Market: Shipfinex in IFSCA FinTech Sandbox
GIFT IFSC has already proven itself in ship leasing, says Lohar
Shipfinex, the maritime asset tokenisation and capital-markets platform from Dubai, says the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), the unified regulator of India’s international financial services centre at GIFT City, has granted Shipfinex a Limited Use Authorisation as a FinTech Sandbox Entity in the IFSCA FinTech Innovation Sandbox (Certificate No. FNT20261108, dated 21 July 2026, valid until 20 July 2027).
The Limited Use Authorisation follows the In-Principle Approval of 18 June 2026, and opens a twelve-month monitored programme to test Shipfinex’s maritime asset tokenisation platform — the digital representation of ownership and participation interests in maritime assets through ship-owning special-purpose vehicle (SPV) structures — in a sandbox environment, in isolation from the live market.
A defined testing mandate
The testing mandate spans the full tokenisation lifecycle in a simulated environment: end-to-end platform completion from vessel onboarding to exit, onboarding of financial institutions and maritime partners, global KYC and AML screening against vessel and counterparty data, banking and settlement integration with delivery-versus-payment logic, and a live demonstration of the complete transaction flow to the Authority — with view-only ledger access provided to IFSCA throughout and progress reported monthly.
At the centre of India’s maritime decade
The Limited Use Authorisation lands at the centre of a determined national maritime agenda. The Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 targets India’s place among the world’s top five shipbuilding nations, backed by a planned Rs.80 lakh crore of investment, and the Union Budget 2025 established a Rs.25,000 crore Maritime Development Fund alongside infrastructure status for large vessels. GIFT IFSC is where this agenda meets international capital: since IFSCA notified ship leasing as a financial product in 2022, the centre has grown to some 27 registered ship-leasing entities and 30 vessels, and in July 2026 the Government exempted IFSC units from coastal-shipping licensing requirements for chartering foreign vessels in international trade. Shipfinex’s sandbox programme adds the next layer to this ecosystem: a regulator-observed pathway from ship leasing and financing toward transparent, capital-markets access to maritime assets. Alongside Shipfinex FZCO’s In-Principle Approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) for VA Broker-Dealer services (Ref: IPA/26/01/002), the platform now develops under monitoring in two leading international financial centres.
Leadership perspectives
“India’s maritime rise is one of the defining economic stories of this generation, and GIFT City is its financial engine. We are honoured to test the complete maritime tokenisation cycle under the Authority’s observation, and to contribute to the transparent, well-governed capital markets that India’s maritime ambition deserves,” said Capt. Vikas Pandey, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Shipfinex.
“GIFT IFSC has already proven itself in ship leasing; tokenisation is the natural next layer. A real-economy asset class tested on a permissioned ledger, with the regulator holding full visibility, is exactly how real-world assets should enter a market — through the regulator’s front door,” added Prasanna Lohar, Founder & President, India Blockchain Forum
Shipfinex is a maritime asset tokenisation and capital-markets platform built to originate, structure, distribute and service maritime real-world assets within a compliant, auditable and verifiable environment. Shipfinex operates through a multi-jurisdictional group headquartered in Dubai. Shipfinex FZCO holds an In-Principle Approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) for VA Broker-Dealer services (Ref: IPA/26/01/002); Shipfinex holds a Limited Use Authorisation granted by IFSCA under the FinTech Innovation Sandbox (No. FNT20261108); and the group maintains relevant registrations in Poland and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Approvals, Limited use authorisations and registrations have distinct scopes and do not authorise activity outside their respective permissions or before any required operational licence is granted. Website: https://shipfinex.com
The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) is the unified regulatory authority for financial products, services and institutions in the International Financial Services Centres in India, established under the IFSCA Act, 2019. GIFT IFSC at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, is India’s maiden international financial services centre.
