Maharashtra is exploring a new legal framework that could bring land and other immovable assets onto blockchain-based platforms, with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announcing plans for the proposed Digitization and Exchange of Land Token Asset (DELTA) Act.
Fadnavis spoke about the initiative at the Global Fintech Fest 2026 in Mumbai, where he outlined Maharashtra’s broader ambitions to use emerging financial technologies to unlock capital and make asset ownership and transactions more transparent.
Under the proposed framework, blockchain technology could be used to create digital representations of ownership rights connected to land and other immovable properties. The idea is aimed at making traditionally illiquid assets easier to manage, transfer and potentially bring into broader financial ecosystems.
DELTA Act Could Change How Property Assets Are Handled
Fadnavis stressed that property tokenisation should not become another avenue for speculative trading. Instead, he said the focus should be on putting otherwise dormant wealth to productive use.
The proposed DELTA framework is expected to provide legal clarity around how digital tokens linked to property could be created, transferred and exchanged.
Tokenisation essentially involves creating a digital representation of rights or interests in a real-world asset using blockchain technology. For real estate, such a system could potentially make ownership records and transactions more transparent, although its implementation would depend on the legal and regulatory framework eventually put in place.
The Maharashtra government sees the initiative as part of a wider push towards using technology to improve access to capital and increase efficiency in financial markets.
From UPI to the Next Generation of Fintech
Speaking at the same event, Kris Gopalakrishnan, Infosys co-founder and chairman of Axilor Ventures, highlighted several technologies that could shape the financial sector over the coming decade.
He identified agentic artificial intelligence, tokenisation and quantum computing as some of the major areas expected to influence the future of finance.
Gopalakrishnan also pointed to the success of UPI, saying its open and interoperable design helped make digital payments accessible at a mass scale. He argued that future financial technologies should similarly focus on inclusion, security, responsible adoption and trusted infrastructure.
Global Fintech Fest Brings Industry and Policymakers Together
The Global Fintech Fest 2026, being held at Mumbai’s Jio World Centre from September 8 to 11, has brought together policymakers, regulators, financial institutions, technology companies, investors and academics.
Sohini Rajola, NPCI Executive Director for Growth, said the event has evolved beyond a conventional conference into a platform where policy discussions can connect directly with implementation and innovation.
For Maharashtra, the proposed DELTA Act could become one of the more significant experiments in applying blockchain to the property sector. However, questions around legal ownership, investor protection, regulation, taxation and the treatment of existing land records will need to be addressed before large-scale property tokenisation becomes a reality.
