BlackRock has announced that it has signed MoUs at the ongoing Abu Dhabi Finance Week with IHC Group entities - Finstreet Limited and ADI Foundation - to explore initiatives on the development of tokenised markets and next-generation financial architecture, aligned with Abu Dhabi’s digital economy ambitions. 

Finstreet Limited, a digital market infrastructure group, and ADI Foundation, an Abu Dhabi–based sovereign-grade blockchain infrastructure organization, are both group entities of IHC through Sirius International Holding.

Together they will explore initiatives aimed at developing capital markets, designing digital asset solutions, expanding digital finance capabilities and leveraging their joint expertise in facilitating access to tokenized investment products.

“This partnership represents a critical step forward in Abu Dhabi’s evolution as a center for digital asset innovation,” said Ajay Bhatia, Principal Council Member at the ADI Foundation. “By aligning our sovereign-grade ADI Chain with BlackRock’s expertise, we aim to jointly enable compliant, scalable digital finance solutions that serve both local and global markets. This collaboration is about unlocking new opportunities and building trust in the future of capital markets.”

Kashif Riaz, Managing Director, Head, Financial Markets Advisory Middle East at BlackRock, commented: “We are excited to pursue opportunities with Finstreet and ADI to help advance digital assets and tokenized markets initiatives. The global market environment for digital assets innovation is rapidly evolving, and we look forward to contributing our experience to support the long-term growth of digital markets infrastructure in ADGM.

Sunidhi Pasan, Founder & Group CEO of Finstreet Limited, said: “Our partnership with BlackRock reflects a shared conviction that tokenisation is becoming the operating system of global markets. Finstreet’s regulated infrastructure in ADGM — spanning custody, settlement and secondary trading — provides the rails for assets to move faster, safer and with far greater transparency. Together, we will shape the core architecture of global capital. Abu Dhabi is emerging as the centre of this new system, and Finstreet is leading the design of a digitised global financial market.”

Drawing on BlackRock’s global experience advising exchanges, financial institutions and digital asset platforms, the partnerships will focus on advisory services to both Finstreet and the ADI Foundation as they look at expand on Abu Dhabi’s ambitions to lead in digital transformation.

This includes the development of robust market infrastructure, product commercialisation and the broader adoption of blockchain across financial markets.

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