Sam Bankman-Fried moved to a low-security prison — so what?  

Tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) is evolving from an abstract concept to a practical financial tool as institutional players increasingly test and deploy blockchain-based infrastructure at scale.This past week alone saw a flurry of announcements from both traditional financial institutions and blockchain-native firms advancing their RWA initiatives.On April 30, BlackRock filed to create a digital ledger technology shares class for its $150 billion Treasury Trust fund. It will leverage blockchain technology to maintain a mirror record of share ownership for investors.The DLT shares will track BlackRock’s BLF Treasury Trust Fund (TTTXX), which may only be purchased from BlackRock Advisors and The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY).On the same day, Libre announced plans to tokenize $500 million in Telegram debt through its new Telegram Bond Fund (TBF). The fund will be available to accredited investors and usable as collateral for onchain borrowing.The week’s biggest headline came from Dubai, where MultiBank Group signed a $3 billion RWA tokenization deal with United Arab Emirates-based real estate firm MAG and blockchain infrastructure provider Mavryk. The deal is touted as the largest RWA tokenization initiative to date.Source: MultiBank“The recent surge isn’t arbitrary. It’s happening because everything’s lining up,” Eric Piscini, CEO of Hashgraph, told Cointelegraph:“Rules are getting clearer in major markets. The tech is stronger, faster, and ready to scale. And big players are actually doing it — BlackRock is tokenizing funds, Citi is exploring digital asset custody, and Franklin Templeton has tokenized money market funds on public blockchains.”Related: Real-world asset tokenization: Unlocking a new era of financeTokenization has moved beyond theoryMarcin Kazmierczak, co-founder of RedStone, said the recent announcements “demonstrate that tokenization has moved beyond theoretical discussions into practical application by market leaders.”He added that the growing adoption by big institutions gives the space more credibility, making others feel more confident to join in and help boost new ideas and investments.Kazmierczak stated that the renewed interest in RWA tokenization is primarily driven by US President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto administration and growing regulatory clarity.Trump, who has pledged to “make the US the crypto capital of the world,” has taken a different approach to crypto compared to the Biden administration. That era saw an aggressive crackdown from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ), prompting many firms to withdraw from US operations.However, the narrative appears to be shifting. Since Trump’s election victory, the SEC has dropped or paused over a dozen enforcement cases against crypto companies.Additionally, the DOJ recently announced the dissolution of its cryptocurrency enforcement unit, signaling a softer approach to the sector.Source: ALXAside from regulatory clarity, advancements in technological capabilities, especially in wallets, have also played a key role in driving tokenization adoption, Felipe D’Onofrio, chief technology officer at Brickken, said.“In parallel, macroeconomic pressures are pushing institutions to search for efficiency and liquidity in traditionally illiquid markets,” he added.Related: New era in mining: How tokenization can transform the salt industryEthereum remains main hub for tokenizationEthereum continues to serve as the primary hub for RWA tokenization, thanks to its mature ecosystem, broad developer support and robust infrastructure.“Ethereum remains by far the most suitable blockchain for large-scale RWA issuance due to its unparalleled security, developer ecosystem, and institutional adoption,” Kazmierczak said.However, he noted that dedicated RWA-specialized ecosystems like Canton Network, Plume, and Ondo Chain are building compelling alternatives with features designed explicitly for compliant asset tokenization.According to data from RWA.xyz, the market value of tokenized US Treasurys currently stands at $6.5 billion. Ethereum accounts for the lion’s share of the market, hosting over $4.9 billion in tokenized Treasurys.Source: RWA.xyzHerwig Koningson, CEO of Security Token Market, said companies like BlackRock have shown that it’s possible to build large-scale tokenized products, worth billions of dollars, using more than one blockchain at the same time.He said this shows that the success of tokenizing assets doesn’t depend so much on which blockchain is used, but rather on what the company needs the system to do.“This is why you will see many banks and traditional firms use permissioned blockchains or even private DLT systems,” Koningson said.Related: $21B tokenized RWA market doubtful, institutions uninterested — Plume CEOChallenges remain, but growth potential is hugeYet hurdles remain. Regulation continues to be a significant barrier, especially for risk-averse institutions requiring guarantees around compliance and privacy.Technical limitations also persist, chiefly the lack of interoperability between blockchain platforms, according to Piscini. However, he said hybrid models are gaining traction by offering the privacy of permissioned systems with optional future interoperability with public chains.Looking ahead, Piscini estimated that more than 10% of global financial assets could be tokenized by the end of the decade. D’Onofrio also made a modest projection, estimating that between 5% and 10% of global financial assets could be tokenized by 2030.On the other hand, RedStone’s Kazmierczak predicted that approximately 30% of the global financial system will be tokenized by the end of this decade.In terms of numbers, STM.co predicted that the world’s RWA market will be anywhere between $30 and $50 trillion by the end of 2030.Most firms predict that the RWA sector will reach a market size of between $4 trillion and $30 trillion by 2030.If the sector were to achieve the median prediction of about $10 trillion, it would represent more than 50 times the growth from its current value of around $185 billion, including the stablecoin market, according to a Tren Finance research report.Magazine: Tokenizing music royalties as NFTs could help the next Taylor Swift