The India Blockchain Forum is a collaborative ecosystem initiative of key participants in the Indian blockchain and Web3 community, working to advance India as a global hub for blockchain innovation, policy and adoption. Fiinews.comGIFT IFSC has already proven itself in ship leasing, says Lohar
Shipfinex, the maritime asset tokenisation and capital-markets platform from Dubai, says the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA), the unified regulator of India’s international financial services centre at GIFT City, has granted Shipfinex a Limited Use Authorisation as a FinTech Sandbox Entity in the IFSCA FinTech Innovation Sandbox (Certificate No. FNT20261108, dated 21 July 2026, valid until 20 July 2027).
The Limited Use Authorisation follows the In-Principle Approval of 18 June 2026, and opens a twelve-month monitored programme to test Shipfinex’s maritime asset tokenisation platform — the digital representation of ownership and participation interests in maritime assets through ship-owning special-purpose vehicle (SPV) structures — in a sandbox environment, in isolation from the live market.
A defined testing mandate
The testing mandate spans the full tokenisation lifecycle in a simulated environment: end-to-end platform completion from vessel onboarding to exit, onboarding of financial institutions and maritime partners, global KYC and AML screening against vessel and counterparty data, banking and settlement integration with delivery-versus-payment logic, and a live demonstration of the complete transaction flow to the Authority — with view-only ledger access provided to IFSCA throughout and progress reported monthly.
At the centre of India’s maritime decade
The Limited Use Authorisation lands at the centre of a determined national maritime agenda. The Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047 targets India’s place among the world’s top five shipbuilding nations, backed by a planned Rs.80 lakh crore of investment, and the Union Budget 2025 established a Rs.25,000 crore Maritime Development Fund alongside infrastructure status for large vessels. GIFT IFSC is where this agenda meets international capital: since IFSCA notified ship leasing as a financial product in 2022, the centre has grown to some 27 registered ship-leasing entities and 30 vessels, and in July 2026 the Government exempted IFSC units from coastal-shipping licensing requirements for chartering foreign vessels in international trade. Shipfinex’s sandbox programme adds the next layer to this ecosystem: a regulator-observed pathway from ship leasing and financing toward transparent, capital-markets access to maritime assets. Alongside Shipfinex FZCO’s In-Principle Approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) for VA Broker-Dealer services (Ref: IPA/26/01/002), the platform now develops under monitoring in two leading international financial centres.
Leadership perspectives
“India’s maritime rise is one of the defining economic stories of this generation, and GIFT City is its financial engine. We are honoured to test the complete maritime tokenisation cycle under the Authority’s observation, and to contribute to the transparent, well-governed capital markets that India’s maritime ambition deserves,” said Capt. Vikas Pandey, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Shipfinex.
“GIFT IFSC has already proven itself in ship leasing; tokenisation is the natural next layer. A real-economy asset class tested on a permissioned ledger, with the regulator holding full visibility, is exactly how real-world assets should enter a market — through the regulator’s front door,” added Prasanna Lohar, Founder & President, India Blockchain Forum
Shipfinex is a maritime asset tokenisation and capital-markets platform built to originate, structure, distribute and service maritime real-world assets within a compliant, auditable and verifiable environment. Shipfinex operates through a multi-jurisdictional group headquartered in Dubai. Shipfinex FZCO holds an In-Principle Approval from Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) for VA Broker-Dealer services (Ref: IPA/26/01/002); Shipfinex holds a Limited Use Authorisation granted by IFSCA under the FinTech Innovation Sandbox (No. FNT20261108); and the group maintains relevant registrations in Poland and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Approvals, Limited use authorisations and registrations have distinct scopes and do not authorise activity outside their respective permissions or before any required operational licence is granted. Website: https://shipfinex.com
The International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) is the unified regulatory authority for financial products, services and institutions in the International Financial Services Centres in India, established under the IFSCA Act, 2019. GIFT IFSC at Gandhinagar, Gujarat, is India’s maiden international financial services centre.
The India Blockchain Forum is a collaborative ecosystem initiative of key participants in the Indian blockchain and Web3 community, working to advance India as a global hub for blockchain innovation, policy and adoption. Fiinews.com
