CineNow Moves Into Next Phase of Film-IP Investment With UAE-Led Tokenisation and Global Advisory Network

CineNow, the entertainment investment vehicle  focused on Indian film and entertainment intellectual property (IP), is entering the next phase of its US$150 million investment programme, strengthening its UAE-led network to advance cross-border investment infrastructure, tokenisation and development of film IP.

Following the formation of its India-based investment and creative leadership structure, CineNow is now bringing together a network of UAE-based and international professionals to support execution. The model establishes a clear division of focus: the India team will lead film sourcing, IP evaluation and creative collaboration, while the UAE team will drive the tokenisation and international investment framework underpinning the vehicle.

The UAE network includes Michael Jacobsen (Senior Advisor to the Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism), Mini Sarna (Ex-Head of Indian Production at the Abu Dhabi Film Commission and Ex-Strategic Head of Creative Media Authority (CMA Abu Dhabi), Nikita Lord Sachdev (Managing Director of Luna PR & Luna Media Corp.), Gaurang Desai (Managing Director, Equiti Group), Raj Kapoor (Founder, India Blockchain Alliance), Mihir Karlekar (Senior Media Professional, Ex-Zee Entertainment, Keshet International, Eros Investments and Penske Media Corp.), Hamed Faqirzai (Vice President of Global Development at Luna PR) and Krishna Kumar (Senior QHSE, Business Excellence, governance, and management systems professional ), alongside a wider network of international professional and strategic partners including Harney’s, Al Tamimi & Company, Trilegal, RSM, Formidium, Greenstone, EY, LunaPR and Blockphrase, among others.

Together, the network brings expertise across investment, legal and regulatory advisory, financial services, corporate structuring, technology, digital assets and strategic communications, supporting CineNow as it develops the infrastructure around its entertainment investment strategy.

From Film IP to Investment Infrastructure

At the core of CineNow’s model is a focus on film IP as an investable asset, rather than treating individual films solely as standalone production projects.The company is targeting the deployment of US$150 million across more than 30 films over six years, with its India team evaluating opportunities based on creative strength, commercial potential, audience opportunity, talent, production economics, distribution prospects and value creation of the underlying IPs.

CineNow has commenced creative collaborations and content sourcing across Hindi and regional-language cinema, with opportunities spanning Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.The investment strategy is designed to create value across multiple stages of the entertainment value chain, including theatrical releases, streaming, international distribution, music, licensing and other rights associated with film IP.

As this content pipeline develops in India, the UAE is taking a distinct role in building the investment infrastructure around it.

“We are now moving from establishing the vehicle to building the infrastructure required to execute our vision. India is where we are identifying and developing the film IP, while the UAE gives us an important base from which to develop the tokenisation, investment and international relationships around that IP, said Rohit Dalmia, Chairman and Managing Director of CineNow. Bringing these capabilities together allows us to think about entertainment investment as a portfolio and an asset class, rather than simply as a series of individual film projects.”

UAE-Led Tokenisation Strategy

A key component of CineNow’s next phase is the development of its tokenisation framework, led by its UAE team. The initiative is intended to explore how tokenisation can be applied to participation in entertainment investment, creating a more technology-enabled framework for transparency, accessibility and potential liquidity while maintaining the underlying intellectual property ownership and commercial rights of creators and production partners.

By separating the development of film IP from the infrastructure supporting investment participation, CineNow aims to create a cross-border model connecting India’s established entertainment ecosystem with international capital and emerging financial technologies.

For the UAE, the initiative adds an entertainment dimension to the country’s growing ecosystem around digital assets, investment innovation and cross-border financial infrastructure.

Next Phase of Deployment

CineNow has already begun its creative collaboration and content-sourcing activities and is progressing towards capital deployment within 2026.

With the India leadership structure now established and its UAE and international network being strengthened, the company is focused on moving from capital formation and development towards identifying, structuring and deploying capital into film IP opportunities.

CineNow is also inviting family offices, high-net-worth investors, institutional investors, strategic partners and members of the wider MENA investment and entertainment ecosystem to explore potential opportunities for collaboration.

To learn more about Cinenow visit https://www.cinenow.global/.