Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Daman Virtual and the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) brought together senior leaders from government, regulation, investment and financial services at the inaugural Digital Assets Leadership Forum at Waldorf Astoria DIFC.
The invitation-only Forum focused on the priorities shaping Dubai’s financial future as the emirate works towards the ambitions of the Dubai Economic Agenda D33, exploring how deeper capital markets, international investment, regulation, tokenisation and institutional adoption could support its continued development as a global financial centre.
Shehab Gargash, Founder and Chairman of Daman Investments and Daman Securities, said: “Dubai has built the foundations of a sophisticated and globally connected financial centre. The opportunity now is to deepen its capital markets, broaden international participation, and ensure innovation translates into long-term market growth.”
As digital assets become an increasingly established part of the wider financial landscape, the Forum was designed to create dialogue between the institutions shaping the market and those building and participating in it.
Ahmed Khizer Khan, CEO of Daman Investments and Chairman of the Board of Daman Virtual, said: “The value of this Forum is in bringing together perspectives from across government, regulation and the market in one conversation. Meaningful progress will depend on continued dialogue across the ecosystem, and that is the kind of conversation we want Daman Virtual to help facilitate.”
The Forum’s first panel, “Dubai’s Digital Economy Ambition: The Capital Markets Mandate,” brought together Abdulla AlGaoud of Dubai Chamber of Digital Economy; Dr. Marwan Al Zarouni, Chief AI Officer at Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism; Dr. Ayesha Bin Lootah of the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA); and Ahmed Waheed, CEO of Daman Securities and Board Member of Daman Virtual.
The discussion examined the role of the digital economy and financial sector in supporting Dubai’s next phase of growth, before looking at what is needed to deepen its capital markets and attract greater international investment. Panellists also explored how the regulatory environment can continue to support market development and investor confidence, and the potential for areas such as tokenisation to shape the market through to 2033.
Ahmed Waheed, CEO of Daman Securities and Board Member of Daman Virtual, said: “Accessible capital markets offering diversified products & depth are an important part of Dubai’s continued development as an international financial centre. The opportunity is not simply to introduce new technologies, but to use them in ways that can broaden investor participation, improve market access and create genuine value. Doing that successfully requires the right combination of market infrastructure, regulatory clarity and institutional confidence.”
From Dubai’s wider financial ambitions, the conversation then shifted to what tokenisation could mean in practice for markets and investors. The second panel, “The Future of Tokenised Capital Markets,” brought together Bouchra Darwazah, Managing Director at Galaxy Digital and CEO of Galaxy Digital MENA; Mark Ng, Head of Digital Assets at Zand and General Manager of Zand Trust; Miriam Kiwan, CEO, MEA & APAC at Confirmo; and Ahmed Ismail, Co-Founder and Board Member of Daman Virtual.
With sukuk, investment funds and international equities among the areas discussed, panellists examined where tokenisation is moving from experimentation towards institutional use, which asset classes could be best positioned for adoption at scale, and what is still needed to build trusted and liquid tokenised markets.
The discussion also considered Dubai’s position within the evolving global tokenisation landscape and what could differentiate the market as institutional adoption grows.
Ahmed Ismail, Co-Founder and Board Member of Daman Virtual, said: “The real opportunity is to make digital assets work for investors in the same way they expect any established financial market to work, with trust, transparency, and the right protections in place. As the market matures, the focus will increasingly shift from the technology itself to the value it can create for investors and the wider financial system.”
The Forum comes as Daman Virtual, the institutional virtual assets arm of Daman Securities and a wholly owned subsidiary of Daman Investments, builds its presence in Dubai’s regulated virtual asset market following its entry into the sector earlier this year.
Bringing that proposition to life at the Forum, attendees were given a closer look at Daman Crypto, Daman Virtual’s flagship digital asset trading platform, through a dedicated presentation and product showcase. Launched in May 2026, Daman Crypto is purpose-built for institutional clients, high-net-worth individuals, family offices, corporates and Web3 companies, combining deep liquidity and best execution with AED settlement and direct connectivity to UAE banking rails.
Licensed by VARA as a Broker-Dealer, Daman Virtual builds on more than 27 years of Daman’s financial services heritage to provide institutions, businesses and high-net-worth individuals with regulated access to virtual assets.
About Daman Virtual:
Daman Virtual Asset Brokerage L.L.C. (“Daman Virtual”) is the institutional virtual assets arm of Daman Securities, a leading UAE brokerage with over 27 years of financial services heritage. Licensed by the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) as a Broker-Dealer (License No. VL/26/04/001), Daman Virtual provides institutions, businesses, high-net-worth individuals, and Web3 companies with regulated access to virtual assets, backed by UAE banking rails and AED settlement. Its flagship platform, Daman Crypto, delivers compliant digital asset trading with institutional-grade security and best execution under VARA supervision. Built on a human-led service model, Daman Virtual is designed to be the institutional gateway for virtual assets across the GCC.
www.damanvirtual.com
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