Eligible investors can now buy a fractional interest in the world’s largest silver bar after the 1,971kg Guinness World Record asset became the first tokenised commodity launched under the DMCC–VARA framework, Gulf News reports.
Access opened on 7 September 2026 to eligible investors, including retail, according to the report. Tokinvest is issuing the interests as an Asset-Referenced Virtual Asset on BNB Chain.
How the tokenised silver bar is structured
The bar was made in the UAE by SAM Precious Metals from 99.9% pure silver to commemorate 1971, the UAE’s founding year. Gulf News says the physical asset remains intact: it is registered and verified through DMCC Tradeflow and held by Brink’s, while Tokinvest handles regulated digital issuance and distribution.
That setup divides ownership of a single physical commodity into smaller digital interests rather than creating a synthetic silver product. Tokinvest co-founder and CEO Scott Thiel told Gulf News that, for the first time, investors can own a fractional interest in the one-of-one bar, which had previously been beyond the reach of almost every investor.
The issuer’s own product page restates the 1,971kg weight, 99.9% purity, Brink’s custody and DMCC Tradeflow verification, and notes Tokinvest’s VARA licences for broker-dealer services and Category 1 virtual-asset issuance.
First under the DMCC–VARA framework
Paul Boots, senior director and head of sector development at VARA, called the launch “the first tokenised commodity asset issued under the DMCC-VARA framework,” Gulf News reports.
Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman and chief executive of DMCC, said the bar was unveiled at the Dubai Precious Metals Conference in November 2025 with a clear aim to move it from a physical record into a practical commodity-tokenisation example, with the DMCC–VARA framework as the roadmap. “Today, we are delivering on that ambition,” he said in the Gulf News piece.
DMCC’s November 2025 release had already named SAM Precious Metals, Tokinvest and Brink’s as partners and flagged tokenisation via Tradeflow under the DMCC–VARA commodities programme. The September opening is the issuance step, not another memorandum.
UAE angle: real product, not MoU soft
The launch stitches together Dubai’s commodities, custody and virtual-asset stack inside one free-zone story: DMCC Tradeflow for the physical registry, Brink’s for vault custody, and a VARA-licensed issuer for the ARVA.
It is distinct from the separate VARA–Securitize memorandum of understanding signed around 3 September 2026, which coverage described as a collaboration framework without a named product or launch date. This silver bar is a live Asset-Referenced Virtual Asset with retail-eligible access opened the same week.
tbreak has tracked adjacent UAE tokenisation and crypto rails, including Coinbase’s Abu Dhabi tokenisation hub, Dubai’s film-IP tokenisation fund, and the regulator-heavy bill at Crypto Expo Dubai 2026.
What happens next
Regulated secondary-market trading is expected after the initial issuance, subject to regulatory and platform requirements, Gulf News says. No public venue or go-live date for that secondary layer was given in the report.
Eligible investors who want in will still need to meet Tokinvest’s verification and platform rules; the story is fractional access to one physical Guinness bar under a Dubai regulatory wrapper, not a blanket promise of liquid silver trading for everyone.
What is being tokenised?
The world’s largest silver bar: a 1,971kg Guinness World Record asset of 99.9% pure silver made by SAM Precious Metals to commemorate the UAE’s founding year, 1971. Gulf News says it is the first tokenised commodity issued under the DMCC–VARA framework.
Who issues the tokens and on which chain?
Tokinvest, a VARA-regulated Dubai platform, issues the fractional interests as an Asset-Referenced Virtual Asset. Gulf News says the tokens are deployed on BNB Chain.
Can retail investors buy in?
Gulf News reports that access opened on 7 September 2026 to eligible investors, including retail investors. Eligibility and KYC still sit with Tokinvest’s platform rules.
Where is the physical bar held?
Gulf News and Tokinvest say the bar remains a physical asset, registered and verified through DMCC Tradeflow and held securely by Brink’s, while Tokinvest handles digital issuance and distribution.
Is this the same as the VARA–Securitize MoU?
No. The VARA–Securitize MoU around 3 September 2026 was a collaboration framework without a named product. This silver-bar ARVA is a live issuance under the DMCC–VARA commodity tokenisation framework with access opened on 7 September 2026.
When does secondary trading start?
Gulf News says regulated secondary-market trading is expected after the initial issuance, subject to regulatory and platform requirements. No venue or date was published in that report.
