TL;DR
- ADI Chain and Shipfinex signed an alliance to tokenize a pipeline of around 35 vessels valued at $500 million.
- The tokens will represent vessel-backed credit, income linked to charter contracts, or other economic interests in individual ships.
- Standard Chartered projects that the tokenized RWA market could reach $4 trillion by end of 2028, according to its digital assets research team.
The tokenized real-world asset (RWA) market continues to gain ground in sectors that historically resisted digitalization. ADI Chain, the blockchain specialized in stablecoins and real-world assets, announced an alliance with Shipfinex, a tokenization platform for maritime assets based in Dubai, to bring onto the chain a pipeline of approximately 35 vessels valued at $500 million.
According to both companies, each vessel will be structured within an independent special purpose vehicle. The resulting tokens could represent vessel-backed credit, income linked to charter contracts, or other economic interests in individual naval assets. ADI Chain will provide the distribution and settlement infrastructure, with primary allocations and distributions expected in stablecoins denominated in UAE dirhams, US dollars, and other currencies.
Maritime transport moves over 80% of international trade by volume, yet the vessels underpinning that economy remain largely inaccessible as an investable asset class.
ADI Chain and @shipfinex_ofc have entered an exclusive partnership to establish tokenized maritime assets as a… https://t.co/Ulka4QZM8B pic.twitter.com/2YQx0OLEdO
— ADI Chain (@ADIChain_) August 11, 2026
ADI Chain and Shipfinex Set Their Sights on the Maritime Market
The initiative represents just a fraction of the global shipping market: the world fleet and order book were valued at approximately $2.1 trillion at the start of 2026, according to data from Clarksons Research. The partnership is still in a pilot and operational readiness phase. To date, no Maritime Asset Tokens have been publicly issued, and the regulated issuance pathway is still being defined.
The agreement reflects the strong growth of the tokenized real-world asset market. According to RWA.xyz, tokenized assets stand at around $38.1 billion, led by $16.2 billion in US Treasury debt and $4.9 billion in commodities. Standard Chartered projected that tokenized RWAs could reach $4 trillion by end of 2028, according to Geoff Kendrick, the bank’s global head of digital assets research.
The bet by Shipfinex and ADI Chain on the maritime industry seeks to offer new financing channels for shipowners, a sector that has historically relied on traditional banking structures to access capital.
