Atlas Plans USAFi Launch With Nasdaq ETF Backing and VARA Approval

Atlas Capital Team, through its Dubai subsidiary Atlas AI Labs, plans to launch USAFi, a regulated token backed by real-world financial assets, in Q3 2026 under Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). The token will be issued under VARA’s Asset Referenced Virtual Asset Rulebook.

USAFi is described as the first regulated permissionless security. It is an ERC-20 token designed to trade on permissionless chains while being backed by the Atlas America Fund, an SEC-registered, actively managed ETF listed on Nasdaq. Reserve assets are custodied at Bank of New York, aiming to bring institutional-grade collateral into decentralized finance with 24/7 onchain access.

Economist Nouriel Roubini, a long-time crypto critic, co-authored the whitepaper outlining USAFi and a broader concept Atlas calls the “Technodollar.” Roubini said his shift from criticism reflects the difference between speculative tokens and assets backed by diversified reserves. He noted that VARA has developed a framework for responsible innovation with transparency and investor protection.

Atlas builds USAFi around reserves diversified across Treasuries, gold, food, strategic commodities, defense, cybersecurity, and AI-driven industries. Reza Bundy, Atlas’s chairman and CEO, described the Technodollar as a digital reserve backed by exposure to productive AI-linked industries. He stated that Atlas uses AI to run the portfolio daily within Investment Committee rules, and tokenizes the instrument for onchain holding and trading.

The project signals a bet that tokenization’s next wave will move beyond simple dollar stablecoins toward regulated digital assets designed to preserve purchasing power.

Source: https://news.bitcoin.com/atlas-plans-usafi-launch-with-nasdaq-etf-backing-and-vara-approval/