Portrait of Jawad Nayyar

Jawad Nayyar

Tokenization and digital infrastructure. Dubai.

Much of the world's wealth sits in assets that are hard to buy, hard to sell and hard to verify. Land and buildings, private credit, the savings of people outside the banking system. The records are kept on paper or in closed ledgers, and access depends on who you know.

I work on the infrastructure that changes this: the rails that record ownership, move money and establish identity, built under licence and inside the rules. My conviction is simple. When physical assets and financial systems share an open, verifiable record, markets become more transparent, more efficient and open to far more people.

I began on construction sites, founded DAO PropTech in 2020 to bring property on-chain in Pakistan, and today advise licensed firms, institutions and asset owners across the GCC and South Asia.

What I work on
  • Tokenized markets for real estate, sukuk and fund units
  • Digital money and payments for telecom and mobile money networks
  • Licensing and regulation under VARA and PVARA
  • Sovereign digital infrastructure for identity, registries and settlement

About Jawad

Jawad Nayyar is a serial founder and a DeFi expert based in Dubai, working on tokenization, digital money and sovereign digital infrastructure. He has founded four companies since 2009, in healthcare, crypto advisory, construction and tokenized real estate, and spent the years between them building and managing projects for institutional clients.

He holds a BSc in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Warwick.

Experience
  • JN
    Independent advisory2026 to now
    Advisor, Dubai
    • Advises licensed virtual asset firms, institutions and asset owners on tokenization strategy, licensing and market infrastructure.
    • Selected engagements are listed below.
  • Fasset logo
    Fasset2025 to now
    Vice President, OWN Network. Dubai.
    • Works on tokenization and the OWN Network at a virtual asset firm licensed by VARA.
    • Part of the team behind a digital-finance joint venture with a listed telecom group serving 149.5M subscribers in five markets.
    • Brought DAO PropTech into a strategic partnership with Fasset in 2025.
  • DAO PropTech logo
    DAO PropTech2020 to now
    Founder and Chief Vision Officer. Pakistan.
    • Founded a SECP-registered platform that lets investors own fractional, tokenized shares of real estate projects.
    • Designed the MVP architecture, then grew it into a multi-project platform with investor, admin, broker and developer modules.
    • Built a project selection matrix to screen developments before they reach investors.
    USD 85Mtokenised
    12projects
    1,240funded investors
    100,000+registered users

    Figures as of September 2026. The team has processed more than 5,500 transactions.

  • DAQIQ logo
    DAQIQ2017 to 2020
    Founder. Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
    • Delivered USD 4M of private construction in three years.
    • Set up a concrete batching facility and a team that now runs operations independently.
    • Built sustainable projects including Qubed, a modular resort in Nathiagali.
  • S
    Satoshination2013 to 2018
    Co-founder, part-time. Islamabad.
    • Started one of Pakistan's first crypto advisory practices in 2013.
    • Wrote research reports on more than 100 token launches, including BNB and TRON.
    • Founded Hodl, an Islamabad community of 300+ early crypto investors and builders.
    • Made the case for crypto to legislators, lawyers and corporate leaders in its early years.
  • Tahir Builders logo
    Tahir Builders2013 to 2017
    Director Project Management (2014 to 2017). Project Manager at NUST (2013 to 2014). Islamabad.
    • Managed a portfolio of work for Emaar, Fauji Foundation and NUST.
    • Led bids and tenders for 15+ projects and won 11, each worth USD 4M to 12M.
    • Streamlined industrial procurement and developed new clients.
  • Z
    Zaraj Group2011 to 2012
    Trainee to the CEO. Rawalpindi.
    • Worked on process automation, sales strategy and construction efficiency at a residential and commercial developer.
    • Prepared the feasibility, investment analysis and corporate structure for a teaching hospital project.
  • BioCare Labs logo
    BioCare Labs2009 to 2017
    Co-founder. Islamabad.
    • Set up technology-led pathology laboratories, including labs at Ali Medical Centre, Islamabad and Aziz Fatimah Hospital, Faisalabad.
    • Ran procurement, finance, business development, hiring and fundraising.
Selected engagements
  • Digital-finance joint venture for a listed telecom groupBoard case for a venture serving 149.5M subscribers in five markets. With the Fasset team.2026
  • Virtual asset licence application, PakistanLed the application for issuance, broker-dealer and custody.2026
  • Regulated tokenization platform, GCCThesis and build plan.2026
  • Tokenised sukuk pilot, UAEStructure, custody and the issuance to redemption cycle.2026
Selected projects, 2010 to 2019
  • Prados Villas at Emaar, IslamabadConstruction of ten villas.2016 to 2019
  • USAID Center for Advanced Studies in Energy, NUSTConstruction services.2016 to 2018
  • PAF Hospital, IslamabadProcurement and project management consultant.2016 to 2017
  • 42 km water supply pipelineProcurement consultant for a 500mm HDPE line.2016 to 2017
  • AAA Arcade 1 and 2, Bahria Town, RawalpindiConstruction services.2016 to 2019
  • Akron and Acantilado Commercial, Bahria TownDevelopment partner and construction services.2017
  • Khadija Hostel, NUST, IslamabadProject manager for construction.2013
Education and courses
  • University of Warwick crest
    University of Warwick2006 to 2009
    BSc Philosophy, Politics and Economics
  • MIT
    MIT School of Architecture and Planning2018
    Commercial Real Estate Analysis and Investment (online course)
  • B
    Beaconhouse2003 to 2005
    School, Pakistan

Writing

Papers, articles and talks on tokenized markets, digital money and sovereign digital infrastructure.

Papers and research

Whitepapers, research and theses will be listed here.

Articles

Articles will be listed here.

Talks and panels

Conferences, panels and podcasts will be listed here.

Otium (commonplace)

Otium was the Roman word for time kept free for reading and reflection, and a commonplace book was where readers copied out whatever was worth keeping. This page is both: the books, films, essays, art and ideas I return to, each with a line on why.

Books

Books I am reading and recommend.

Films and series

Films and series worth the time.

Pieces worth reading

Essays and articles by others.

Art

Artists and works I keep coming back to.

Developments

Things in technology, finance and policy I am following.

Notes

Short thoughts of my own.

Contact

For advisory work, speaking or writing, email is the best way to reach me.