DMCC Signs MOU with AQUA INDEX for Digital Token

In a landmark collaboration, Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) on Tuesday announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with AQUA-INDEX, a global pioneer in water commodities trading.

The announcement forms part of DMCC’s ongoing efforts to establish the DMCC Water Centre, a dedicated ecosystem for the global water industry that positions Dubai as a central, neutral hub for water trading and innovation.

The Water Centre brings together WaterTech innovators, logistics providers and commodity traders under one platform. The introduction of a water-backed token forms a key pillar of DMCC’s Water Centre strategy, offering new tools for hedging risk, improving allocation and financing critical infrastructure across water-stressed regions.

The MOU supports AQUA-INDEX’s initiative to launch the world’s first digital asset token backed directly by freshwater resources, revolutionising how water is traded, valued, and managed globally, DMCC said.

The token is backed by verified, drinking-quality water stored in global reservoirs and will enable investors, hedgers, traders and the general public to trade, hold and take delivery of fresh water as a commodity. By combining financial innovation with water market expertise, the partnership offers a practical mechanism for unlocking new liquidity and transparency in global water supply chains.

Under the partnership, AQUA-INDEX will benefit from DMCC’s extensive global network, world-class services, advanced infrastructure, and leading commodity marketplace, facilitating the effective trading and investment in water assets.

AQUA-INDEX will enhance the availability and exchange of knowledge around global water usage and pricing and provide access to essential trading and hedging products for DMCC and its member companies. DMCC will not directly own or manage the token itself.

Marketplace for Water

DMCC’s Executive Chairman and CEO Ahmed Bin Sulayem said that nearly half the global population experience water scarcity for at least part of the year, yet water remains the only critical resource without a mature, regulated market.

He said that DMCC was proud to partner with AQUA-INDEX to drive a transparent, neutral, and legally coherent structure and marketplace for water to secure the future of a resource that has long been undervalued.

“This is the next clear milestone in the formation of DMCC Water Centre, where we will not only bring the conversation of water to the forefront, but also attract the sector’s leading companies to create a global centre in Dubai for water innovation, security, sustainable best practice, knowledge and education, while ensuring that the world’s most transported commodity has the ability to reach water distressed areas,” he added.

AQUA INDEX Chairman and Founder Yaacov Shirazi said that pricing water by the value of its usage, standardisation of water by its mineral content and quality, and turning water to a new asset class for a financial trading, is a gamechanger in the world economy.

It will establish new levels of water management which prevents scarcity, contamination, and lack of access. Water as a collateral will have a significant monetary impact enabling countries and municipalities to increase infrastructure capabilities, he explained.

“AQUA-INDEX, with a new initiative of tokenised water resources, presents the validation of the concept. The collaboration of AQUA-INDEX’s patented innovations with the DMCC Water Centre will ensure a leading breakthrough in water ecosystems,” he added.