ADI DLT Foundation

What ADI DLT Foundation does

ADI DLT Foundation (also operating as ADI Foundation / ADI Chain) is an Abu Dhabi-based non-profit blockchain organization founded in 2025 by Sirius International Holding, the digital arm of International Holding Company (IHC). It operates ADI Chain, the MENA region's first institutional Layer-2 blockchain, built as a zkRollup on Ethereum using ZKsync's Airbender zero-knowledge proof system with EVM compatibility, native Layer-3 chain support, and over 8,000 TPS throughput. The core products include the ADI Chain network, the ADI native token, the UAE dirham-backed DDSC stablecoin (Central Bank of UAE-approved, co-issued with First Abu Dhabi Bank), a canonical L1↔L2 bridge, Block Explorer, ADI CLI tooling, and L3 chain deployment capability. Supporting integrations span Chainlink CCIP (with a $240 billion institutional asset commitment), SQD indexing, Blockscout, OpenZeppelin and Hacken security audits, and wallet support via Exodus and Ledger.

The platform targets governments, sovereign entities, central banks, and financial institutions across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, with a stated mission to onboard one billion people to blockchain by 2030. Distribution is exclusively institutional and partnership-driven: anchor relationships with Mastercard, BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, BNY Mellon, M-Pesa (60M+ users across 8 African countries), and First Abu Dhabi Bank embed ADI Chain into payment, custody, asset management, and mobile money rails. Adjacent verticals include Islamic finance (PUSD stablecoin), travel/hospitality (H2O Hospitality), and cultural AI (ErosADI with Eros Innovation). Internally, the December 2025 acquisition of Kharkiv-based IdeaSoft (renamed Paral Soft) provides a wholly-owned engineering arm for blockchain development.

The business model is non-commercial: as a non-profit, ADI Foundation does not publicly disclose revenue or pricing, and operations are funded through its parent (IHC/Sirius International Holding) rather than external capital raises. Value capture for the broader ecosystem flows through gas fees, stablecoin settlement volume, and the ADI token, but the foundation itself monetizes indirectly via ecosystem growth and reputational positioning within the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) regulatory framework.

Name

ADI DLT Foundation

Legal name

ADI Foundation

Website

https://adi.foundation

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ADI DLT Foundation operates ADI Chain, the MENA region's first institutional Layer-2 blockchain (zkRollup via ZKsync), serving governments, central banks, and financial institutions across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia with regulated stablecoin settlement and real-world asset tokenization infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Institutional Blockchain Infrastructure

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

On-Chain Payments & Stablecoin Infrastructure (Issuance, Rails, Treasury) (FSAGAMAD)

Keywords

• Institutional blockchain infrastructure
• Layer 2 zkRollup platform
• Stablecoin settlement rails
• Real-world asset tokenization
• Sovereign digital assets

Headquarters

HQ city

Abu Dhabi

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ADI Foundation operates ADI Chain, an institutional Layer-2 zkRollup blockchain (built on ZKsync's Airbender zero-knowledge proof system) for the issuance, settlement, and tokenization of stablecoins and real-world assets. It supports the UAE dirham-backed DDSC stablecoin (regulated by the UAE Central Bank) and provides EVM-compatible infrastructure with native Layer-3 chain deployment capability for governments and financial institutions.

Product overview

ADI Foundation operates as an Abu Dhabi-based institutional blockchain platform founded by Sirius International Holding (digital arm of IHC, one of the world's largest investment companies). The core product is ADI Chain, the MENA region's first institutional Layer 2 blockchain built as a zkRollup on Ethereum using ZKsync's Airbender zero-knowledge proof system. ADI Chain supports over 8,000 TPS with EVM compatibility, native compliance for Layer-3 chains, and low transaction costs. The platform provides settlement infrastructure for the UAE dirham-backed stablecoin DDSC (issued by IHC and First Abu Dhabi Bank under UAE Central Bank regulation), enables real-world asset tokenization, and offers cross-chain interoperability via Chainlink CCIP. The native ADI Token serves as the ecosystem's economic foundation. Key infrastructure components include the Canonical Bridge (L1↔L2 token transfers), Block Explorer, optional Blockscout explorer, L3 chain deployment capability, SQD indexing infrastructure, and wallet integrations (Exodus, Ledger). The ecosystem also includes ErosADI, a sovereign Cultural AI OS platform by Eros Innovation built on ADI Chain. The platform targets governments, sovereign entities, and financial institutions across Middle East, Asia, and Africa, with a mission to onboard 1 billion people to blockchain by 2030.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ADI Chain Institutional Layer-2 blockchain (zkRollup on Ethereum) for stablecoin settlements and real-world asset tokenization, designed for governments, sovereign entities, and regulators.
• DDSC Stablecoin UAE dirham-backed stablecoin regulated by the UAE Central Bank, operating on ADI Chain as institutional settlement infrastructure for high-value regulated payments, treasury settlements, and trade flows.
• ADI Token

