Roubini Joins Tokenization Boom With Onchain 'Technodollar'
Nouriel Roubini, the economist known as "Dr. Doom" for predicting the 2008 financial crisis and a longtime crypto critic, has co-authored a whitepaper for USAFi, a tokenized investment product backed by the Atlas America Fund (USAF) ETF he oversees. The token, described as a "Technodollar," is designed to protect wealth during global crises by providing exposure to U.S. Treasuries, real estate, gold, and agricultural commodities. Atlas Capital Team plans to launch USAFi under Dubai's VARA framework in Q3 2026, with Securitize providing the tokenization infrastructure. Roubini's move marks a shift from his previous skepticism toward digital assets. He emphasized that unlike many cryptocurrencies, USAFi is backed by real assets. The tokenization sector has grown rapidly, with major firms like BlackRock and Franklin Templeton issuing tokenized products, pushing the market above $30 billion excluding stablecoins. USAFi aims to offer a regulated, diversified wealth-preservation strategy for digital finance.
Key facts
- Roubini co-authored USAFi whitepaper, a tokenization first for the crypto critic.
- USAFi is backed by the Atlas America Fund ETF with U.S. Treasuries, gold, etc.
- Launch planned under Dubai's VARA framework in Q3 2026.
- Securitize to provide tokenization infrastructure.
- Tokenization market exceeds $30B; Roubini shifts stance to back real assets.