Recent Changes in the RWA Sector

The previous article discussed the perspectives of Eastern and Western markets from a first-level viewpoint. Today, coinciding with YZi Labs' official announcement

Author: Lao Bai

The previous article discussed the perspectives of Eastern and Western markets from a first-level viewpoint. Today, coinciding with YZi Labs' official announcement of investment in the Plume Network RWA platform, I would like to talk about the recent changes I have observed in the RWA sector.

This topic can be divided into four parts:

First, let's discuss 1 - Does RWA really have application scenarios, or PMF - (Here, we first exclude the stablecoin sector of US Treasury bonds, as Usual, MKR, etc., have already found PMF.) Taking US stocks on-chain as an example, this is the most contentious topic on Twitter. Many people believe that putting US stocks on-chain is redundant; those who really want to trade US stocks have their own channels, and any asset on-chain is likely to be more volatile than US stocks, making it unnecessary to play with stocks on-chain.

I have a different opinion. Personally, I believe that US stocks on-chain do have their significance.

From another angle, the total market capitalization of stablecoins like USDT/USDC is growing larger, which is another avenue for the diffusion of US dollar hegemony relative to traditional finance. If crypto, through stablecoins + Payfi + a smart wallet experience similar to Alipay, really moves towards mass adoption one day, do you think Americans would be willing to let the whole world take over their US stocks? Would most people in other countries prefer to open accounts with various banks and brokers to buy their own struggling stocks, or would they find it simpler to invest in the world's largest economy with just one click, like shopping on Taobao?

Even if you have a US stock account, you first need to OTC this 100,000 U into fiat currency, send the fiat through a bank to the broker's account, and then start buying from the broker. This entire process typically takes 3-5 business days (back in 2017, before I got into Bitcoin, I bought US stocks through FirstTrade in Australia, and just the SWIFT transfer took 4-5 days, plus a hefty fee of over $50). If one day Tesla rises and you want to sell and convert it back to BTC or U, you have to go through this process again… Imagine if US stocks were on-chain, you could instantly convert your meme profits into Tesla. The reduction in friction costs is not just a small improvement; it’s a tenfold or hundredfold enhancement in experience.

Next, let's talk about 2 - Which RWA assets are suitable for on-chain?

Similarly, T-Bills, which have already proven themselves, are not under discussion. Other RWA assets actually depend on the specific target audience.

For the consumer side, stocks are undoubtedly the most suitable. Most retail investors have probably never encountered primary private equity; even if you tokenize the equity of a non-public company, few people would be able to understand, buy, and hold it. Additionally, private credit collateral on platforms like Centrifuge, such as bridge loans in the real estate market or corporate receivables, are also not suitable for consumers. The vast majority of retail users are likely only familiar with stocks. More scenarios for consumers should involve making an asset accessible to users who previously had no channels to purchase it, which is a process from 0 to 1.

On the other hand, for the business side, there are many more things that can be tokenized, but relative to the consumer side's process from 0 to 1, the business side should focus more on reducing friction from 1 to 100. Just as primary private equity already circulates among some institutions and high-net-worth investors, bridge loan collateral placed on Centrifuge is likely to secure loans from banks as well; it’s just that this circulation process is relatively cumbersome and fraught with friction. Putting it on-chain can significantly enhance user experience and flow speed, much like Payfi compared to SWIFT.

Speaking of this, I recall a conversation last year about an RWA project whose parent company is a well-ranked asset management institution in the US. They planned to issue tokenized shares of primary equity from their asset management platform clients, such as Musk's SpaceX, on their own trading platform, allowing the tokens to circulate and be traded easily, ultimately settling in one go when SpaceX goes public.

Therefore, for the business side, aside from the limited trading users being institutions and enterprises, the issuing entities are also relatively restricted. Just like the example above, unless you already manage a significant amount of SpaceX equity, if you are merely an STO or RWA platform, attracting SpaceX equity holders to issue tokens representing SpaceX equity involves considerable friction in terms of resource cooperation, legal terms, and more.

There are also many intermediate cases that can be both To C and To B, such as IP on-chain like Story Protocol,