Catenaa, Monday, April 13, 2026- Alpha Ladder Group, a Singapore-based financial and technology firm, and Maqam International Holding of Abu Dhabi announced a joint venture focused on real-world asset (RWA) tokenization and digital payments across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.
The venture leverages MetaComp’s operationally proven Web2.5 payment infrastructure and Maqam’s portfolio of premium real assets to address cross-border financial inefficiencies and enable regulated, institutional-grade digital finance.
The partnership follows MetaComp’s Pre-A funding round, which raised USD 35 million, backed by major investors including Alibaba, Eastern Bell, Noah, and Sky9. With USD 100 million in instantaneous platform liquidity and profitability achieved in 2025, MetaComp provides the technology backbone for compliant cross-border payments and asset tokenization.
Maqam contributes decades of operational experience managing landmark Abu Dhabi assets, including Etihad Towers, and access to institutional networks and regulatory channels across the Middle East.
The joint venture will be domiciled in the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the UAE’s premier international financial center. It targets three pillars of digital financial infrastructure: cross-border payments, RWA tokenization, and capital markets integration.
The venture’s StableX Network will enable real-time, cost-efficient settlement across traditional banking and stablecoin rails while ensuring compliance through its VisionX Engine.
RWA tokenization will employ Alpha Ladder Finance’s patented Non-Fungible Digital Twin (NFDT) technology, creating live, blockchain-anchored digital representations of physical assets for transparent, auditable fractional ownership.
The MENA digital payments market was valued at USD 248 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach USD 420 billion by 2030, growing at an 11% annual rate.
GCC RWA tokenization represents a nearly USD 500 billion opportunity, as global on-chain real-world assets surpassed USD 24 billion by mid-2025.
The venture is positioned to connect MENA-based assets to global liquidity pools through regulated digital channels, supporting institutional-grade investment opportunities.
Alpha Ladder’s Group Executive Chairman Dr. Brian Bai emphasized the hybrid nature of financial infrastructure as central to the venture.
The collaboration strengthens the UAE-Singapore fintech corridor, supported by the regulatory frameworks of MAS in Singapore and ADGM in Abu Dhabi, both of which provide clear licensing, custody, and AML compliance standards for digital finance.
UAE Ambassador to Singapore H.E. Jamal Abdulla Mohammad Bin Abdulwahab Alsuwaidi highlighted the strategic significance of the collaboration for cross-border financial ecosystems, while Dr. Brian Shegar of the UAE Singapore Business Council encouraged Singaporean companies to pursue similar partnerships. The joint venture intends to apply for an ADGM Financial Services Regulatory Authority license and commence operations in 2026.
This initiative underscores the growing importance of regulated, compliant digital finance infrastructure in connecting real-world assets to global capital markets while supporting MENA’s ambition as a digital finance hub.
By integrating stablecoin payments, blockchain-based RWA tokenization, and global compliance frameworks, the venture exemplifies next-generation financial innovation across institutional corridors between Singapore, UAE, and the broader MENA region.
