Open World to Launch Saudi Arabia’s First Asset Tokenisation Centre in Al Khobar

Open World has unveiled plans to set up Saudi Arabia’s first Real-World Asset tokenisation Centre of Excellence, planting the flag in Al Khobar as the Kingdom pushes ahead with its Vision 2030 digital economy ambitions. The move comes hot on the heels of the company’s earlier announcement this month about a proposed merger with VerifyMe, a step that would see the combined group angle for a bigger role in public markets.

The new centre is expected to operate as a fully licensed, in‑Kingdom entity, built to work within Saudi regulatory frameworks as they continue to take shape. In plain terms, it’s meant to help government bodies, large enterprises and institutional players turn physical assets into compliant digital ones, without it becoming a bit of a faff around approvals. And believe it or not, that’s no small promise in a market where regulation and innovation have to walk hand in hand.

From what’s been shared so far, the focus will be on tokenising assets such as energy infrastructure, real estate projects, carbon reduction credits and even sovereign bonds. Regulated stablecoins are also on the roadmap, just not right away. These initiatives are set to run on Open World’s national‑scale tokenisation infrastructure, introduced last December through a partnership with Abstract, while staying aligned with requirements from the Saudi Central Bank and the Capital Market Authority.

Matt Shaw, Open World’s co‑founder and chief executive, said the decision to base the centre in Al Khobar reflects a long‑term commitment to Saudi partners and local rules, particularly around data sovereignty and security. He framed the effort as a way to tap into the Kingdom’s vast pool of real‑world assets and make them accessible to global investors, without the value leaking out of the local economy.

Dr Salman Salem Al Khaldi from the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry struck a similar note, pointing to the region’s heavy concentration of energy assets and institutions such as Saudi Aramco and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals. In his view, that makes the Eastern Province a spot on location to pilot this kind of financial experiment as Saudi Arabia looks beyond traditional energy exports.

The centre is slated to become fully operational sometime in 2026, with pilot projects pencilled in for the middle of the year. Open World has indicated it already has the legal and technical groundwork in place and plans to work closely with financial institutions and regulators on investor protection and standardised tokenisation practices, with more partnerships likely to surface over the year.

From where I sit, having watched founders across the region wrestle with access to capital, this feels like a practical step rather than hype. Tokenisation done right can unlock doors, though I’m not a fan of rushing it before the rules are clear. For Arageek readers who’ve seen Vision 2030 shift from slide decks to real projects, this is another sign that the digital asset conversation in Saudi Arabia is finally getting its feet on the ground… well, on-chain, but you know?

Whether all of this definately delivers on its promise is something 2026 will tell, yet the direction of travel is clear: Saudi Arabia wants a bigger say in how digital finance evolves, and it’s starting close to home.

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