Introduction
Doha, QATAR – ChainArgos General Counsel Patrick Tan participated as an expert panelist at the inaugural Digital Assets Policy Roundtable, a landmark forum for cross-border regulatory coordination and institutional dialogue on real-world asset tokenisation.
The roundtable, hosted by the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) in partnership with Global Stratalogues and the Global Blockchain Business Council (GBBC), convened global experts during the Qatar Economic Forum to examine policy frameworks, technological foundations, and practical implementation pathways necessary to scale tokenisation.
Patrick joined distinguished speakers including Heinz Konzett (Senior Legal Expert, Liechtenstein Financial Regulator), Michal Gromek (Executive Team Member, Global Coalition to Fight Financial Crime), Sandra Ro (CEO, GBBC), and senior representatives from the QFC to deliver comprehensive insights on tokenisation’s real-world applications and challenges.
ChainArgos General Counsel Patrick Tan in Doha, Qatar, speaking about how tokenization in and of itself won't unlock liquidity, but rather issuers must understand the idiosyncrasies driving demand for specific products.
Infrastructure Over Hype
The roundtable emphasized a critical paradigm shift—toward infrastructure over hype, compliance over chaos, and inclusion over exclusion. As QFC Chief Financial Sector Officer Henk Hoogendoorn stated in his opening remarks: “We are not here to talk about crypto. We are here to talk about digital assets—real-world tokenisation, and the infrastructure that makes it work.”
Patrick’s participation focused on practical implementation challenges and the economic fundamentals of tokenisation. Moderating the panel on “Tokenised Use Cases – From Potential to Practical Implementation” alongside Arjun Vir Singh (Partner, Arthur D. Little), Patrick examined sector-specific applications across real estate, private credit, and trade finance.
His key insight challenged conventional assumptions about liquidity in tokenised markets: “For tokenisation, it’s not a question about liquidity, it’s a question about price. There is always a price at which somebody will act.”
ChainArgos General Counsel Patrick Tan (second from left) with. From left to right, Arjun Vir Singh, Partner and Global Head of Fintech, Arthur D. Little, Giovanni Everduin, CSO and Innovation Officer, CBI, Saloi Benbaha, Head of XDC Network Enterprise Alliance & Ventures, Bashir Kazour, Managing Director, Taurus, Jorge Carrasco, Managing Director, Blockchain & Digital Assets, FTI Consulting.
Real-World Applications and Market Reality
The panel delivered a comprehensive assessment of tokenisation’s current limitations and identified pragmatic pathways for sustainable implementation. Patrick emphasized the importance of problem-first thinking rather than technology-first approaches, drawing parallels with social media regulation where enforcement targets bad actors while enabling platform experimentation.
The discussion covered successful pilot programmes, including:
- Private credit applications delivering immediate utility for institutional investors
- Trade finance innovations in emerging markets, with successful tokenisation of promissory notes between Indian sellers and UAE buyers enabling instant liquidity access for micro and small enterprises
- Financial inclusion strategies in Southeast Asia, where 860 million people (67% lacking traditional banking access) could benefit from yield-generating tokens functioning as accessible money market funds
However, the panel also acknowledged significant implementation barriers: infrastructure fragmentation across platforms and jurisdictions, evolving regulatory compliance requirements, and the challenge that participants face spending 90% of their time on regulatory compliance versus only 10% on actual product development.
Regulatory Innovation and Strategic Outlook
Patrick’s contribution reinforced that successful tokenisation requires infrastructure development, regulatory clarity, and realistic use case focus rather than technological ambition. He advocated for regulatory frameworks that facilitate controlled experimentation rather than broad prohibition—an innovation-enabling approach that balances market protection with advancement.
The roundtable concluded with clear strategic recommendations for all stakeholders: regulators should prioritize interoperability frameworks, financial institutions should invest beyond pilot programmes into scalable infrastructure, and innovators should partner with regulators early to align product design with compliance needs.
ChainArgos General Counsel Patrick Tan (left) with the organizers and key team members behind the success of the Qatar Financial Centre's inaugural Digital Assets Policy Roundtable in Doha, Qater.
Looking Ahead
The QFC Digital Assets Policy Roundtable represented an important model for regulatory capacity building in an era where digital assets are increasingly mainstream. Qatar’s strategic positioning—emphasizing practical implementation of international standards rather than theoretical framework development—positions the jurisdiction as a potential regional tokenisation hub.
ChainArgos is committed to supporting these capacity-building efforts through technical expertise and practical blockchain intelligence. Effective regulation benefits the entire digital asset ecosystem, creating clearer rules for businesses while protecting financial systems from abuse.
We extend our gratitude to the Qatar Financial Centre, particularly Henk Hoogendoorn and Maha Al-Saadi, Global Stratalogues founder Oscar Wendel, and the Global Blockchain Business Council’s Sandra Ro for organizing this important dialogue and creating a platform for substantive policy discussion.
As Patrick reflected following the roundtable: “As the world increasingly looks to tokenising assets, we must understand the value of tokenisation, and determine if the benefits outweigh the cost before implementation.”
The work of building practical, sustainable tokenisation infrastructure continues—and ChainArgos is proud to contribute our blockchain intelligence expertise to this global effort.