Trump-linked crypto move to tokenize maldives resort loans draws scrutiny
World Liberty Financial is partnering with Securitize to issue tokenized interests in a development loan tied to the Trump International Hotel and Resort in the Maldives, the firm announced in a Wednesday statement (ET). The offering will give eligible accredited investors a stake in loan revenue rather than direct ownership of property, in a bid to bring decentralized finance rails to high-end resort lending.
Deal mechanics and investor terms
The tokens will represent interests in a development loan backing the Maldives resort project. Investors who qualify as accredited will receive a fixed yield with payments linked to the loan’s performance. The sale will be conducted under U. S. private placement rules and carry standard resale restrictions for such offerings.
Securitize will oversee issuance and compliance, handling the technical and regulatory infrastructure for the digital securities on public blockchains. The use of a large digital-securities specialist is intended to ensure adherence to securities rules while enabling token-level features such as programmable transfers and digital custody. World Liberty Financial framed the move as an effort to expand access to tokenized real estate investments through blockchain rails.
The offering is structured around loan revenue instead of direct equity in the finished resort, meaning investors’ returns will be tied to debt servicing rather than property dividends or resale proceeds. The Maldives resort, developed in partnership with the project developer and the branding partner, is slated to include roughly 100 beach and overwater villas and aims for completion around 2030.
What tokenization could mean for the maldives project
Proponents say tokenization can streamline ownership records, speed settlement and open traditionally illiquid investments to a broader set of buyers—at least in theory. By packaging a loan as digital tokens, the sponsors aim to tap crypto-native capital and new pools of accredited money that prefer programmable assets.
For the Maldives development specifically, tokenized loan interests may provide an alternative funding route that sits alongside conventional bank and private-credit channels. That could accelerate construction financing and allow the developer to offload debt risk in a more granular form than a single institutional lender would typically accept.
However, token holders will not hold direct title to villas or a share of the operating company. Their exposure is contractual—payments derive from the underlying loan’s cash flows. That distinction matters for investors who may expect tangible ownership in a high-profile hospitality brand tied to a luxury destination.
Market context and risks
Real estate tokenization remains a small portion of the broader tokenized-asset market. While major asset managers and institutional entrants have experimented with tokenized funds and private credit, real estate deals face persistent frictions: uneven regulation across jurisdictions, compliance complexity, and often thin secondary-trading markets that can limit liquidity.
Regulatory clarity is still evolving for tokenized securities, and the reliance on private-placement exemptions adds resale restrictions that may prolong holding periods for investors. Market participants also point to valuation and custodial risks when assets are represented on blockchains rather than through traditional registries and title systems.
The token tied to the sponsoring company’s broader crypto project has seen short-term price volatility; it fell roughly 6. 6% in the most recent 24-hour window to 11. 63 cents, illustrating how token-market moves can diverge from the fundamentals of a backed loan or property development.
As tokenized offerings multiply, observers will be watching how compliance, investor protections and secondary-market depth develop—factors that will determine whether such deals become a meaningful new channel for financing large hospitality projects in luxury destinations like the Maldives.
