Last week at the RWA Summit Roundtable, we had the privilege of sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with top leaders from government, investment, and policymaking sectors to help shape the future of tokenization from diverse vantage points.
On April 30th, the iconic Burj Al Arab hosted more than just breathtaking views — it became the meeting point for 40 forward-thinking voices across government, capital allocators, TradFi, DeFi, and Web3. From Nigeria to the UAE, from the Bank of America board to royal family offices, the event was structured to allow dialogue to flow.
We debated what’s really needed to scale tokenization across MENA and broader Africa. Spoiler: It’s not just better tech — it’s trust. It’s interoperability. It’s privacy with compliance. And it’s action beyond the headlines.
Key insights
• TradFi x DeFi is no longer a theory — it’s a shared necessity, especially in underbanked regions. • Cross-border use cases are investable today — from tokenized infrastructure to innovations in Islamic finance. • The future is multi-nodal, mobile-first, and MENA is positioned to leapfrog.
As founding members of SAABIC and the Africa Tokenization Council, COTI was proud to help shape conversations that were direct, and deeply strategic — covering bid structuring, cross-jurisdiction interoperability, and how compliant privacy unlocks the institutional RWA opportunity worth trillions of dollars. This wasn’t just another crypto conference — it was a trust accelerator.
COTI CEO, Shahaf Bar-Geffen commented, ‘The roundtable was one of those rare moments where the right people, in the right room, came together with real conviction. Every voice carried weight, and the caliber of conversations signalled endless potential for COTI’
Among the attendees were senior royal family members, policymakers, central bankers, and investors overseeing over $1 trillion AUM. Dignitaries were present from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the Union of Comoros, the Republic of Sierra Leone, and Kazakhstan. Also present was the Ambassador of the Maldives, whose country just launched a $8.8 billion crypto fund with Qatar — underscoring how seriously governments are now engaging with digital asset infrastructure.
With follow up summits planned throughout 2025, and beyond, the real work starts now. From the Gulf to Sub-Saharan Africa, the roundtable was a catalyst for action.
Stay COTI!
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