What are Real World Assets (RWAs)?
Related Articles
RWAs (Real World Assets), refer to assets that have actual value in the real world. In the context of cryptocurrency, RWAs represent assets such as real estate, artwork, stocks, bonds, etc., that are tokenized through blockchain technology. Owning the corresponding tokens means you have ownership of the real-world asset, allowing you to engage in transactions like lending, buying, selling, and renting on the blockchain.
1. Why are RWAs necessary?
The integration of crypto assets and traditional finance is an inevitable trend. As a bridge between the two, RWAs are becoming increasingly important in the market. RWAs bring more opportunities and competitiveness to the traditional financial market. By digitizing real assets, they effectively reduce transaction costs and increase the liquidity and transparency of assets, injecting new momentum into the development of the global economy.
2. How to tokenize real-world assets
- Select Assets: Identify which real-world assets to tokenize.
- Define token specifications: Determine the token type, token standard, key attributes, etc.
- Choose a blockchain: Decide on which public chain to tokenize the assets.
- Integrate off-chain resources: Use input oracles to obtain reliable off-chain data to verify the underlying assets of the RWA tokens.
- Issue tokens: Deploy smart contracts and mint the tokens.
3. Advantages of RWAs
3.1 For traditional finance: RWAs increase liquidity and reduce transaction costs in the traditional financial market while creating more investment opportunities.
3.2 For the crypto market: RWAs provide the crypto market with more backing from real assets, enhancing investor confidence and market value. Particularly for DeFi, the digitization of RWAs offers more asset types, driving the expansion of the DeFi market.
3.3 For asset security: RWAs improve asset transparency and security through digital management and transaction methods, effectively reducing fraud and risk.
3.4 Lowering the threshold: RWAs divide assets into smaller portions, lowering the participation threshold, covering a wider user base, and expanding the range of asset application scenarios.
4. Disadvantages of RWA
4.1 Regulatory Challenges: Tokenization faces legal regulation and scrutiny from relevant authorities, which may limit the development speed and scale of the RWA sector.
4.2 Ownership Issues: It is legally unclear whether holding a token equates to owning the physical asset. This ambiguity can lead to problems with asset transfer, sale, redemption, and other related issues.
4.3 Inherent Risks: Smart contracts have vulnerability risks, and the limited liquidity and market demand in the crypto world also significantly constrain the development of RWAs.
5. Applications of RWAs
According to the latest data from CoinGecko, the total market capitalization of RWA concept tokens has now surpassed $7.7 billion, marking a 285% increase from the same period last year.
5.1 Bonds (MKR, COMP, AAVE)
Traditional DeFi projects ventured into the RWA space between 2021 and 2023. MakerDAO allocated funds to US bonds via the RWA vault, AAVE introduced real asset-backed collateralization services, and Compound's subsidiary invested in various government-backed instruments, including ultra-short-term government securities like US Treasury bonds and government agency securities.
5.2 Lending Types (TRU)
TrueFi is an uncollateralized lending protocol driven by on-chain credit scoring, aiming to maximize borrowers' capital efficiency and lenders' yield. Recently, the Trinity protocol was announced and launched on the testing platform. Trinity allows users to use tokenized RWAs as collateral to obtain crypto loans.
5.3 Synthetic Assets (SNX)
Synthetix is a decentralized synthetic asset protocol where users can stake SNX to mint synthetic assets (sUSD) called Synths. It supports synthetic stablecoins and tracks the prices of forex, stocks, commodities, and other assets.
5.4 Real Estate (PRO)
Propy is a blockchain-based real estate platform that supports buying and selling properties using crypto and in the form of NFTs. With Propy's toolkit, users can automate all parts of transactions, from electronic signatures to payments, in a secure and user-friendly solution. Additionally, Propy introduces AI to help improve real estate transaction efficiency.
6. How to Buy RWA Series Tokens
For regular users looking to buy related tokens, using an exchange is the simplest option. Right now, MEXC offers spot and futures trading for tokens like PRO, SNX, TRU, MKR, and more. Trade on MEXC today.
Let's demonstrate how to conduct MKR spot trading.
Open the MEXC App, tap on the search bar at the top of the homepage, enter "MKR", and select the MKR/USDT trading pair under the "Spot" category to enter the K-line chart page. Tap on [Buy], input the "Amount" or "Total" under the [Market] order mode. Finally, tap [Buy MKR] to place the order.
You can also choose other methods such as [Limit] orders, [Stop-Limit] orders, or [OCO] for purchasing MKR spot.
Disclaimer: This information does not provide advice on investment, taxation, legal, financial, accounting, or any other related services, nor does it constitute advice to purchase, sell, or hold any assets. MEXC Learn provides information for reference purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved and exercise caution when investing. The platform is not responsible for users' investment decisions.