BlackRock, Mastercard, and Franklin Templeton Sign MOUs with ADI

Key Highlights

ADI Foundation says BlackRock will explore regulated tokenized asset structures and market rails with ADI Chain.
Mastercard’s MoU targets blockchain-based payments and tokenization across the Middle East, with compliance built in.
Franklin Templeton will work with ADI on compliant tokenized products within ADGM and research on stablecoins.

Just days after its mainnet went live, Abu Dhabi-based ADI Chain moved quickly into the institutional spotlight, securing memorandums of understanding (MOUs) with BlackRock, Mastercard, and Franklin Templeton. The agreements signal early interest from global financial heavyweights in ADI Chain’s compliance-first blockchain infrastructure.

The MOUs were announced today by the ADI Foundation, positioning it as a regulated Layer 2 network built specifically for stablecoins and tokenized real-world assets across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

Institutions move fast after launch

BlackRock’s MoU with the ADI Foundation focuses on exploring tokenized asset structures, regulated market rails, and distribution frameworks aligned with global compliance standards. The move comes as the asset manager expands its digital asset footprint, including recent filings tied to staked Ethereum and other crypto ETFs.

Mastercard’s partnership targets blockchain-based payments and asset tokenization across the Middle East. The collaboration is expected to support stablecoin settlement, cross-border payments, and digital payment rails designed to operate within regional regulatory frameworks.

Franklin Templeton, meanwhile, signed an MoU to develop compliant pathways for tokenized products within Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). The effort includes research into stablecoins, regulated issuance models, and institutional-grade settlement infrastructure, extending the firm’s growing presence in tokenization and crypto ETFs.

Built for regulation, not speculation

ADI Chain is positioning itself differently from most Layer 2 networks. Rather than competing on transaction speed or low fees, the network was designed from inception around compliance, security, and government deployment.

ADI already powers settlement for the UAE’s dirham-backed stablecoin, backed by FAB and IHC, and watched closely by the Central Bank. Core infrastructure partners include zkSync for zero-knowledge proofs, Alchemy for deployment tooling, WalletConnect for interoperability, and Covalent for real-time data access.

According to CoinMarketCap, ADI token now trades at $1.14 with a $111M market cap and $12.7M volume in the 24h view, representing a 118% growth.

Abu Dhabi’s institutional blockchain bet

The agreements follow the ADI Foundation’s announcement earlier this month expanding its UAE footprint and launching an education initiative, “Future Tech 4.0,” in partnership with ADGM and local universities. The program aims to train more than 10,000 Web3 specialists.

Founded one year ago, the ADI Foundation unveiled the ADI Chain mainnet at Abu Dhabi Finance Week. Within days, partnerships with BlackRock, Mastercard, and Franklin Templeton followed, a pace that suggests these institutions had been monitoring the network well before launch.

ADI expects to bring one billion people onchain by 2030. With a live mainnet, regulated stablecoin rails, and early institutional backing, the foundation is betting that compliance-first design will drive the next phase of real-world adoption.