)
– Capital appreciation fee: Up to 15 percent upon property sale, based on value increase
There is no cryptocurrency involved in the current pilot phase. All transactions are conducted in UAE Dirhams.
Who Can Invest?
Currently, the programme is open to UAE residents. International investors are expected to gain access in future phases, as the programme expands. No single investor can hold more than 20 percent of one property’s total tokens.
The first tokenised property listed under the initiative attracted 224 investors from 44 nationalities, with 70 percent entering Dubai’s real estate market for the first time. The average individual investment was approximately AED 10,714. The waitlist for access has exceeded 6,000 requests.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is real estate tokenisation safe?
A: All ownership is registered on the blockchain and backed by official DLD title deeds. The programme is regulated by VARA and supervised by the Central Bank of the UAE.
Q: Can I earn rental income from tokens?
A: Yes. If the property is rented out, investors receive monthly income proportional to their token holdings.
Q: What happens if I want to exit?
A: You can sell your tokens on the secondary market once the lock-in period expires, or wait for the property to be sold and receive your proportional share of the proceeds.