Plume CEO Predicts RWA Growth of 3-5x by 2026 as Market Expands Beyond Crypto Natives

The market for real-world assets (RWAs) could see significant growth over the next few years, potentially by three to five times by 2026. This growth is anticipated as the market expands beyond the traditional crypto audience. Chris Yin, the co-founder and CEO of Plume, a layer-2 blockchain focused on RWAs, shared insights on this promising trend.

Key Takeaways

The value of RWAs may increase by 3-5 times by 2026.
Currently, over $35 billion of RWAs are estimated to be on-chain among 539,000 holders.
The market is expected to diversify beyond US treasury bills, with growth in user numbers and asset classes.
Regulatory advancements may facilitate real-world utility for tokenized assets.
Plume has partnered with Securitize to integrate institutional-grade assets into its staking protocol.

Plume CEO tips RWA to grow 3-5x in 2026 as it grows past crypto natives

RWA Market Expected to Expand

According to Chris Yin, the current RWA market largely serves crypto-native users, but he predicts an exponential growth across various dimensions, including overall value, user base, asset classes, and functionality. He remarked, “While today most of the RWA value is in US treasury bills, the market is maturing. Rate cuts are encouraging on-chain users to look for higher yields in new avenues.”

Additionally, regulations in countries like the US are shaping the landscape for stablecoins and tokenized assets. Yin noted that this regulatory environment will transition these assets from the experimental phase into practical applications. He stated, “We expect the demand side to finally come on-chain, beyond just issuance on the supply side.”

Partnership with Securitize

On Wednesday, Plume revealed a collaboration with Securitize, a tokenization platform supported by BlackRock and Morgan Stanley, which will introduce institutional-grade assets to Plume’s Nest staking protocol.

Related:__Plume Network gets SEC transfer agent status to bring TradFi on-chain

The Nest staking protocol will allow users to trade and earn yields on tokenized assets. Plume reported that this partnership will link Securitize’s tokenized funds to a network of over 280,000 RWA holders.

The Hamilton Lane fund will be the first asset launched, with additional issuers and asset classes from Securitize’s platform expected to follow in 2026.

RWA, RWA Tokenization _Source:_Plume

Notably, Plume boasts 279,692 RWA holders, amounting to about 50% of the total holders within all RWA networks. Although it does not rank among the top ten networks according to RWA.xyz, Yin points out that Plume has a significant user base. However, individual holders may possess fewer RWA assets than those on other networks. He explained, “Plume has 280,000 users holding a total of $200 million in RWAs, indicating a healthier measure of network usage.”

Magazine:__Crypto carnage — Is Bitcoin’s 4-year cycle over? Trade Secrets