Roubini Ditches Cryptocurrency Criticism with Launch of Digital Security

Nouriel Roubini, a longtime crypto critic, has co-authored a whitepaper for USAFi, a digital security developed by Atlas Capital Team. The product is set to launch in the third quarter of 2026 under Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA) framework.

Roubini's USAFi is not a cryptocurrency in the traditional sense, but rather a permissionless ERC-20 digital security backed by the Atlas America Fund, an actively managed ETF listed on Nasdaq. The fund invests across U.S. Treasuries, gold, real estate, and other assets.

Roubini explained that USAFi is different from most digital assets because it's backed by real assets rather than speculation. He added, 'This is an instrument built for the world as it actually is, not the world as we wish it were.'

USAfi will be traded on public blockchain networks and allows investors to hold a digital representation of a regulated fund that invests in various assets.