tl;dr
The TON Foundation denied launching an official UAE Golden Visa initiative and clarified there is no formal partnership with the UAE government. Claims that investors could obtain UAE residency by staking TON tokens were debunked by UAE authorities, who stated Golden Visas are only granted to specif...
The TON Foundation has firmly denied claims that it has launched an official UAE Golden Visa initiative, making it clear that no formal partnership exists between the blockchain project and the UAE government. This clarification comes after widespread social media reports suggested that investors could obtain UAE residency by staking TON tokens.
Over the weekend, promotional materials from TON claimed individuals could secure a 10-year Golden Visa by staking $100,000 worth of TON tokens and paying a $35,000 processing fee. This was presented as a more accessible alternative to the traditional visa routes, which often require real estate investments exceeding $500,000. However, UAE authorities quickly debunked these assertions.
In a joint statement released on July 7, the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security (ICP), the Securities and Commodities Authority (SCA), and the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) denied any involvement in such an initiative. The ICP clarified that Golden Visas are only granted to applicants meeting specific criteria, such as real estate investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, and exceptional talents, and that digital asset holders are currently not eligible. The SCA underscored that virtual assets are regulated separately and have no bearing on residency pathways, while VARA confirmed that TON is not licensed or authorized to operate within the UAE’s regulatory framework.
In its own statement on July 7, TON explained that the contested initiative is an exploratory project developed with a licensed partner specializing in blockchain infrastructure and tokenized assets. However, TON stressed that this effort operates entirely outside any formal arrangement with UAE government entities. According to TON, no official Golden Visa program has been launched in partnership with the UAE government, nor has it received any governmental endorsement.
TON emphasized that while the collaboration aims to explore compliant blockchain-based frameworks that might someday support real-world residency pathways, it remains in the early stages of development. The foundation also reiterated that visa application approvals ultimately lie with UAE authorities.
The initial marketing around this initiative drew criticism from industry leaders. Binance founder Changpeng Zhao described it as “aggressive/misleading marketing.” TON welcomed the UAE’s joint statement and reaffirmed its commitment to regulatory transparency and responsible innovation. The foundation assured that any future official involvement in Golden Visa programs would be announced through proper channels.
Moving forward, the TON Foundation remains focused on integrating real-world assets with digital infrastructure, continuing its broader mission to bring tokenized services on-chain.