Overview
- The Public Investment Fund, which manages about $1 trillion, approved a 2026–2030 plan that puts tokenization of real-world assets at the center of Saudi diversification.
- Tokenization issues digital tokens that stand for claims on assets like energy projects, property, or stocks.
- Open World launched a licensed tokenization center in Al Khobar that will run pilot projects this year for energy infrastructure, real estate, and carbon credits under Saudi data rules.
- Local uptake is growing, with official data showing a SAR495 billion digital economy, more than 4,000 blockchain firms, about 3 million active crypto investors, and $48 billion in recent transactions.
- Regional signals diverge, as Abu Dhabi-regulated KAIO raised $8 million from Tether to build on-chain fund tools and China banned tokenization, while PIF’s chief says the fund measures returns in decades.