The RWA sector continues to demonstrate its enormous potential, with unstoppable growth exceeding $20 billion and maintaining sustained growth amid the current market.
The Real World Assets (RWA) sector is revolutionizing the financial landscape in the crypto world and attracting the interest of some of the world's largest financial giants. Tokenization, which allows traditional physical and financial assets to be transformed into digital tokens, is creating a bridge between traditional finance and decentralized finance (DeFi), making it easier for institutions and users to participate in a rapidly expanding market.
In this context, major players like BlackRock have begun integrating tokenized assets, while innovative protocols like Ondo, Centrifuge, and PACT are democratizing access to these opportunities. This article will explore the extraordinary growth of RWAs in 2024, the reasons why institutional financiers trust this market, and how these protocols are transforming the way we invest.
BE PART OF THE CRYPTO ECOSYSTEMExplosive growth of the RWA market
The growth of the RWA market in 2024 has been truly impressive. In January 2024, the total value locked (TVL) in real-world assets was just over $760 million; however, in just a few months it skyrocketed to the current figure (April 2025) of $20,9 billion., according to data from RWA.xyz.
This unprecedented growth reflects the strong adoption of tokenization within the crypto ecosystem, as well as the growing institutional interest in participating in assets that were previously inaccessible or illiquid. The increase in the diversity of tokenized assets—from real estate to credit and bonds—has significantly increased the volume and variety of investment opportunities. This boom is also linked to the development and consolidation of protocols that facilitate the efficient, secure, and regulated tokenization and trading of these assets.
Financial giants trust in tokenized assets
And this is easy to understand; after all, this sector enjoys a huge amount of trust from large financial institutions in RWAs. For example, BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, has stated that the next generation of financial markets necessarily involves the tokenization of securities.
Other firms such as Franklin Templeton, Goldman Sachs, and other prominent players have begun incorporating tokenized assets into their strategies, recognizing the benefits they provide in terms of liquidity, transparency, and global access.
This institutional trend not only brings significant capital but also legitimizes the market, fostering its growth and maturity. Protocols like Centrifuge, pioneers in asset tokenization since 2017, have developed solutions tailored to the needs of these large investors, enabling seamless integration between traditional markets and the DeFi ecosystem.
TRADE WITH RWA TOKENS – ACCESS THIS ECOSYSTEMHow are Ondo, Centrifuge, and PACT democratizing investments in this sector?
And this is where important DeFi protocols like Ondo, Centrifuge, and PACT come into play, being at the core of this revolution, facilitating the participation of individual and small investors in the RWA market.
Ondo Finance, for example, has launched Ondo Chain, a Layer 1 blockchain focused on institutional tokenization with a network of authorized validators that comply with strict regulations, offering security and trust for the management of these assets. Since 2017, Centrifuge has offered solutions for tokenizing credits and other assets, integrating liquidity through DeFi and connecting traditional markets with blockchain. Meanwhile, PACT, another innovative project, offers mechanisms for fractional staking and decentralized governance of tokenized assets.
These platforms allow users to acquire and trade tokens backed by real assets, participating in the returns and diversifying their portfolios in an accessible and transparent manner. Thanks to their regulatory and technological features, they are also attractive to institutional investors, thus balancing the needs of both sectors.
Short-term RWA market projections
It is precisely this level of innovation that makes the short-term projections for the RWA market very optimistic. With a current market capitalization exceeding $20 billion and estimates pointing to exponential growth toward $10 trillion by 2030, this segment is expected to continue its consolidation and appeal to investors of all types.
Furthermore, institutional demand will continue to be a key driver, supported by clear regulations and technological innovation that will enable the integration of more asset types and enhance existing platforms. The emergence of new derivative financial products and blended governance models is anticipated to further increase participation and diversification. This trend indicates that RWAs will be a key component in the evolution of digital and decentralized finance.
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Basic levelTokenization represents one of the main revolutionary uses of Blockchain technology, which is changing finance, art and entertainment as we know it.
On the other hand, the incorporation of RWAs has profoundly impacted the DeFi ecosystem, expanding its reach beyond purely digital assets to tangible, globally valued asset classes. This has increased trust in DeFi among traditional players by offering real collateral and backing, and has driven the development of new specialized protocols that combine technological innovation with regulatory compliance.
By integrating RWAs, DeFi improves its liquidity, stability, and diversification capabilities, attracting a broader base of users and capital. Ultimately, RWAs are helping DeFi evolve into a more inclusive, efficient, and value-backed financial system, confirming that this technology has great potential to transform global finance.
Investing in cryptoassets is not fully regulated, may not be suitable for retail investors due to high volatility and there is a risk of losing all invested amounts.
