RWA

On January 1, 2025, ETH was $3,362; by December 22, it was $3,045, while DeFi TVL on Ethereum rose from $65 billion to $70 billion. The author highlights strong on-chain growth: stablecoin market caps on Ethereum expanded from $111.8 billion to $166.9 billion, and tokenized real-world assets increased from $4.12 billion to $12.3 billion.

On 12 January 2026 at 10:55, major asset managers were described as shifting tokenization from pilots to core market infrastructure. BlackRock’s BUIDL tokenized treasury fund reached $500 million, while Hamilton Lane has tokenized more than $2.1 billion across private equity and credit. Firms are deploying multi-chain products on Ethereum, Stellar, and Polygon, with established custody support also in place.

BlackRock's Global Outlook 2026 frames stablecoins as core settlement infrastructure rather than niche trading tools, while Visa and JPMorgan integrate USDC and tokenized funds into their operations. Regulatory clarity from the US GENIUS Act and Ethereum's dominance in real-world asset tokenization underpin this shift but also surface monetary and issuer risks.

Lithuania-licensed payments app Brighty has arranged over 100 real estate purchases worth $500,000 to $2.5 million across the UK, France and Malta. Serving 100–150 wealthy clients who spend about $50,000 monthly, Brighty reports average euro stablecoin transactions rising from €15,785 in Q3 to €59,894 in Q4 as buyers shift to EURC over USDC.

On January 8, 2026, House of Doge, the corporate arm of the Dogecoin Foundation, announced partnerships in Japan with abc Co., Ltd. and ReYuu Japan Inc. The plan prioritizes regulated payments, tokenization, and real-world assets, with roles split across investment, local integration, and smart‑contract/regulatory work. It references Japan's "green list" framework and adopts a cautious, utility‑first rollout.

In 2025, Ethereum recorded more than $99 billion in DeFi total value locked and processed $18.8 trillion in stablecoin settlements, highlighting its leading role among Layer 1 networks. Lower fees on both the base chain and Layer 2s, along with expanded infrastructure and institutional participation, supported broader usage of DeFi, tokenized assets, and real-world asset distribution throughout the year.

Tether has registered a trademark in the Russian Federation for its Hadron tokenization platform. According to a review by RIA Novosti of Rospatent records, the application was filed in October 2025 and approved in January 2026, granting rights through October 3, 2035. The move aligns with Russia planning comprehensive crypto rules in the first half of 2026.

On January 10, 2026, BingX launched BingX TradFi, a futures product linking crypto infrastructure to traditional markets. The service offers contracts on more than fifty underlying instruments, including commodities such as cocoa and soybeans, with leverage reaching up to 500x.

BNY Mellon has launched tokenized bank deposits for institutional clients, using an in-house permissioned blockchain to represent onchain cash claims fully backed by the bank. The initiative aims to improve settlement speed, transparency, and liquidity as U.S. regulators in September 2025 outlined plans for around-the-clock capital markets. Positioned alongside similar moves by major banks exploring real-world asset tokenization, the product is initially focused on collateral and margin use cases as part of a broader shift toward always-on finance.

Analysts expect a major crypto bull run at the start of 2026, as capital rotates from stocks and precious metals into digital assets. Against this backdrop, market commentators highlight Solana, Sui, Render and the new low-cap Bitcoin Hyper as notable opportunities, spanning large-cap, mid-cap and early-stage projects. These assets are being evaluated on institutional demand, on-chain activity, technical breakouts and fundraising milestones.