RWA tokenization industry is growing, attracting major players like Franklin Templeton and BlackRock

Cryptocurrencies in the space have performed well over the past few months, with their total market capitalization soaring to over $30 billion.

The Real World Asset tokenization industry is growing, attracting major players like Franklin Templeton, BlackRock, and Blackstone. Cryptocurrencies in the space have performed well over the past few months, with their total market capitalization soaring to over $30 billion. Among the prominent RWA coins is Mantra (OM), which has become the second-largest RWA coin after Chainlink (LINK).

Its token has surged by 640% over the last 12 months, giving it a market cap of over $6 billion.

Crypto.news recently spoke with Patrick Mullin, Mantra's CEO, about its newly launched ecosystem fund, the token's performance, and the future of Real World Asset tokenization.

Crypto.News: Congratulations on the strong performance of your cryptocurrency and the launch of the MANTRA Ecosystem Fund (MEF). With so many RWA projects in the space, what made MANTRA stand out, leading to the creation of a large ecosystem fund?

Patrick Mullin: Thank you! We're proud of MANTRA (OM) momentum and the growing recognition in the RWA space. What sets MANTRA apart is our commitment to building a fully compliant, end-to-end ecosystem for real-world asset tokenization and trading. Our permissionless chain was designed from the beginning to meet regulatory standards.

We recently secured a Virtual Asset Service Provider (VASP) license from Dubai's Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), authorizing us to operate as a Virtual Asset Exchange. This positions MANTRA as one of the most regulatory-compliant platforms in the RWA sector today.

Beyond compliance, we're driving real-world adoption through strategic partnerships - most notably with DAMAC Group, recently committing to tokenize more than US$1 billion in Dubai real estate. Unlike projects that focus on just one piece of the RWA puzzle, MANTRA is building a complete ecosystem - from asset tokenization to exchange infrastructure and investment services.

This holistic approach and deep commitment to the industry are recognized by other leading projects and funds, which is why we're seeing such strong support for the MEF.

Crypto.News: Which kind of projects do you aim to support with this fund?

Mullin: Working alongside MANTRA's capital partners, MEF plans to deploy this capital over the next four years through a combination of OM-token grants and partner capital investments. The MEF will operate with an open-arms policy, welcoming projects at any developmental stage globally with a particular focus on RWA's and DeFi.

Applicants can apply with just a one-pager through our portal, and we're interested in meeting teams that are building in categories that include lending and borrowing, asset management, trading and exchanges, infrastructure and tools, and derivatives and synthetics.

Crypto.News: How will MANTRA ensure that the fund's investments align with its commitment to regulatory compliance and security, given the complexities of tokenizing real-world assets?

Mullin: The MEF will only invest in teams that share a similar commitment to compliance and security. Truly scalable adoption for us, and anyone building in RWA, only comes through a compliance and regulatory orientation.

We think it is a prerequisite in achieving PMF, therefore, that teams adhere as tightly as we do. We will lend our expertise and network to ensure teams are sufficiently positioned for the challenges they will face in this vertical.

Crypto.News: Many blockchain projects have launched ecosystem funds in the past with limited success. How do you plan to ensure that projects in your fund do well?

Mullin: We are taking a very differentiated approach from previous ecosystem funds, one we believe will mitigate that.

Firstly, most ecosystem funds refuse to accept that we live in a multi-chain world. The result is that they only work with teams that will exclusively partner with them on the infrastructure layer side. This constrains the variety of the teams that funds can work with.

By acknowledging this, this means we can work with teams across ecosystems, and thus can pick from a more diverse range of applications. We want to work with much fewer teams, and make larger resourced bets. This way we believe teams will be properly invested in us and our commitment, as we are them.

The second difference is that we are trying to make fundamental, high-conviction bets. This differentiates from other approaches, that issue small cheques, that don't result in any meaningful or fruitful relationship for either partner. We're saying that from day zero, we are looking to be long-term partners with those in the MEF. Aiding not just on the infrastructure side but on set up, distribution, press, and so on.

Crypto.News: MANTRA has positioned itself as a leader in real-world asset tokenization, aiming to bridge traditional finance with DeFi through RWAs. What unique challenges do you see in this endeavor, and how is