A group of US Senate Democrats known for supporting the crypto industry have said they would oppose a Republican-led stablecoin bill if it moves forward in its current form.The move threatens to stall legislation that could establish the first US regulatory framework for stablecoins, according to a May 3 report from Politico.Per the report, nine Senate Democrats said in a joint statement that the bill “still has numerous issues that must be addressed.” They warned they would not support a procedural vote to advance the legislation unless changes are made.Among the signatories were Senators Ruben Gallego, Mark Warner, Lisa Blunt Rochester and Andy Kim — all of whom had previously backed the bill when it passed through the Senate Banking Committee in March.The bill, introduced by Senator Bill Hagerty, is formally known as the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act.Related: Fed’s Powell reasserts support for stablecoin legislationSenate prepares to vote on stablecoin billThe Senate is expected to begin floor consideration of the bill in the coming days, with the first vote potentially taking place next week.The bill has been championed by the crypto industry as a landmark step toward regulatory clarity. However, the Democrats’ about-face reflects growing unease within the party.Although revisions were made to the bill after its committee approval to address Democratic concerns, the lawmakers said the changes fell short. They called for stronger safeguards related to Anti-Money Laundering, national security, foreign issuers, and accountability measures for noncompliant actors.The statement was also signed by Senators Raphael Warnock, Catherine Cortez Masto, Ben Ray Luján, John Hickenlooper and Adam Schiff.A copy of the statement. Source: Alex ThornSenator Kirsten Gillibrand and Senator Angela Alsobrooks were absent from the list, who co-sponsored the bill alongside Hagerty.Despite their objections, the Democratic senators emphasized their commitment to shaping responsible crypto regulation. They reportedly said they “are eager to continue working with our colleagues to address these issues.”Related: US banks are ‘free to begin supporting Bitcoin’Crypto needs a stablecoin billOn April 27, Caitlin Long, founder and CEO of Custodia Bank, criticized the US Federal Reserve for quietly maintaining a key anti-crypto policy that favors big-bank-issued stablecoins, despite relaxing crypto partnership rules for banks.Long explained that while the Fed recently rescinded four prior crypto guidelines, a Jan. 27, 2023, statement was left intact in coordination with the Biden administration.The guidance, according to Long, blocks banks from engaging directly with crypto assets and prohibits them from issuing stablecoins on permissionless blockchains.However, Long noted that once a federal stablecoin bill becomes law, it could override the Fed’s stance. “Congress should hurry up,” she urged.Magazine: Financial nihilism in crypto is over — It’s time to dream big again

Bitcoiners and United States government officials have criticized Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs’s decision to veto a bill that would have allowed the state to hold Bitcoin as part of its official reserves.“This will age poorly,” Casa co-founder and cypherpunk Jameson Lopp said in a May 3 X post. Bitcoin (BTC) entrepreneur Anthony Pompliano said, “Imagine the ignorance of a politician to believe they can make investment decisions.”Call for government officials who understand Bitcoin is “the future”“If she can’t outperform Bitcoin, she must buy it,” Pompliano said. Crypto lawyer Andrew Gordon said, “We need more elected officials who understand that Bitcoin and crypto are the future.”Source: Julian FahrerWendy Rogers, who co-sponsored the bill with State Representative Jeff Weninger, also voiced her disappointment.“Politicians don’t understand that Bitcoin doesn’t need Arizona. Arizona needs Bitcoin,” Rogers said.On May 2, Hobbs vetoed the Arizona Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act, which would have permitted Arizona to invest seized funds into Bitcoin and create a reserve managed by state officials. “Today, I vetoed Senate Bill 1025. The Arizona State Retirement System is one of the strongest in the nation because it makes sound and informed investments,” Hobbs said.Source: Dr. DanishRogers said she would refile the bill during her next session. Rogers also pointed out that Arizona’s state retirement system already holds stocks of Michael Saylor’s Strategy (MSTR).“Which is basically a leveraged Bitcoin ETF. Arizona’s Strategic Bitcoin Reserve bill will be back. HODL,” Rogers said. The stock price of Strategy rose 32% in April, the most significant monthly gain since November 2024.Related: US gov’t actions give clue about upcoming crypto regulationHowever, well-known crypto skeptic Peter Schiff sided with Hobbs. “The government should not be making decisions to use public funds to speculate in cryptocurrencies,” Schiff said.Arizona would have become the first US state to establish a Bitcoin Strategic Reserve if it had passed.Arizona joins several other US states where similar efforts have failed. Similar proposals in Oklahoma, Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming have stalled or been withdrawn recently.Magazine: Bitcoin to $1M ‘by 2029,’ CIA tips its hat to Bitcoin: Hodler’s Digest, April 27 – May 3