Roubini, Longtime Crypto Skeptic, Co-Authors Whitepaper and Backs Atlas's New Digital Reserve Asset
Atlas to launch USAFi, the first regulated permissionless security, under VARA's framework in Dubai
- Dr. Nouriel Roubini, long one of the most prominent critics of cryptocurrencies, makes his first move into digital assets, co-authoring the whitepaper - https://usafi.to - that defines USAFi, Atlas's new class of digital reserve asset.
- USAFi is positioned as the world's first regulated permissionless security: a permissionless ERC-20 token, backed by an SEC-registered, NASDAQ-listed ETF.
- USAFi will launch in Q3 2026 under Dubai's VARA, issued under VARA's Asset Referenced Virtual Asset Rulebook, bringing regulated, institutional-grade collateral onto permissionless chains.
DUBAI, UAE, June 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Atlas Capital Team Inc. and its Dubai subsidiary Atlas AI Labs (together, "Atlas") today published a whitepaper co-authored by Dr. Nouriel Roubini, defining the global economy's shift to the Technodollar and the AI-enabled reserve infrastructure Atlas has built for that transition. Roubini has been one of the world's most vocal critics of cryptocurrencies. The paper marks his first participation in digital assets.
Dr. Nouriel Roubini, Chief Economist and Co-Founder of Atlas Capital Team Inc., said: "We are living through the most dangerous period for savers in a generation. Trade wars, the threat of conflict in the world's critical shipping lanes, sanctions, and persistent inflation all quietly erode the value of what people have put away, and they sit outside any individual's control. For years I argued that most digital assets offered no protection from this, because they had no real assets behind them. What Atlas has built is different: a reserve diversified across Treasuries, gold, food and strategic commodities, defense, cyber, and other industries being reshaped by AI. It is designed to hold value when any single market breaks, which is what you want in a period defined by shocks rather than calm. That is why I have moved from criticism to participation. This is an instrument built for the world as it actually is, not the world as we wish it were."
Alongside the whitepaper, Atlas announced plans to launch USAFi in the third quarter of 2026: a digital security collateralized by real-world assets and institutional liquidity, bridging traditional capital markets and decentralized finance. USAFi is backed by the Atlas America Fund, an SEC-registered, actively managed ETF (Nasdaq: USAF) with reserve assets custodied at Bank of New York. It is designed to let regulated, institutional-grade collateral trade in a permissionless environment, with 24/7 accessibility and portability. Since its inception 19 months ago, USAF has returned 11.11 percent, with volatility of 5.47 percent and a Sharpe ratio of 0.55.
The whitepaper and the development of USAFi mark a step in the evolution of financial markets. They come as financial institutions increasingly point to what Atlas terms the "Technodollar": the next phase of dollar leadership, driven by AI and global demand for digital infrastructure. Where most firms are positioning for this transition, Atlas is working to define it, and to build the infrastructure required to deliver it.
Reza Bundy, CEO and Chairman of Atlas Capital Team Inc. and CEO of Atlas AI Labs, commented: "The dollar has taken two forms in modern history, and it is now taking a third. There was the Gold Dollar, backed by the promise to swap dollars for gold. Then the Petrodollar, backed by the world's need to buy oil in dollars. We call what comes next the Technodollar: a digital dollar reserve backed not by a single commodity but by a broad claim on America's most productive companies in the industries AI is now transforming. USAFi is the first instrument built to that definition. Atlas is an agentic, digital reserve infrastructure: AI runs the portfolio day to day within the rules our Investment Committee sets, the Committee makes the decisions, and we tokenize the instrument so it can be held and traded on chain. That is the foundation the digital economy has been missing, a regulated wealth-preservation strategy backed by real-world assets, in a form digital finance can actually use. Where stablecoins move dollars, the Technodollar is built to preserve them."
The news marks another milestone in Dubai's emergence as a leading global hub for digital finance, and in the role VARA continues to play in shaping the future of regulated virtual assets.
Commenting on this, Dr. Roubini added: "Dubai has become one of the world's leading centers for digital finance. VARA has developed a framework that embraces responsible innovation while maintaining the transparency and investor protection that institutional markets require. As digital assets increasingly converge with traditional finance, jurisdictions that provide regulatory clarity and enablement will attract the next generation of capital, talent, and infrastructure. Through VARA, Dubai is at the forefront of this transition."
Net, as of June 22, 2026. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
ABOUT ATLAS
Atlas AI Labs FZE ("Atlas") is an AI and digital infrastructure business bringing next-generation reserve assets on-chain. It is incorporated in the Dubai World Trade Centre and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Atlas Capital Team Inc., a U.S.-based financial technology business co-founded by Mr. Reza Bundy and Dr. Nouriel Roubini.
You can read the Atlas Whitepaper HERE
For media enquiries please contact: media@atlascap.io
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