Saudi Arabia Launches Real Estate Tokenisation

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Saudi Arabia has taken a major step toward digitising its property market by launching a national infrastructure designed to support real estate tokenisation. The initiative lays the groundwork for fully digital property registration, transaction processing, and fractional ownership, potentially reshaping how investors access the Kingdom’s real estate sector.

At the core of the project is the Saudi Real Estate Registry, which will provide end-to-end digital capabilities covering title registration, marketplace integration, and asset fractionalisation. The programme is widely regarded as the first national-scale infrastructure of its kind focused specifically on real estate.

How real estate tokenisation works

Real estate tokenisation involves representing rights in physical property through digital tokens recorded on a blockchain. A single asset can be divided into multiple tokens, each corresponding to a share of ownership or economic interest.

This model enables fractional ownership, lowers investment thresholds, and broadens participation in property markets that have traditionally been limited to large institutional or high-net-worth investors.

Digital registry and regulatory oversight

Under the new framework, the Real Estate Registry will manage the digital property register, while the Real Estate General Authority (REGA) will oversee supervision and establish data governance standards. Payment verification and title management will be migrated to blockchain-based systems, creating a transparent and tamper-resistant record of ownership.

The framework has been designed to align with global interoperability standards while remaining fully Shariah-compliant, ensuring that digital ownership tokens are legally enforceable and credible for both domestic and international investors.

Vision 2030 and international alignment

The launch follows a real estate tokenisation pilot conducted earlier in 2025 as part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy. The broader objective is to modernise the property sector, increase transparency, and attract global investment through advanced digital infrastructure.

Saudi Arabia is drawing on best-practice models developed in Europe, Japan, and Singapore, adapting them to local legal and regulatory conditions rather than simply replicating foreign systems.

A regional shift toward digital property markets

Saudi Arabia’s move reflects a wider shift across the Gulf. Dubai launched its own real estate tokenisation initiative in 2025 through collaboration between the Dubai Land Department and the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority, while Qatar is also piloting a similar programme.

Together, these efforts suggest the emergence of a regional architecture for interoperable digital property rights, potentially facilitating cross-border investment while preserving local legal and regulatory control.

Implications for investors and market participants

Industry experts note that the new infrastructure will have significant implications for developers, real estate funds, fintech firms, and custodians. Market participants are being encouraged to engage early with the evolving regulatory framework, assess product structures, and adapt custody, settlement, and disclosure models accordingly.

Those that begin piloting investor onboarding and secondary trading mechanisms at an early stage may secure a competitive advantage as the tokenised real estate market matures.

As experts at International Investment report, Saudi Arabia’s real estate tokenisation initiative marks a shift from proof-of-concept projects to institutional-grade market infrastructure. Over time, this could transform property investment in the region by increasing liquidity, accessibility, and integration with global digital finance.