The ADI Foundation has secured partnerships with three global financial institutions, BlackRock, Mastercard, and Franklin Templeton, just days after launching its mainnet, marking a sizeable milestone for institutional blockchain adoption in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The announcements came during Abu Dhabi Finance Week, where the Abu Dhabi-based foundation revealed separate memoranda of understanding with each institution, each targeting distinct infrastructure objectives within the digital asset ecosystem.

Details of the MoUs

BlackRock signed an MoU with the ADI Foundation to explore accelerating blockchain adoption across financial markets. The partnership focuses on institution-grade tokenized asset structures, improved distribution channels, and regulatory frameworks designed to support market growth while strengthening Abu Dhabi's position as a digital asset hub.

Kashif Riaz, Managing Director and Head of Financial Markets Advisory Middle East at BlackRock, shared that the firm is excited to advance digital assets and tokenized markets initiatives, noting the rapidly evolving global market environment for digital asset innovation.

The Mastercard partnership centers on blockchain-based payments and asset tokenization across the Middle East. The collaboration aims to bring stablecoin settlement, cross-border payments, and digital asset infrastructure to the region with built-in regulatory alignment.

Franklin Templeton's MoU with the ADI Foundation explores regulated digital asset infrastructure within the Abu Dhabi Global Market. The partnership emphasizes building compliant pathways for institutions to create and launch tokenized products, developing distribution and settlement infrastructure, and conducting research on stablecoins and tokenized assets that meet regulatory requirements.

MENA's Institutional Validation

The timing and breadth of these partnerships signals institutional confidence in compliance-focused blockchain architecture. Three global institutions committing to ADI within days of the mainnet launch demonstrates demand for blockchain infrastructure built specifically around regulatory frameworks rather than purely technical specifications.

Ajay Bhatia, Principal Council Member at the ADI Foundation, described the BlackRock partnership as a critical step in Abu Dhabi's evolution as a digital asset innovation center, emphasizing the goal of enabling compliant, scalable digital finance solutions for local and global markets.

ADI Chain, the region's first institutional Layer 2 blockchain for stablecoins and real-world assets, differentiates itself from competitors by prioritizing compliance, regulatory alignment, and government deployment over transaction speed and low fees.

The network was selected to host a UAE Dirham-backed stablecoin to be issued by First Abu Dhabi Bank and IHC, regulated by the UAE Central Bank.

What is ADI?

The new swathe of partnerships expand an ecosystem that already spans 20 countries, with over 50 institutional and enterprise projects in the pipeline for deployment on ADI Chain. 

Existing projects demonstrate diverse institutional use cases, including Near Protocol's TravAI for travel management, ADREC's real estate sector initiatives in Abu Dhabi, and Emirates Driving Company's blockchain solutions.

The ADI Foundation, a non-profit founded by Sirius International Holding (an IHC subsidiary), boasts an ambitious goal of bringing one billion people into the digital economy by 2030.

These newly-revealed partnerships represent tangible evidence of a growing institutional interest in MENA-based blockchain technology.

Sources

• Reuters: BlackRock, Mastercard, and Franklin Templeton Announce Collaboration with ADI Foundation, Signaling Institutional Adoption
• The Manila Times: BlackRock, Mastercard, and Franklin Templeton Announce Collaboration with the ADI Foundation Signaling Institutional Adoption
• Zawya: BlackRock in deal to advance tokenised financial markets in Abu Dhabi
• ADI Foundation: Official Website

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