Tokenization of Real-World Assets
The Future of Asset Ownership Is Being Written Now
The tokenization of real-world assets, from infrastructure and real estate to natural resources and carbon markets, represents one of the most significant shifts in how value is created, transferred, and held since the advent of modern capital markets. Ford O’Brien Landy LLP is at the forefront of advising clients navigating this transformation.
The attorneys at Ford O’Brien Landy LLP counsel sovereign wealth funds, institutional investors, private companies, and project developers on the full spectrum of legal, regulatory, and structural challenges involved in bringing real-world assets onto the blockchain. Our team combines deep expertise in capital markets, international transactions, and emerging technology law to deliver practical, sophisticated counsel in a space where the rules are still being written.
What Is RWA Tokenization?
Real-world asset (RWA) tokenization is the process of representing ownership interests in tangible or financial assets, such as real estate, infrastructure, commodities, receivables, or environmental credits, as digital tokens on a blockchain. These tokens can be programmed to enforce ownership rights, automate distributions, restrict transfers to verified counterparties, and create liquidity in markets that have historically been illiquid and opaque.
The legal and regulatory dimensions of tokenization are as consequential as the technology itself. Structuring a tokenized asset requires careful attention to securities law, jurisdictional considerations, custody arrangements, anti-money laundering compliance, smart contract governance, and the enforceability of on-chain rights in traditional legal systems.
Ford O’Brien Landy LLP advises clients on all of these dimensions.
Our Experience
Sovereign Wealth Fund: Tokenization of a Public Works Project
Ford O’Brien Landy LLP is currently advising a sovereign wealth fund in connection with the tokenization of a portion of a large-scale public works project. This engagement involves structuring the token offering to reflect ownership and economic interests in the underlying infrastructure, navigating the applicable regulatory framework, and ensuring that the digital asset structure is enforceable and compliant across relevant jurisdictions. Infrastructure tokenization of this scale presents novel questions at the intersection of public finance, securities regulation, and blockchain technology — questions our team is actively helping to answer.
Dubai-Based Company: Carbon Credit Tokenization
Ford O’Brien Landy LLP is also advising a Dubai-based company on the tokenization of carbon credits generated through the ownership and preservation of a rainforest. This matter involves the creation of a legally robust digital asset structure that accurately represents the underlying environmental credits, satisfies international voluntary carbon market standards, and positions the tokens for distribution to institutional and retail participants globally. As demand for verifiable, high-integrity carbon credits grows, tokenization offers a powerful mechanism for transparency and market access. The legal structuring of that process is critical to its credibility.
Our Capabilities
Transactional Structuring. We advise on the design and legal structure of token offerings, including the choice of token standard, the jurisdiction of issuance, the legal wrapper for the underlying asset, and the rights and obligations encoded in smart contracts.
Regulatory Compliance. We counsel clients on applicable securities laws, commodity regulations, and anti-money laundering requirements across multiple jurisdictions, including the United States, the UAE, the European Union, and other key markets.
Custody and Governance. We advise on the selection and engagement of regulated custodians, the governance frameworks for tokenized asset platforms, and the resolution of disputes that may arise in on-chain environments.
Carbon Markets and Environmental Assets. We have specific experience advising on the tokenization of environmental assets, including carbon credits and nature-based solutions, within the evolving voluntary carbon market and applicable international frameworks.
Cross-Border Transactions. Our clients operate globally, and so do we. We are experienced in structuring transactions that span multiple jurisdictions and in identifying the legal frameworks — from Abu Dhabi’s ADGM to Luxembourg’s DLT legislation to Singapore’s MAS guidelines — that best serve our clients’ objectives.
Why Ford O’Brien Landy LLP
The tokenization of real-world assets does not fit neatly into any single area of traditional legal practice. It requires lawyers who understand capital markets and technology, who can read a smart contract and a securities statute, and who are comfortable advising in areas where regulatory guidance is incomplete or evolving.
Adam Ford and Anjula Prasad bring that combination to every engagement. They work closely with their clients, and, where appropriate, with blockchain infrastructure providers, technical advisors, and regulators to structure transactions that are not only legally sound but built to last.