AquaIndex, a water asset management and pricing company, has announced plans to launch a dedicated regional water token for the UAE.
The move is part of a global strategy to build digital infrastructure for documenting, pricing, managing ownership of and trading water reserves using real-world asset (RWA) tokenisation technology.
The company expects its enterprise platform to go live in Q4 2026. It will create standardised digital representations of certified physical water reserves so the underlying assets can be documented, tracked and managed. An automated redemption and logistics engine will link smart-contract execution with physical delivery, allowing token holders to redeem their allocation for water at certified reservoir and distribution locations.
The initial tokens are backed by water from a regulated aquifer in the USA. The proposed asset base includes up to 11 billion barrels of water, valued at about US$5 billion. The delivery network covers more than 20 miles of existing pipeline, with individual pipelines offering potential capacity of around 300,000 barrels per day at large scale.
AquaIndex is building on the Canton Network, including a dedicated Validator Node for data privacy and secure transactions, and deploying its core smart contracts on Ethereum Virtual Machine architecture. Initial commodity allocations and secondary-market integrations are expected by the end of 2026, with more international reserve assets and opportunities across the GCC to follow.
Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman and CEO of DMCC, said the partnership signed in 2025 aims to support what the parties believe is the world’s first digital asset token backed directly by freshwater resources, and to establish Dubai as a leading centre for the sector.
Yaacov Shirazi, Chairman and Founder of AquaIndex, said the company is building the technology layer that connects the physical resource with transparent pricing, verified ownership and efficient delivery.
News Source: Emirates News Agency
