Dubai Land Department has signed an agreement with Crypto.com to develop procedures that support digital real estate transactions, enabling investors to buy and sell property using digital currencies.
The collaboration, which seeks to create a digital ecosystem that enables investor verification, custody, settlement and real estate tokenisation, supports the Dubai Real Estate Strategy 2033 and its Dh1 trillion ($272 billion) transaction target.
The agreement was signed by Omar BuShahab, director general of the Dubai Land Department, and Mohamed Al Hakim, the authorised signatory for Crypto.com, in the presence of officials from both sides, the Dubai Media Office said on Sunday.
“By embracing advanced technologies, Dubai is strengthening its attractiveness for high-quality investments and accelerating its progress towards its Dh1 trillion real estate transactions target for 2033,” the media office said. The partnership aims to develop mechanisms that support digital real estate transactions by “leveraging blockchain technologies and virtual assets”, it added.
“The initiative seeks to enhance market liquidity and align with modern trends in smart investment. The partnership also aspires to build an integrated digital ecosystem that enables real estate asset trading, investor verification, and the execution of digital custody and settlement processes within a secure and advanced framework,” the media office said.
Dubai has been accelerating the adoption of digital currencies as it looks to regulate the sector. In October last year, officials unveiled a strategy hoping to make 90 per cent of all transactions cashless by 2026.
Sunday’s move follows the announcement in May of plans to enable the payment of government fees using digital currencies in support of the Dubai Cashless Strategy. It plans to introduce a new digital payment channel across its official platforms.
In an April interview with The National, Eric Trump, executive vice president of the Trump Organisation, said that the $1 billion Trump International Hotel and Tower project in Dubai would accept crypo investments.
The project “is going to be the first truly large-scale project that accepts Bitcoin, that accepts cryptocurrency to purchase units … I believe in cryptocurrency”, he said at the time.
“It's the financial mechanism of the future … it’s still in its infancy, but the growth has been explosive,” he added. Real estate and cryptocurrencies are “credible hedges for one another”, he said.
The partnership between the Dubai Land Department and Crypto.com seeks to create digital ecosystem that enables investor verification, custody, settlement and real estate tokenisation. In March, Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project, aimed at converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology.
Dubai is also launching a scheme to support first-time investors to enter the emirate's property market by teaming up with developers and banks, the department said earlier this month.
As part of the alliance, the department will explore the potential use of platforms and technological solutions proposed by Crypto.com in areas such as real estate tokenisation and the trading of digital assets, the media office statement said. The department will also provide the administrative and logistical support on joint projects.
Meanwhile, Crypto.com will propose technological solutions so that digital currencies can be used in the real estate sector, provide technical support and advisory services, as well as deliver analytical tools and reports for digital projects. The Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange will supply all required technical and legal documentation and obtain the necessary approvals from the relevant authorities.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
GRAN%20TURISMO
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On Instagram: @WithHopeUAE
Although social media can be harmful to our mental health, paradoxically, one of the antidotes comes with the many social-media accounts devoted to normalising mental-health struggles. With Hope UAE is one of them.
The group, which has about 3,600 followers, was started three years ago by five Emirati women to address the stigma surrounding the subject. Via Instagram, the group recently began featuring personal accounts by Emiratis. The posts are written under the hashtag #mymindmatters, along with a black-and-white photo of the subject holding the group’s signature red balloon.
“Depression is ugly,” says one of the users, Amani. “It paints everything around me and everything in me.”
Saaed, meanwhile, faces the daunting task of caring for four family members with psychological disorders. “I’ve had no support and no resources here to help me,” he says. “It has been, and still is, a one-man battle against the demons of fractured minds.”
In addition to With Hope UAE’s frank social-media presence, the group holds talks and workshops in Dubai. “Change takes time,” Reem Al Ali, vice chairman and a founding member of With Hope UAE, told The National earlier this year. “It won’t happen overnight, and it will take persistent and passionate people to bring about this change.”
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