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability5 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MasterCardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for blockchain-based payments and asset tokenization. MasterCard and ADI Foundation collaborate to enable digital asset payment solutions on the ADI Chain infrastructure, supporting institutional adoption of blockchain payments.
• BlackRockcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership focused on tokenized markets and digital asset solutions. BlackRock collaborates with ADI Foundation to explore institutional digital asset infrastructure and tokenized investment products.
• M-Pesa AfricacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIntegration bringing 60+ million mobile money users across 8 African countries onto the ADI Chain. The partnership enables mobile money users to access stablecoin and blockchain-based financial services through existing M-Pesa infrastructure.
• First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for UAE dirham-backed stablecoin issuance. FAB serves as the banking partner for issuing and managing dirham-denominated stablecoins on the ADI Chain infrastructure.
• ChainlinkcoreTechnology or IntegrationOracle infrastructure provider for ADI Chain. Chainlink provides oracle services and Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) for secure cross-chain data and asset transfers across the ADI ecosystem.
• BNY MelloncoreTechnology or IntegrationCrypto custody services partnership. BNY Mellon provides institutional-grade custody solutions for digital assets held on the ADI Chain, enabling secure storage for institutional investors.
• Franklin TempletoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for tokenized assets in Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM). Franklin Templeton collaborates with ADI Foundation to explore tokenized investment fund structures and digital asset offerings.
• H2O HospitalityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUAE travel and consumer payments partnership. H2O Hospitality integrates ADI Chain for hospitality and travel payments in the UAE, enabling stablecoin-based payments for tourism and consumer services.
• ERO InnovationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCultural AI platform partnership (ErosADI). ERO Innovation and ADI Foundation collaborate on the ErosADI cultural AI initiative, integrating artificial intelligence with cultural assets on the blockchain.

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Stellar Development Foundation: Stellar is an established L1 used for cross-border payments, remittances, and stablecoin issuance, including major partnerships with MoneyGram and Franklin Templeton (tokenized funds). Its emerging-market remittance and RWA tokenization focus is comparable to ADI's mission.
• Ripple (XRP Ledger): Ripple's XRP Ledger and RippleNet focus on cross-border payments, stablecoin rails (RLUSD), and bank partnerships. As a much broader incumbent, Ripple targets the same cross-border institutional payments opportunity ADI is pursuing via DDSC and M-Pesa integrations.
• Hedera: Hedera is an enterprise-grade distributed ledger with hashgraph consensus, governed by major corporations and used for tokenization, payments, and supply-chain applications. Its enterprise positioning and regulated-rail credibility place it as a broader incumbent peer to ADI's institutional chain.

Direct peers

• Canton Network (Digital Asset): Canton is an institutional-grade, privacy-enabled smart contract network used by major banks and asset managers for tokenized real-world assets. ADI's regulated, institutional L2 with RWA tokenization focus competes directly with Canton's enterprise DLT value proposition.
• zkSync (Matter Labs): zkSync is the underlying zero-knowledge rollup technology stack ADI Chain is built on (Airbender proof system), and also operates its own zkSync Era L2. It is both a critical technology dependency and a direct competitor in institutional and stablecoin L2 deployments.
• Polygon Labs: Polygon operates a portfolio of Ethereum L2/sidechain networks (Polygon PoS, zkEVM, Polygon CDK) used by enterprises, fintechs, and stablecoin issuers. ADI Chain's institutional L2 positioning, zk-rollup architecture, and stablecoin focus map closely to Polygon CDK's institutional use cases.
• Plume Network: Plume is an EVM-compatible modular L2 focused exclusively on real-world asset tokenization, with integrated compliance tooling. ADI Chain's RWA tokenization rail, ADGM compliance framework, and partnerships with SettleMint and Zoniqx place it in direct comparison with Plume's offering.
• MANTRA: MANTRA is a Layer-1 blockchain purpose-built for real-world asset tokenization and regulated finance, with strong positioning in emerging markets including the Middle East. Its RWA-first design and emerging-market focus make it a close peer to ADI Chain's institutional RWA strategy.

Emerging players

• Kinto: Kinto is an OP-based Layer-2 with native KYC/AML at the protocol level, targeting institutional and regulated financial applications. Its compliance-first design and institutional positioning overlap meaningfully with ADI's ADGM-aligned, regulated stablecoin thesis.
• Sei Network: Sei is a high-throughput Layer-1/L2 optimized for trading and increasingly for institutional RWA and stablecoin issuance. Its parallelized execution and growing institutional narrative make it an emerging peer in the same institutional-blockchain category as ADI Chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ADI_Foundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/adifoundation

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ADI DLT Foundation