Dominik Schiener's strategy to bring $35 trillion in trade to blockchain

Dominik Schiener, co-founder of IOTA, has presented an ambitious roadmap to integrate the entire global commercial market into public blockchain infrastructures. His approach moves away from crypto speculation and focuses on three concrete pillars: tokenized assets, digital identities, and real-time data integrity. This vision is already producing tangible results in African and European markets, with accelerated expansion into Asia.

The appeal of the proposal lies in its practicality: while traditional cryptocurrencies compete for speculative value, Dominik Schiener’s architecture aims to solve real inefficiencies in the global supply chain, where paper documents, two-week wait times, and inflated fees remain the norm.

IOTA revolutionizes logistics through real-time tokenization

The World Trade Information Network (TWIN) is the technical backbone of this strategy. Built on IOTA’s mainnet, TWIN digitizes trade documents and secures transaction data with instant verification. The system is already operational in Kenya, where it has begun tokenizing flower exports and is expanding to all raw materials by 2026.

In the UK, IOTA’s network has recorded over 2,000 bird shipments between Poland and Great Britain, streamlining customs procedures that previously took weeks. Each shipment generates around 26 blockchain transactions, meaning that just 1% of global trade volume would produce over 650 million transactions annually.

ADAPT: the African initiative redefining cross-border trade

Dominik Schiener and his team developed ADAPT in partnership with the AfCFTA Secretariat, the Tony Blair Institute, and the World Economic Forum. The goal is to digitize trade infrastructure for 1.5 billion people in Africa by 2035.

The numbers are compelling: border clearance times could be reduced from 14 days to just hours, while cross-border payment fees could drop by more than 50%. The ecosystem already includes applications like Salus (mineral tokenization), Orobo (digital product passports), and ObjectID (physical goods verification), all operating on IOTA.

Karen O’Brien, IOTA’s Chief Marketing Officer, summarized the project’s philosophy: “Cryptocurrencies don’t succeed through speculation; they succeed by solving genuine economic problems.” IOTA’s strategy in trade, identity, and tokenized assets is building a trust layer that governments are actively adopting.

Expansion in Asia accelerates thanks to favorable regulatory frameworks

IOTA’s negotiations with ASEAN countries are entering advanced stages. Regulatory frameworks are being finalized in several territories, and some nations are already preparing formal agreements. With 650 million inhabitants and tokenization laws already developed, Southeast Asia represents an ideal target for blockchain trade infrastructure.

Deflationary tokenomics: IOTA captures value with each transaction

IOTA’s economic architecture has been redesigned to reinforce its utility as transaction volume grows. In the transition to a Layer 1 based on the Move language in 2025, the protocol implemented a deflationary mechanism where fees are burned with each transaction. Additionally, token deposits are required to store digital assets.

This structure is complemented by staking rewards of 11% APY and enterprise accumulation, designed so that the IOTA token gains value as commercial adoption on the public mainnet scales.

Market dynamics and short-term outlook

Despite growth in real adoption, IOTA’s price has faced pressure. As of March 5, 2026, the token was trading at $0.07, with a 24-hour increase of 4.06%. This disconnect between on-chain activity and market price reflects a common pattern: investors still value IOTA more for its speculative potential than for the transactional value it generates.

However, Dominik Schiener and his team’s strategy remains focused on the long-term goal: demonstrating that the tokenization of real commercial assets, not speculation, will create sustained value for the network and its participants.