Panel discussion at Meridian conference in Rio on real-world asset tokenization. Speakers from WisdomTree, Red Swan CRE, R-Chats, and Kymeta discuss RWA market growth from $30B on-chain, regulatory progress, and the importance of DeFi utility for driving adoption beyond money markets and treasuries.
A panel at Stellar's Meridian conference explores the rapidly growing RWA tokenization sector, currently at $30 billion on-chain with half in private credit. Panelists project 10x growth within 12 months, driven by institutional adoption and new asset classes like real estate, equities, and alternatives. WisdomTree has grown from $12M to $900M AUM in tokenized funds and is integrating with Aave for collateral use. Key challenges include education, KYC/AML compliance, and global distribution, particularly in emerging markets like Latin America. Panelists emphasize that utility is critical: RWAs must integrate with DeFi protocols to unlock yield and efficiency gains. Regulatory obstacles are easing, with focus shifting from security classification to identity frameworks. The consensus is that infrastructure is largely built; the next phase requires creative product structuring and permissionless access to drive mainstream adoption.
