ShipFinex is revolutionizing maritime investment by opening ship ownership to a wider range of investors than ever before. (Image: Shipfinex)Founded in 2018, ShipFinex is based in Dubai, UAE, and offers a digital platform enabling tokenized, fractional ownership of maritime assets. The founding team includes Vikas Pandey (CEO), Kawal Arora (CTO), Suraz Kottakki (Founder & COO), Ravi Shankar (Co-Founder & CCO), and Tony Dagher (Co-Founder & Chairman).
ShipFinex’s core innovation is Maritime Asset Tokens (MATs), each representing a legally compliant fractional stake in real, income-generating vessels. Tokens are issued via Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) with ownership recorded transparently on blockchain. Fractionalization breaks down traditional capital barriers, while a secondary trading marketplace unlocks liquidity.
The Marine Asset Technical Committee (MATC), a governance body of maritime, legal, and financial experts, oversees due diligence, valuation, and vessel integrity.
On the regulatory front, ShipFinex has received initial broker-dealer approval from Dubai’s VARA, and holds virtual asset service provider licenses in Poland and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG).
In November 2024, ShipFinex raised $1.5 million in seed funding, led by Gaurav Mehta (Chairman, Best Oasis Limited & SPM Shipping DMCC), with contributions from Vivek Seth (ADNOC Logistics & Services) and Yasovardhan Chinni (Nanlian Ship Management).
The platform is also in strategic partnerships with Tokeny, leveraging the secure and compliant ERC-3643 standard, and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) for strategic direction and industry expertise. ShipFinex also collaborates with ICS Middle East on educational and community initiatives within the maritime sector.
ShipFinex has garnered several accolades, including:
Rising Star Award, ShipTek Dubai 2025
People’s Choice Award, The Captain’s Table at HKMW 2024
Best Innovative Startup, ShipTek Dubai 2023
Finalist, Startup World Cup Grand Finale, San Francisco 2023
ShipFinex is transforming maritime investment by making ship ownership more accessible than ever before. By significantly lowering the investment threshold, it enables a broader range of investors to participate in an asset class that was once the preserve of large institutions or high-net-worth individuals. The platform also addresses one of the industry’s biggest challenges, illiquidity, by introducing Maritime Asset Tokens (MATs), which can be traded to give investors greater flexibility in managing their holdings.
Built on blockchain technology, ShipFinex delivers trust and transparency through strong governance mechanisms and compliance with global regulatory standards. It also opens the door to diversification by providing access to a low-correlation asset class, offering the potential for stable, passive income alongside traditional investments.
Future plans for ShipFinex point toward ambitious growth and innovation in the maritime investment space. The company is exploring the potential launch of a tokenized ship offering, as indicated in recent updates, which would mark a significant step in expanding its portfolio of tokenized maritime assets. This move aims to bring more real-world vessels onto the platform, further broadening investment opportunities for users.
In parallel, ShipFinex is working on strengthening its technical and regulatory infrastructure to support a greater number of maritime assets and ensure seamless onboarding. The roadmap also includes introducing enhanced features, potentially leveraging decentralized finance (DeFi), to integrate ship tokens more deeply into the global digital economy, unlocking new avenues for trading, lending, and yield generation.
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