RWA Market Set to Triple by 2026 — Plume and Securitize Kick Off New Wave of Onchain Assets

Sean Williams
RWAs

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
  • Tokenized RWA value may surge 3–5x by 2026, driven by rapid user adoption.
  • Investors are shifting from treasuries to alternative RWAs like private credit and energy assets.
  • Plume’s partnership with Securitize marks a major step toward institutional onchain finance.

The tokenized real-world asset (RWA) market is gearing up for a major expansion, with projections suggesting it could more than triple within the next two years. According to Plume co-founder and CEO Chris Yin, the sector is shifting beyond early crypto-native usage and evolving into a broader financial ecosystem with accelerating adoption, rising yields, and new regulatory clarity.

RWA Adoption Surges as User Growth Outpaces Expectations

Yin noted that interest in tokenized assets has grown sharply throughout 2024, with Plume tracking more than a ten-fold increase in active RWA holders since January. He believes this momentum could translate into a 3–5x surge in RWA market value by 2026, with user growth potentially soaring 25x if current trends continue.


Industry data estimates over $35 billion worth of RWAs are already represented onchain, spread across more than 539,000 users — a milestone that highlights the sector’s rapid shift from niche experimentation to scalable financial infrastructure.

Chris Yin thinks the real-world asset market value could surge past its current value of $35 billion. Source: RWA.xyz

Market Expands Beyond Treasuries as Investors Seek Yield

While tokenized U.S. Treasuries currently dominate the RWA landscape, Yin said the next phase of growth will come from a wider mix of asset classes. With interest rate cuts on the horizon, onchain investors are increasingly exploring alternative income sources such as private credit, energy assets, mineral rights, GPUs, and oil-linked products.


He added that upcoming regulatory frameworks — including new stablecoin and tokenization legislation in major markets — could accelerate mainstream adoption by moving the industry “out of the sandbox and into real usage.”

Plume–Securitize Partnership Marks New Institutional Push

Plume recently announced a major step toward institutional RWA integration through a partnership with Securitize, the BlackRock- and Morgan Stanley-backed tokenization platform. The collaboration will bring institutional-grade funds to Plume’s Nest staking protocol, beginning with offerings from Hamilton Lane in 2026.

Also Read: New $100M Archetype Fund to Fuel DeFi, RWAs, and the Next “Crypto ChatGPT”


Plume already hosts nearly 280,000 RWA holders, representing close to half of all tokenized asset users across networks. Although its total asset value remains modest at roughly $200 million, Yin argues that Plume’s large user base reflects strong engagement and long-term scalability.

As tokenization moves into regulated territory and new asset types enter the market, the RWA sector is positioning itself for one of the most significant growth cycles in Web3. With platforms like Plume and Securitize pushing institutional adoption, onchain assets may soon become a core pillar of global finance.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is for general purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. The author’s views are personal and may not reflect the views of Chain Affairs. Before making any investment decisions, you should always conduct your own research. Chain Affairs is not responsible for any financial losses.

Related Posts