DARA is a private, non-governmental standards and industry initiative of the Blockchain Legal Institute Foundation. It holds no supervisory or regulatory powers except where expressly conferred by a national authority.
Turning digital-asset policy into working supervision.
DARA supports ministries of finance, central banks, regulators, and development partners through the full arc of a digital-asset framework — comparative research, independent review, capacity building, and co-regulatory design. Where international standard-setters publish principles and multilateral institutions produce framework advice, DARA's programmes concentrate on what comes next: operationalisation.
Educational and research programmes are delivered by the Blockchain Legal Institute Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Advisory and implementation engagements are delivered through affiliated professional partners and independent experts.
Every institution arrives with a different problem.
This is how we meet each one.
Two ways we work.
Delivered by the Foundation
Education and training, published standards and research, convening, and technical assistance funded by grants and development partners are delivered directly by the Blockchain Legal Institute Foundation, acting through its DARA initiative.
Delivered through affiliated partners
Paid advisory, review, and implementation engagements are contracted and delivered through affiliated professional partners and independent experts under separate engagement agreements. The contracting entity, scope, and terms are confirmed in writing before work begins. Supervisory technology is contracted separately through affiliated providers.
Larger engagements — full framework design, authorisation-regime builds, and multi-year programmes — are scoped individually and delivered through affiliated partners, typically under development-partner financing.
Each practice line begins with a small, fast, fixed-scope first step.
Start there.
Policy & Framework Support
Legislative review, comparative model text, and a fixed-scope Jurisdiction Readiness Diagnostic to start — 3–4 weeks.
Supervisory Readiness
Capability and cost-recovery design for the newly mandated authority, starting with a Supervisory Readiness Assessment — 3–4 weeks.
Co-Regulation & Shared Supervision
A feasibility study on whether a co-regulatory model fits your legal tradition, cost, and funding — 4–6 weeks.
Capacity, Training & Certification
Regulator Academy, judicial training, and an alumni programme — starting with a 2-day executive briefing.
Financial Integrity & FATF Readiness
FATF-methodology risk assessment and Travel Rule support, starting with a scoping consultation.
The framework is free.
Engagement pays for adaptation, delivery, and staying power.
Model Digital Asset Supervision Framework
Model primary-law provisions, a model rulebook, recognition criteria for a supervisory body, and a supervisory manual outline — released under a permissive licence for any government to adopt, adapt, and cite.
Jurisdiction Readiness Index
A transparently scored index of framework completeness, supervisory operability, industry engagement, and enforcement capacity.
Briefings & consultation responses
Comparative briefings and responses to open regulatory consultations, filed under the DARA name and jointly with national associations where possible.
A working footprint, described honestly.
DARA and its affiliated network are active across these jurisdictions — spanning task-force formation, comparative policy dossiers for government working groups, co-regulatory precedent analysis, framework proposals, and partnership agreements with national industry bodies. Project references in standard MDB format, with client attestations, are available on request as they are completed.
Written for the procurement officer.
If you are evaluating DARA-affiliated partners for an engagement, this section is for you.
Status
DARA is a private, non-governmental standards and industry initiative. It is not a government agency and holds no supervisory or regulatory powers except where expressly conferred by a national authority.
Entities
DARA is an initiative of the Blockchain Legal Institute Foundation (BLIF), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Foundation programmes — education, research, standards, convening, donor-funded technical assistance — are delivered by BLIF. Paid advisory and implementation engagements are contracted through affiliated professional entities, confirmed in writing per engagement.
Independence
DARA convenes and takes membership from the regulated industry. An ethical wall separates the membership function from advisory work. DARA-affiliated partners do not accept a government drafting or design mandate and pursue recognition as a supervisory body in the same jurisdiction without written disclosure to, and written waiver from, the government concerned.
Index integrity
Jurisdictions are excluded from Jurisdiction Readiness Index scoring in any year DARA-affiliated partners are engaged there.
No legal advice
Materials and engagements provide comparative research, model text, and drafting support; they do not constitute legal advice. Statutory drafting remains with the government's own counsel and drafters, supported by qualified local counsel where engaged.
Funding
DARA's convening and standards work is funded by membership dues, sponsorships, grants, and development partners. Funding sources for any engagement are disclosed to the contracting government.
Tell us where you are in the process.
This inquiry path is for governments, public institutions, and development partners. For industry membership, use the membership form instead.