Can Blockchain Finally Fix Global Food Trade?
Cross-border agricultural trade has always been complex. From delayed settlements and trust issues to lack of transparency around quality, storage, and delivery, buyers and suppliers often carry more risk than they should. Abu Dhabi-based agri-trade FinTech startup Maalexi believes this is where Web 3.0 can play a practical role — not as a buzzword, but as infrastructure.
The Hub71 startup has announced plans to build what it calls the world’s first Agricultural Asset Token Exchange, known as MAATEX, on the Avalanche blockchain. The idea is straightforward in principle: tokenise real, verified agricultural commodities and enable them to be traded digitally with built-in risk intelligence, legal ownership, and settlement assurance.
Rather than focusing on speculative digital assets, MAATEX is designed around real-world agricultural inventory — food and agri commodities that are physically stored in approved warehouses or already moving through trusted shipping networks.
Turning Physical Commodities Into Digital Assets
At the centre of the exchange are Maalexi Agri Tokens (MATs). Each token represents a real agricultural asset that is insured, audited, traceable, and legally owned. These assets are monitored using Maalexi’s own technology stack, which combines IoT devices, blockchain systems, and AI-based risk analytics.
In simple terms, when a buyer purchases a MAT, they are buying verified ownership of a physical commodity — not a promise, but an asset backed by insured inventory and insured receivables. Ownership can be transferred instantly, and payments can be settled locally or across borders without the long delays common in traditional trade finance.
For SMEs involved in agri trade, this model aims to reduce common pain points such as delayed payments, documentation disputes, and uncertainty around asset quality and delivery.
Embedded Risk and Performance Intelligence
One of the defining features of MAATEX is the way risk data is embedded directly into each token. Maalexi has developed an ecosystem of ten core technologies that continuously track, validate, and assess assets throughout the supply chain.
These include tools that verify identities and contracts, monitor storage conditions and climate exposure, track shipments, assess pricing integrity, and flag potential threats. Instead of relying on fragmented reports or manual checks, buyers can access digital assurance tied directly to the asset they are trading.
This approach is designed to create a more predictable trading environment, especially in cross-border transactions where trust gaps are common.
Built on Existing Trade Performance
Maalexi is not starting from scratch. According to the company, its real-world asset systems have already supported the delivery of millions of kilograms of agricultural produce and the execution of thousands of blockchain-based smart contracts.
The company reports a supply failure rate of under one percent, compared to what it describes as an industry average of around 50 percent. It also claims that buyers using its systems have improved capital efficiency by shortening cash conversion cycles by more than 70 percent.
MAATEX builds on this operational foundation, extending it into a broader digital exchange model.
Why Avalanche?
Maalexi has chosen Avalanche for its high-speed transaction processing, scalability, and enterprise-level security. For a platform focused on real-world trade rather than experimentation, sub-second transaction finality and predictable performance are key requirements.
Dr. Azam Pasha, Co-Founder and CEO of Maalexi, says the goal is not just faster transactions, but better reliability across the entire procurement journey. By embedding risk intelligence directly into tokens and running them on a high-performance blockchain, the company aims to reduce friction in global agri trade.
From a technical standpoint, Co-Founder and CTO Rohit Majhi highlights the importance of programmable trust — where ownership, settlement, and performance validation are automated rather than dependent on manual intervention.
Abu Dhabi’s Growing Role in Digital Trade Infrastructure
As a Hub71 startup, Maalexi is part of Abu Dhabi’s broader push into digital assets and real-world tokenisation. Through initiatives like Hub71+ Digital Assets, startups gain access to regulators, investors, and global partners working at the intersection of finance, technology, and trade.
The development of MAATEX reflects a wider trend: moving blockchain applications beyond theory and into industries where inefficiencies are well known and costly.
For SMEs operating in agricultural trade, platforms like MAATEX may offer a new way to manage risk, improve liquidity, and participate more confidently in cross-border markets — without changing the physical realities of how food is grown, stored, and shipped.
Rather than reimagining agriculture, Maalexi’s approach focuses on reworking the systems that sit around it.
