 ▲ Real World Asset (RWA) Tokenization / Image generated by ChatGPT |
While the broader cryptocurrency market is experiencing a sharp price correction and growing pessimism, the tokenization market linked to real-world assets has entered an independent growth trajectory, reaching all-time highs backed by strong support from institutional investors.
According to Cointelegraph on Feb. 16 (local time), the real-world asset (RWA) tokenization market is emerging as a new core driver of the industry, recording steady capital inflows even amid a steep downturn in major assets including Bitcoin (BTC). On-chain data analysis shows that the total value locked in real-world asset tokens has recently surpassed $17.1 billion, marking a new record high. This serves as a decisive indicator that capital is shifting away from highly volatile traditional cryptocurrencies toward yield-generating financial products backed by tangible assets.
Sergey Nazarov, co-founder of Chainlink, analyzed that the current downturn differs significantly from previous cycles. “This recent market slump paradoxically demonstrates how far our industry has progressed,” Nazarov said, emphasizing that “real-world asset tokenization has moved beyond a mere experiment and has established itself as a standard within the mainstream financial system.” He added that the market’s very structure is changing as major asset managers such as BlackRock operate tokenized funds worth $2.2 billion and begin directly participating in the DeFi ecosystem.
Yuval Rooz, co-founder and CEO of Digital Asset, also described the current market situation as a cleansing process in which so-called hollow tokens with no intrinsic value are being eliminated. “The recent sell-off is prompting a reassessment of token models without substance and pushing institutions to migrate toward chains that offer value, transparency, and predictability,” Rooz stated. As a result, traditional financial institutions are increasingly focusing on on-chain financial services backed by real-world assets such as government bonds, private equity, and real estate rather than speculative assets.
Concrete business expansions are also drawing attention. Brazil’s Mercado Bitcoin has issued a $20 million tokenized private fund through the Bitcoin sidechain Rootstock, with plans to expand it to $100 million by April. In the Solana (SOL) ecosystem, a backstop facility has been launched that enables institutions to redeem real-world assets instantly into stablecoins, beginning to resolve liquidity bottlenecks. Japan’s SBI Holdings has also entered the competitive landscape by launching “Strium,” a dedicated blockchain for institutional foreign exchange and real-world asset transactions, in partnership with Startale.
Experts project that the real-world asset tokenization market could grow to as much as $30 trillion by 2030. Analysts suggest that even if just 1–2% of the $450 trillion global asset market migrates to blockchain, it would generate growth that surpasses the entire cryptocurrency market. As regulatory compliance improves and technological gaps are addressed, real-world asset tokenization is expected to serve both as a buffer against crypto market downturns and as a key gateway for the full-scale adoption of blockchain by the traditional financial sector.
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