The real-world asset tokenization niche is expected to sustain steady growth in the coming year, driven by widespread adoption of blockchain technologies in emerging economies. This view was expressed by Bitfinex CEO Jesse Knutson, who pointed to the financial infrastructure characteristics in these regions. According to him, limited access to global capital, high dependence on intermediaries, and regulatory barriers hinder the launch of investment projects and restrict businesses from raising funds. Tokenization and on-chain tools are seen as ways to partially overcome these limitations by transferring traditional financial instruments into a digital environment.
RWA Development Forecasts for the Coming Year
Experts anticipate steady growth in the real-world asset tokenization niche, supported by expanding blockchain use in economies with low financial maturity. Jesse Knutson notes that emerging regions have conditions where tokenization can gain broader adoption. In developed regions, tokenization of U.S. government bonds has become a benchmark, illustrating different demand vectors for RWAs worldwide.
Capital Access Challenges in Emerging Countries
Emerging regions face severely limited access to global capital due to weak financial infrastructure, high reliance on intermediaries, and regulatory barriers. These factors complicate launching investment projects and restrict business financing options, which, according to Knutson, creates demand for alternative solutions. Under such circumstances, transferring traditional instruments onto blockchain can reduce intermediary dependence and simplify fundraising.
Tokenization Benefits for Emerging Economies
Tokenization offers several technical and economic advantages, especially noticeable in regions with limited financial access. On-chain tools enable accumulation of funds within a digital ecosystem, reduce transaction costs, and increase transparency of monetary operations without intermediaries, making financial flows simpler and more predictable. Additionally, asset fractionalization lowers entry barriers for investors and broadens access to fixed-income instruments, opening opportunities for retail participants to invest in previously inaccessible assets.
Popularity of Digital Assets in Emerging Markets
Emerging countries already show widespread use of stablecoins for payments and interest in various digital assets as alternatives to traditional instruments. Knutson emphasizes that economies less dependent on outdated financial mechanisms adapt faster to new technologies, so local demand for stablecoin payments and digital asset investments remains high. For a detailed analytical overview of tokenization, see the Amundi Report, which covers practical cases and the RWA market structure.
Key Drivers of Tokenization
The main growth drivers of RWA are companies capable of offering stable income but lacking access to traditional financing; these companies actively use tokenization to attract capital. The ability to fractionalize assets and transfer financial instruments onto blockchain expands the investor base and makes markets more accessible. For a general understanding of technology’s role in this process, the article on blockchain technologies and their impact on the financial system is useful.
Why It Matters
For miners in Russia, changes in the RWA market may mean new ways to allocate capital and settle payments: tokenization simplifies access to investment instruments and reduces transaction costs, potentially easing income and investment management. Meanwhile, the popularity of stablecoins in emerging countries shows that digital tools are already used for payments and savings, and asset fractionalization makes investments more accessible even for those with limited capital. These changes do not eliminate the need to consider local regulatory conditions and financial infrastructure constraints.
What to Do?
If you have between 1 and 1,000 devices, start by assessing your financial flows and the potential use of digital tools for payments and fund storage. Explore offerings of tokenized fixed-income assets and pay attention to fractional position options to determine if they suit your income diversification needs. Evaluate projects for transparency and ease of fund withdrawal, and monitor local regulatory requirements before reinvesting mining income into RWAs or stablecoins.