The surge of Real-World Assets: 3 protocols using NFTs for RWA

In the bustling corridors of crypto, there’s a new segment making waves and promising to shake up the markets in the coming months. Real-world assets (RWAs) are creating ripples as they find an unexpected ally in blockchain technology. In this guide, let’s dive deep into this fascinating confluence where the tactile nature of tangible assets harmoniously merges with the ethereal realm of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). 

Real-World Assets: Beyond the virtual veil

Real-world Assets, often called RWAs, are items or rights that have real value in the world we live in. Some of these, like houses or cars, you can touch and see. Others, like a song’s rights or a company’s reputation, you can’t touch, but they still have value. Whether you can see and touch them or not, they’re considered assets that have an intrinsic value and can be exchanged between peers.

Valuation of Real-world Assets (RWAs) is a crucial aspect of understanding their worth. It’s not just about putting a price tag on them but considering several factors. The demand for these assets, or how much people want them, often plays a big role. For instance, a house in a popular city might be worth more because many people want to live there. Similarly, the usefulness of an asset, like a machine that can produce a lot of goods quickly, can boost its value. 

Additionally, some RWAs generate income. A patented invention that leads to a bestselling product or a well-known brand can earn a company a lot of money, increasing the value of those intangible assets. Hence, when we talk about the valuation of RWAs, it’s a complex interplay of demand, utility, and potential earnings.

A new age of asset representation

Real-world assets, whether tangible or intangible, anchor our everyday lives. Yet, in the burgeoning realm of Web 3 ecosystems, they can seamlessly transcend into a digital form, either as unique NFTs or as divisible tokens. 

While NFTs, ensure each asset retains its distinct identity and value, other forms of tokens can represent a fraction or a shared portion of these assets. This digital embodiment not only authenticates and verifies ownership but also paves the way for these assets to be traded, shared, or sold in innovative manners on blockchain platforms. 

This shift does more than just modernize how we view and handle assets; it breaks down traditional barriers. Whether it’s the efficient transfer of value across global borders, the democratization of asset ownership, or the transparent tracking of an asset’s history and origin, the union of RWAs and blockchain is heralding a revolutionary phase in asset management and exchange.

Digital replicas

For the purpose of this article, we will hone in on the NFT representation of RWAs. While the buzz around NFTs, or Non-Fungible Tokens, might seem overwhelming and ubiquitous in today’s digital age, their role as distinctive digital identifiers cannot be overstated. This unique capability is pivotal when tokenizing RWAs. Beyond the usual chatter and hype, it’s this distinctiveness of NFTs that offers an unparalleled advantage in capturing the essence and value of real-world assets in the digital realm.

When it comes to RWAs, this means that each asset — whether it’s a piece of art, a historical document, or a plot of land — can be uniquely identified and authenticated by looking at blockchain data. This unique identification is a game-changer, for it offers unparalleled transparency and verification.

Consider, for example, a famous painting. In its NFT form, every detail, from its provenance to its previous owners, can be securely recorded. This not only assures potential buyers of its authenticity but also provides a robust, indisputable digital trail. Furthermore, the digitization process via NFTs allows these assets to be traded or sold on various digital platforms, opening them up to a global market. In essence, by transforming RWAs into NFTs, we’re bridging two worlds: the tangible, where assets have physical meaning, and the digital, where assets find boundless opportunities for trade, exhibition, and appreciation.

The double-edged sword: Benefits and boundaries

The potential of tokenizing RWAs offers a tantalizing blend of old and new. The advantages are plentiful. At the forefront, NFTs ensure the authenticity of the underlying asset, virtually stamping it with a unique identifier that’s near-impossible to forge. This also paves the way for fractional ownership, allowing multiple parties to invest in and benefit from a single asset, effectively democratizing access to assets that might have been previously out of reach for many. 

With the transparency of blockchain technology, every transaction is visible and verifiable, significantly reducing the risk of fraud. Moreover, the ability to tokenize assets introduces a new level of cost efficiency by eliminating many traditional barriers and intermediaries.

However, this approach doesn’t come without its challenges. One of the most pressing issues is ensuring legal recognition of tokenized assets across jurisdictions. As the blockchain environment continues to evolve at a rapid pace, laws and regulations are often left in its wake, scrambling to keep up. 

Proper legislation and regulation aren’t just bureaucratic hurdles; they’re essential cornerstones for the sector’s viability. A regulated framework underpins the credibility of tokenized assets, giving both issuers and investors the confidence to operate within this space. Moreover, comprehensive and supportive legislation plays a pivotal role in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the asset class. 

Without this regulatory foundation, the risk of disputes, misrepresentation, and loss of faith in tokenized RWAs could significantly hinder the growth and acceptance of this promising intersection.

Additionally, while an asset might have a digital representative on the blockchain, maintaining the condition of the physical counterpart remains crucial. Once again, having a proper legal framework will ensure that insurance companies will be able to provide proper assistance in this field.

Protocols paving the path

In the present landscape, RWA sectors have witnessed rapid adoption within the cryptocurrency space. A glance at Defillama reveals that the most substantial adoption of this niche is happening within the crypto sector itself. Given its inherent divisibility, numerous projects are bridging Traditional Finance (TradFi) sector with Decentralized Finance (DeFi) using this asset class.

However, amidst the bustling activity, a select few protocols, leveraging NFT technology, are setting precedents and carving out their leadership. Spotlighting the innovations underway, these particular protocols stand head and shoulders above the rest:

Centrifuge

Centrifuge encodes RWAs into NFTs to bring them onto the blockchain. This protocol is designed to revolutionize how people globally access financial services by making capital available to investors through decentralized finance (DeFi). Assets are added to Centrifuge by anchoring a document representing the real asset on the blockchain, where a hash of the document is stored, enabling the asset originator to mint an NFT. Centrifuge has developed its NFT capabilities following Ethereum standards and bridged the Polkadot and Ethereum ecosystems through its protocol

MakerDAO

MakerDAO has started to venture into real-world assets by accepting them as collateral to mint its stablecoin, DAI. When a user drops an NFT representing a real-world asset into a pool on the Centrifuge platform, DROP tokens are created. These DROP tokens can then be used within MakerDAO to mint DAI, which can be used to finance loans. This setup allows users to leverage their real-world assets, like real estate or cars, to obtain loans on the MakerDAO platform

Vera

Vera is working to evolve NFTs for use with real-world, physical assets. It aims to be the first decentralized protocol to enable the sale of tokenized real-world assets, like uranium-backed NFTs. Vera provides an open-source, blockchain-agnostic infrastructure to meet the growing demands for liquidity, scalability, and speculation in the NFT DeFi space for both digital and physical real-world assets. It supports NFTs from major blockchains like Ethereum, Polygon, BSC, Polkadot, and Solana, thus enabling lending, leasing, and exchange of NFT assets across multiple blockchains. This protocol aims to unlock billions of dollars worth of new liquidity and utility by bringing real-world asset-backed NFTs to the blockchain ecosystem.

Envisioning a limitless horizon

As we delve into the confluence of RWAs and NFTs, it’s evident that we’re on the cusp of a transformation in how we understand and manage assets. We’re blending the tactile nature of the physical world with the limitless scope of the digital, paving the way for a global economy that’s both democratic and interconnected. 

Indeed, the strides we see today are merely the initial steps in what promises to be an expansive and dynamic journey. As NFTs propel us forward, we can anticipate a future where the boundaries between the real and digital world become increasingly seamless.