The doors opened by Bitcoin at the end of the first decade of this century seemed to establish a new way of making payments, digital and outside traditional means. However, it is a mistake to think that the revolution of decentralized finance (DeFi) stopped in the crypto universe.
In 2025, we are seeing an increasingly strong movement of integration between real-world assets — such as real estate, stocks, and commodities — and the blockchain ecosystem, through tokenization.
This fusion gives rise to what are called Real World Assets (RWAs) in DeFi: traditional assets represented digitally, which can be traded fractionally, automatically, and globally.
The result? Greater accessibility, liquidity, and efficiency for investors and issuers.
In this article, we will tell you more about how this integration between the crypto universe and the real world can open up opportunities that can be seized.
What are tokenized real assets?
Tokenizing an asset is transforming its value or ownership right into a digital token registered on a blockchain. This token then represents the original asset — whether it is an apartment, a soybean lot, or a stock — and can be transferred, divided, or traded with the same ease as a cryptocurrency.
The concept has existed for a few years, but it is now starting to gain scale within DeFi, with the arrival of specialized platforms, greater regulatory clarity, and institutional interest. The great novelty is that the broader the possibilities in this field, the more interest is sparked by new initiatives of this kind. And thus, these initiatives advance.
How does this connect to DeFi?
DeFi was born to decentralize access to financial services such as loans, investments, and payments. Now, by integrating real assets, it expands its scope — moving from the purely digital world to incorporate the traditional economy.
With RWAs, it is possible to use real estate as collateral for crypto loans, invest in U.S. Treasury bonds with stablecoins, or trade tokenized stocks 24/7 without needing a traditional broker.
With this integration, items that were previously only available in very specific markets now have known liquidity, allowing for more transactions to occur and, as a result, prices to become increasingly convergent with the reality of these real asset values. Or, in plain English: with these possibilities, demand will guide prices, not 'the broker of the occasion.'
Examples of platforms that work with RWAs
Several initiatives are already operating in the market with models based on RWAs:
Centrifuge: connects real world assets, such as invoices and real estate, to DeFi protocols, allowing companies to tokenize their receivables and raise liquidity directly;
Maple Finance: offers on-chain credit to institutions, with part of the funds backed by tokenized real assets;
Ondo Finance: created tokenized products linked to U.S. Treasury bonds, offering yields to crypto investors with lower volatility;
RealT: allows investment in tokenized real estate in the U.S., receiving rent automatically via stablecoins, with liquidity far superior to the traditional real estate market.
Advantages for investors
The tokenization of RWAs within DeFi is changing the way investors interact with traditional assets. Among the main benefits, we can mention:
Global access: anyone with a wallet can access markets previously restricted to large investors or local institutions;
Liquidity: assets like real estate, which are traditionally illiquid, can be fractionalized and traded in real-time via blockchain;
Reduced costs: disintermediation eliminates banking fees, brokerage fees, and notary fees, making operations cheaper and faster;
Transparency and automation: smart contracts ensure clear rules, automatic executions, and complete traceability of transactions.
Challenges to be overcome
Despite the advantages, the integration between tokenized real assets (RWAs) and DeFi still faces some significant challenges. One of the main ones is regulation: many countries have not yet defined clear rules for the issuance and trading of these digital assets, which can inhibit institutional participation.
Another critical point is trust in issuers, as even though the token is registered on the blockchain, the underlying asset remains in the physical world — requiring secure custody mechanisms and reliable audits.
The volatility of the crypto market also represents a risk, as platforms operating RWAs can be impacted by price fluctuations and systemic instability.
Finally, there is the issue of legal integration: ensuring that the token legally represents the physical asset is not always trivial, requiring regulatory adaptations and formal recognition in different jurisdictions.
All these obstacles, although surmountable, still need to be faced for the RWA market to gain global scale.
Why is this a new frontier?
By combining the dynamism of DeFi with the solidity of traditional assets, the tokenization of RWAs represents an important step towards the maturity of the crypto sector. It allows capital to flow more freely between on-chain and off-chain worlds, bringing institutional investors closer and fostering the real use of blockchains.
Just like the maturity advancement represented by spot ETFs of some of the most relevant cryptos (like Bitcoin and Ethereum), the integration between the crypto universe and the real world shows that interest in adopting digital solutions is increasingly growing.
More than just a trend, this convergence has the potential to reshape the global financial system, offering more access, more efficiency, and more transparency for all parties involved.
DeFi is moving from digital to the real world
If in its early stages DeFi was seen as a 'closed club' of native crypto users, today it is moving towards becoming an open and global infrastructure. The tokenization of real assets is the engine of this transformation.
In the coming years, we will see an explosion of innovations based on RWAs — with more accessible financial products, liquidity for previously rigid sectors, and new earning opportunities.
And for the investor seeking diversification with technology, following this movement could be one of the most strategic paths of the decade.
Have you seen any RWA out there? If not, when you do, you will certainly remember this article!
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