Tokenized Real-World Assets Poised for Significant Growth in Multichain Future
According to Cointelegraph, tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) are projected to represent a substantial portion of traditional finance assets in a multichain future. Researchers Andrew Ho and Ming Ruan from Animoca Brands highlighted in an August research paper that the estimated $400 trillion addressable traditional finance (TradFi) market underscores the significant growth potential for RWA tokenization. Currently, the RWA sector is valued at $26 billion, a small fraction of the total addressable market, which exceeds $400 trillion. These assets encompass private credit, treasury debt, commodities, stocks, alternative funds, and global bonds.
The researchers noted a strategic race among large asset managers to develop full-stack, integrated platforms, emphasizing that long-term value will accrue to those who can control the asset lifecycle. The size of the TradFi addressable asset market is 16,000 times larger than the current on-chain market. The nascent RWA tokenization market has reached an all-time high of $26.5 billion, marking a 70% growth since the beginning of the year, as reported by industry tracker RWA.xyz. This growth signals clear momentum and rising institutional confidence. The current RWA landscape is dominated by private credit and US Treasurys, which together account for nearly 90% of the tokenized market value.
Ethereum leads the RWA tokenization market with a 55% market share, including stablecoins, and $156 billion in on-chain value. When Ethereum layer-2 networks such as ZKsync Era, Polygon, and Arbitrum are included, this share increases to 76%, according to RWA.xyz. The researchers attribute Ethereum's leading position to its security, liquidity, and the largest ecosystem of developers and decentralized finance (DeFi) applications. The growth of RWA tokenization could drive further demand for related crypto assets like Ether (ETH) and Chainlink (LINK), both of which have recently outpaced the wider crypto market.
However, the researchers emphasized that RWA tokenization activity is unfolding across a multichain ecosystem, encompassing both public and private blockchains. They noted that Ethereum's current lead is being challenged by high-performance and purpose-built networks, indicating that interoperability will be crucial for success. Animoca Brands recently launched its own tokenized RWA marketplace called NUVA, further contributing to the evolving landscape of real-world asset tokenization.
