Tokenizing Trump Tower? Witkoff Outlines Vision for Real Estate on the Blockchain at Token2049

“What if I told you that you could go on an exchange and buy one token of Trump Tower Dubai?” The question, posed by Zach Witkoff at Token2049 in Singapore, wasn’t a hypothetical but a glimpse into what he believes is the future of real estate investment.

Speaking onstage alongside Donald Trump Jr., Witkoff unveiled his ambitions to tokenize the Trump family’s global real estate empire, opening access to a market that has long been reserved for institutional investors and the ultra-wealthy.

Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty Financial, believes that tokenization — the process of turning ownership rights of physical or digital assets into tradable blockchain-based tokens — is at an inflection point. And he’s betting that luxury properties like golf courses and skyscrapers can soon be traded as easily as stocks.

“The Trump family has one of the most exciting real estate portfolios in the world,” Witkoff said. “Why don’t you have access to investing in Class A real estate? Right now, you can only do that through a REIT or some sort of public corporation,” Witkoff said.

Tokenizing Real Estate: A New Investment Model

Founded last year by Witkoff and Trump Jr., World Liberty Financial is developing a platform that aims to bring real estate, lending, and stablecoin-backed products into the tokenized economy. Its token, WLFI, is held by ALT5 Sigma, a publicly traded treasury corporation chaired by Witkoff. The company, which launched the USD1 stablecoin in March 2025, plans to roll out lending and borrowing features for token holders.

Although specific details around the Trump property tokenization timeline remain unclear, Witkoff’s comments at one of Asia’s largest blockchain conferences signal serious intent — and come as financial giants like BlackRock and JP Morgan are also moving from experimentation to large-scale deployment of tokenized financial products.

The Bigger Trend: Tokenization Takes Off

Tokenization isn’t just hype. Financial institutions have been exploring the concept for years, but 2024–2025 has marked a tangible shift in momentum. Advances in blockchain infrastructure, rising adoption of stablecoins, and evolving global regulations have created a more favorable environment for asset tokenization.

Firms like BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, have begun issuing shares in their money-market funds as tokens. JP Morgan has built blockchain platforms to settle transactions using tokenized versions of real-world assets. In parallel, the popularity of tokenized stocks and ETFs has grown significantly this year.

Analysts estimate the tokenized asset market could reach trillions of dollars in the coming years, transforming how capital flows across borders, asset classes, and investor types.

Real Estate: High Potential, High Complexity

While the financial sector is making rapid progress, real estate tokenization has lagged behind — not because of lack of potential, but due to the inherent complexity of the asset class.

Legal frameworks, jurisdictional fragmentation, and historical scams in the space have made institutions wary. Fractionalizing ownership of tangible property raises compliance challenges across securities law, taxation, and governance. But the upside remains enormous: unlocking liquidity from high-value, traditionally illiquid assets like luxury real estate could democratize investing at a global scale.

What’s Next?

The coming months are likely to bring further infrastructure developments, more institutional players entering the market, and growing regulatory clarity. From agentic commerce to interoperability between blockchains and traditional finance, tokenization is shaping up to be a cornerstone of the next financial system.

Witkoff, for his part, sees this as more than a business opportunity.

“We believe — Don, myself, everyone at World Liberty believes — that those assets shouldn’t just be saved for an elite few to be able to invest in,” he said.

Whether it’s a skyscraper in Manhattan or a golf course in Dubai, the real estate market may soon be cracked wide open — one token at a time.