Middle EastTrumpBlockchain
|4 min ReadTrump Plans Tokenized Maldives Resort With Saudi Partner
Lucca Menezes
Senior Analyst
Published
Jan 16, 2026
The Trump Organization is taking its brand to the Maldives and putting the financing on-chain. Working with Saudi-linked developer Dar Global Plc, the company plans a new Trump International Hotel Maldives and says the development itself will be tokenized so investors can buy into the project through digital shares.
This resort is designed as a classic Trump play: ultra-luxury branding, a prime tourism hub and a financial structure that leans into the crypto world that Trump and his family have been talking up. The partners say it will be one of the first hotel developments where the building phase is sliced into tokens for global investors.
Luxury Villas Meet Blockchain Financing
The project calls for about 80 ultra-luxury beach and overwater villas under the Trump International Hotel Maldives name. According to a joint statement from the Trump Organization and Dar Global, the resort is expected to open by the end of 2028.
The site will sit roughly 25 minutes by speedboat from Malé, the capital of the Maldives. That keeps it close enough to the country’s main hub while still selling the image of a private island escape.
At the same time, the partners say the deal marks “the launch of the world’s first tokenized hotel development tied to the project.” In practice, tokenization means using blockchain rails to issue and transfer claims on traditional assets, such as property ownership. The development phase can be divided into digital shares, which investors buy in the form of tokens instead of paper contracts.
The idea is to blend a familiar asset class, high-end resort real estate, with a newer financing wrapper that allows smaller slices to be traded and potentially accessed by a wider base of investors.
Tokenization Targets Global Investors
The plan is not just to put the hotel on a blockchain for marketing. The partners say tokenization will let investors participate directly in the development phase, rather than only after construction is finished. The project “tokenizes the development phase itself, offering investors the opportunity to participate in a high-growth, premium real estate project from inception,” the joint statement said.
That means the tokens are meant to represent a stake in the build-out, not just a loyalty point or a future booking credit. In theory, this could open the door to a new mix of buyers who want exposure to hospitality projects but prefer digital instruments over traditional real estate funds.
The move fits into a broader shift by Trump and his family into crypto-linked ventures. The article notes that the US president has expanded business ties across the crypto space, issued executive orders supportive of the industry and overseen new US legislation on stablecoins. A tokenized resort project lines up neatly with that political and business message.
Dar Global Partnership Extends Gulf Footprint
Dar Global is the London-listed arm of a Saudi Arabian developer. It has become one of Trump’s main partners in the Gulf and surrounding region. The Maldives resort adds to a list of projects in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar that carry the Trump name.
Dar Global is building Trump Towers in Jeddah and Dubai and is working with the Trump Organization on resorts, luxury homes and golf courses in Qatar and Oman. The Maldives adds a pure tourism destination to that portfolio and broadens the geography beyond the Gulf while keeping the same partnership model.
The resort announcement also lands as Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman prepares to visit Washington. He is expected to meet Trump and seek agreements to deepen long-standing ties between the world’s largest economy and the major oil exporter. Against that backdrop, a Saudi-linked developer and the Trump Organization joining forces on a high-profile, tokenized resort in the Indian Ocean underscores how political, financial and crypto narratives are now increasingly intertwined.
Disclaimer: This document is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only. The views expressed in this document are not, and should not be taken as, investment advice or recommendations. Recipients should do their own due diligence, taking into account their specific financial circumstances, investment objectives and risk tolerance, which are not considered here, before investing. This document is not an offer, or the solicitation of an offer, to buy or sell any of the assets mentioned.