A new report by fintech analytics firm Rebank explains the potential of RWAs to reshape the financial system.
Summary
- RWAs represent a major shift in how the financial system works
- Tokenized assets are still small, but their growth is accelerating
RWAs are for finance what email is for paper mail, says fintech analytics firm. On Tuesday, Sept. 30, Rebank published a report titled Real World Assets: The Practitioner’s Guide, detailing the potential role RWAs may play in the future of finance.
According to the report, the main benefit of RWAs is the programmability and composability of digital assets. Traditionally, assets have been trapped within siloed databases and could move only through intermediaries. Tokenized assets, by contrast, can be transferred and exchanged instantly without the need for intermediaries.
As an analogy, consider the shift from paper mail to email: both systems deliver messages, but email collapses intermediaries, enables automation, and operates globally in real-time,” Rebank report.
Composability is another critical aspect, the report notes. For instance, holders can swap tokenized Treasuries directly for stablecoins or use a tokenized loan as collateral in a DeFi protocol, executing these operations without negotiating with a third-party intermediary.
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RWA growth is accelerating
The report acknowledges that the RWA space remains small, but argues that the pace of adoption is the more revealing metric.
“Tokenized assets remain small relative to traditional markets, but their growth rates are striking. As of 2025, tokenized U.S. Treasuries represent only a few billion dollars in AUM, compared to a $20 trillion overall U.S. Treasury market. Stablecoins total approximately $280 billion, versus more than $18 trillion in U.S. bank deposits. Tokenized MMFs from leading issuers together hold billions, but this is still a rounding error relative to the $8 trillion global MMF market,” Rebank report.
The report also draws parallels with ETFs, which were once considered niche. By the early 2000s, ETF growth accelerated, and the vehicles eventually reshaped the investment-management landscape.
Read more: RWA on-chain hits record-high, surpassing $29b in value
