Key Takeaways
- Eric Trump has teased plans to tokenize ownership of Trump Organization properties, starting with one flagship building.
- U.S. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins has declared tokenization and crypto regulation “job one” under the new Project Crypto initiative.
- Atkins previously emphasized the importance of self-custody as a “core American value.”
Eric Trump has provided more details about World Liberty Financial’s plans to tokenize ownership of Trump Organization properties, aligning the company with a growing trend in blockchain-based real estate investment.
The comments come as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Chairman Paul Atkins declared tokenization the agency’s top priority under its new “Project Crypto” initiative.
Eric Trump Teases Tokenized Real Estate
President Donald Trump’s son said the tokenized real estate project will focus on “one specific building,” describing it as a move to democratize access to high-profile real estate.
Real estate tokenization involves converting the value of a physical property into digital tokens, allowing fractional ownership that can be bought, sold, or traded on a blockchain platform.
In a preview from an upcoming CoinDesk interview shared on X, Trump stated that investors would be able to purchase micro-shares in properties.
“If I decided to build a hotel in Washington, D.C., or in Dubai or in New York, why do I have to go out using Deutsche Bank?” Trump said.
“Why can’t I go out to the masses?” he added.
The comments follow World Liberty Financial’s co-founder, Zach Witkoff, mentioning plans to tokenize Trump real estate during Token2049 in Singapore.
Tokenization and Crypto US Focus
Trump’s announcement coincides with a major policy shift at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, where Atkins has declared tokenization the agency’s top priority under its new “Project Crypto” initiative.
Project Crypto aims to modernize digital asset oversight and streamline compliance for blockchain firms.
Speaking at DC Fintech Week on Wednesday, Oct. 15, Atkins again claimed that tokenization and crypto were “job one” for the agency.
“We want to make sure that we build a strong framework to actually attract people back into the United States who may have fled, but then also be able to build a framework that makes sense for the future, so that innovation can thrive,” he said.
Global Tokenization Push
In addition to the U.S., governments and regulators worldwide are accelerating their efforts to adopt tokenization.
Britain’s financial regulator said on Tuesday that the U.K. has a chance to position itself as a global leader in tokenization as it works to close the gap with the EU on digital finance regulation.
The comments come as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) issued new guidelines to help the country’s £14 trillion asset management industry adopt tokenization within the current regulatory framework.
Newly announced measures include operating tokenized fund registers through the U.K.’s “Blueprint” model and outlining a roadmap to address obstacles, such as the use of public blockchains.
Simon Walls, executive director of markets at the FCA, said: ‘Tokenization has the potential to drive fundamental changes in asset management, with benefits for the industry and consumers.
“The U.K. has the opportunity to be a world-leader here and we want to provide asset managers with the clarity and confidence they need to deliver.”
Innovation First
SEC Chairman Atkins has positioned himself as a strong advocate for self-custody in the digital asset space, describing private property as a “core American value.”
“I believe deeply in the right to use a self-custodial digital wallet to maintain personal crypto assets and participate in on-chain activities like staking,” he wrote.
Atkins noted that many investors remain dependent on intermediaries bound by complex regulatory requirements to hold their digital assets, a structure he hopes to modernize for the crypto era.
“The existing custody rules were created without crypto assets in mind. I have directed the staff to consider how best to adapt the existing regime to facilitate the custody of crypto assets,” Atkins said.
The announcement of Project Crypto in August also saw him outline the potential of so-called “super-apps” that could combine traditional and digital asset services.
“I’d like to say that we’re the Securities and Innovation Commission,” he said on Wednesday.
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Kurt Robson is a London-based reporter at CCN, specialising in the fast-moving worlds of crypto and emerging technology. He began his career covering local news in Cornwall after graduating from Falmouth University with First Class Honours in Journalism. There, he cut his teeth on everything from council meetings to missing swans.
He quickly rose through the ranks to become a frontline journalist at several of the UK’s leading national newspapers. Over the years, he has interviewed musicians and celebrities, reported from courtrooms and crime scenes, and secured multiple front-page exclusives.
Following the upheaval of the COVID-19 pandemic, Kurt shifted his focus to technology journalism—just ahead of the AI boom. With a natural curiosity and a trained eye for emerging trends, he has found a new rhythm in reporting on innovation.
At CCN, Kurt's work focuses on the cutting edge of crypto, blockchain, AI, and the evolving digital world. Drawing on his background in people-first reporting and his deep interest in disruptive tech, Kurt delivers stories that are insightful, entertaining, and human-centric.
