Photo caption: Kashif Ansari speaks at the event in Dubai

Dubai is aiming to expand its global real-estate investor base by as much as 15 times by enabling smaller investors worldwide to buy fractional shares in property, according to Juwai IQI Co-Founder and Group CEO Kashif Ansari. In remarks released today, Ansari said tokenisation—placing real estate on blockchain platforms—will be central to Dubai’s next phase of market transformation.

“Dubai’s real-estate market is breaking records at a pace unmatched anywhere in the world,” Ansari said. “A single villa can sell for Dhs425 million, and buyers poured more than Dhs170 billion into property in just one quarter.”

He added that the challenge Dubai faces is not stimulating demand but broadening access. With soaring volumes and rising capital inflows, regulators are turning to blockchain and fractional ownership as tools to democratize investment. “Experts claim that almost 7% of the total property market in Dubai will be traded on a blockchain by 2033,” Ansari said. “My analysis suggests tokenisation could expand Dubai’s global investor pool by up to 15 times.”

Ansari pointed to the recent Dhs425 million purchase of the “Marble Palace” in Emirates Hills as an example of Dubai’s accelerating high-end market. The landmark deal, the largest single residential sale of 2025 so far, highlights the scale at which Dubai’s property sector continues to attract global wealth. In the third quarter alone, total acquisitions reached Dhs170.7 billion—a new record.

International demand remains a critical driver. According to Juwai IQI’s data, the UAE has become the eighth most popular real-estate market among mainland Chinese buyers, surpassing several larger Asian and European destinations. With more than 100,000 new homes expected to be delivered by 2027, Ansari believes Dubai is well-positioned for continued growth.

Ansari said tokenisation will not replace traditional real-estate transactions but will add a powerful new layer of demand. “A city that can sell a single villa for Dhs425 million now also has a way to let millions of smaller investors take part as well,” he explained.

Tokenisation transforms real estate into a globally accessible financial product. By enabling investors to buy small fractional stakes, Dubai can tap into a vast pool of approximately 700 million wealth-qualified individuals worldwide. Even modest allocations from this demographic could deepen Dubai’s market significantly.

“Tokenisation turns Dubai real estate into something bigger than a luxury market,” Ansari said.