The Trump Organization and its London-listed partner Dar Global have unveiled plans for a high-end 80-villa resort in the Maldives, a project they say will use blockchain-based tokenisation to open the door to outside investors. The announcement comes just ahead of a landmark visit to Washington by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, adding geopolitical weight to a deal that intertwines luxury development, crypto-finance and regional diplomacy.
According to reporting referenced by the Financial Times, the resort — located a short boat ride from Malé — marks the latest joint venture between the Trump real estate empire and Dar Global. The timing has drawn attention: Prince Mohammed’s trip will be his first to the US in seven years, and discussions with American officials are expected to centre on defence ties, nuclear co-operation and major Saudi investment channels. Riyadh is working to strengthen its security architecture while accelerating diversification away from oil, ambitions that have increasingly overlapped with the Trump family’s private ventures.
Both companies say the Maldives project will rely on blockchain technology to “tokenise” the resort’s value — effectively breaking the asset into digital units that investors can buy and trade. While they describe it as a first for luxury hospitality, the FT has noted it could not independently verify the claim. Even so, the financing model aligns with the Trump family’s rapid expansion into crypto-linked businesses, which range from the former president and First Lady’s memecoin ventures to digital-asset firms backed by Trump’s sons. A Financial Times investigation last month found that the family’s broader crypto empire generated more than $1bn in pre-tax profits over the previous year.
These initiatives have drawn scrutiny because several crypto-friendly policy moves during the Trump administration have complemented the family’s private sector ambitions. At the same time, the business network increasingly crosses paths with Gulf governments that maintain active relationships with Washington. Jared Kushner’s investment firm Affinity Partners has already secured billions from regional sovereign wealth funds, including $2bn from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. Abu Dhabi’s AI-focused MGX recently purchased $2bn worth of stablecoin tied to World Liberty Financial — a company in which the Trump family holds a stake — to channel into crypto-exchange investments.
Dar Global and the Trump Organization are already active across the Middle East, with Trump-branded projects in Dubai, Qatar, Oman and Saudi Arabia. In these ventures, Dar Global licenses the Trump brand for major developments ranging from towers to golf properties. But the Maldives plan stands out as the first to introduce investor participation via digital tokenisation.
Eric Trump, executive vice-president of the Trump Organization, said the company is “delighted to bring the Trump brand to the Maldives” through its continuing partnership with Dar Global, predicting that the investment structure could set a new standard for real-estate financing. However, the companies offered no further detail on how the tokenisation process will function in practice.
