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What are Real World Assets (RWA) and Its Importance in Crypto?

Learn everything about Real World Assets (RWA) in crypto and know how they bridge traditional finance with blockchain for enhanced security and liquidity.
S. Vishwa
5 Minutes
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In cryptocurrency and blockchain technology, real world assets (RWAs) are becoming increasingly popular. These assets represent tangible items of value, whether physical or digital, that are tokenized and stored on the blockchain. 

This article will explore real-world assets, their importance in crypto, and how they are used in various applications.

Understanding Real World Assets

Real world assets can encompass a wide range of items, including physical assets like real estate, commodities, and precious metals, as well as digital assets such as stocks, bonds, and intellectual property. These assets derive their value from outside of the blockchain, but by tokenizing them, they can be represented digitally on the blockchain.

Tokenization is the process of converting real-world assets into digital tokens. These tokens are then stored on the blockchain, which provides transparency, security, and immutability. Tokenization allows for fractional ownership, meaning that high-value assets can be divided into smaller units, allowing more people to invest in and benefit from them.

The Importance of Real World Assets in the Crypto Space

Real world assets play a crucial role in crypto for several reasons. Firstly, they bring liquidity to traditionally illiquid assets. Assets like real estate or fine art can be challenging to buy or sell quickly, but by tokenizing them, they become more liquid and accessible to a broader range of investors.

Secondly, real world assets provide diversification opportunities for crypto investors. Investors can hedge against the volatility of purely crypto-related assets by including real world assets in their portfolios. This diversification can reduce risk and increase stability in investment strategies.

Thirdly, real world assets bridge the gap between traditional finance and decentralized finance (DeFi). DeFi platforms allow for the lending, borrowing, and trading of real world assets, providing similar investment opportunities to traditional financial institutions. This integration of real world assets into DeFi expands the reach and functionality of the decentralized financial system.

Use Cases of Real World Assets in Crypto

Real world assets are being used in various applications within the crypto space. One prominent use case is in lending and borrowing platforms. These platforms allow users to use their tokenized real world assets as collateral. 

Borrowers receive stablecoins or other tokens while lenders earn interest on their holdings. This use case provides an alternative to traditional lending and borrowing services, offering flexibility and accessibility.

Another use case is in the creation of index funds. DeFi platforms enable the creation of pooled investments that provide passive exposure to a basket of real world asset tokens. These index funds diversify risk across different asset classes and tokens, allowing investors to gain exposure to a broader range of assets.

Asset management is another area where real world assets are utilized in the crypto space. Autonomous fund protocols can deploy capital by trading real world asset tokens, aiming to generate returns for investors. This approach allows for the active management of assets and the potential for higher yields.

Lastly, real world assets on the blockchain can be used for less risky investments. Assets like real estate, commodities, and fine art are typically less volatile than purely crypto-related assets. By tokenizing these assets, investors can gain exposure to alternative asset classes while potentially reducing risk.

Tokenization Process for Real World Assets

The tokenization process for real world assets involves several steps. First, an asset that holds value and could benefit from blockchain exposure and tokenization is identified. It could be a physical asset like real estate or a digital asset like a stock.

Next, regulatory approval must be sought to ensure that the tokens representing the asset are legally recognized and enforceable. Compliance procedures may need to be followed depending on the jurisdiction and type of asset being tokenized.

Once regulatory approval is obtained, a blockchain network must be selected to represent the asset. Algorand, for example, offers a cost-effective and scalable blockchain infrastructure for managing real world assets. Its smart contract functionality and role-based asset controls make it an ideal choice for projects issuing and managing digital representations of physical items.

After selecting a blockchain, digital tokens representing shares of the asset are created and issued. These tokens contain underlying asset information that links them to real world items. Ownership and transaction details are recorded on the blockchain, providing transparency and trust.

Once the tokens are issued, they can be traded on decentralized applications and cryptocurrency exchanges. Smart contracts automate processes like transferring ownership and distributing revenue as the tokens are bought and sold. It creates a secondary market for real world asset investments, increasing liquidity and accessibility.

Examples of Real World Assets in Crypto

Several projects are already tokenizing real world assets in the crypto space. 

One example is TravelX, which is tokenizing airline seats. Users can purchase airplane tickets as non-fungible tokens, which can be traded or resold in a liquid secondary market. It provides greater flexibility and efficiency when buying travel tickets.

Ctrl Alt is another project focusing on diversifying portfolios through alternative asset classes. By partnering with organizations that manage various underlying opportunities, Ctrl Alt represents fractional ownership as digital assets. This allows everyday investors to access niche investments that were previously out of reach.

Koibanx is a platform that enables tokenizing assets like real estate and stocks. Users can transform these assets into digital tokens on the blockchain, providing increased liquidity and accessibility.

Evident offers a multifaceted platform for financial activities, including establishing Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs) and co-investment opportunities. It also provides tools for companies to raise capital through asset tokenization.

Realio is a platform that brings private equity, real estate, and other real world assets to DeFi. It allows investors to gain exposure to these asset classes typically reserved for accredited or institutional investors.

These examples demonstrate the versatility and potential of real world assets in the crypto space. By tokenizing these assets, they can be made more accessible, liquid, and tradable, opening up new investment opportunities for a broader range of individuals.

Conclusion

Real world assets are an important and growing trend in the crypto space. These items can be represented digitally on the blockchain by tokenizing physical and digital assets, providing increased liquidity, accessibility, and diversification opportunities. 

Real world assets are used in various crypto applications, from lending and borrowing platforms to asset management and index funds. The tokenization process involves identifying valuable assets, seeking regulatory approval, selecting a blockchain network, creating and issuing tokens, and facilitating their trading on decentralized platforms. 

As the crypto industry continues to evolve, real world assets can play a significant role in shaping the future of finance.

Disclaimer

The information provided on this website does not constitute investment advice, financial advice, trading advice, or any other advice, and you should not treat any of the website's content as such.

Token Metrics does not recommend buying, selling, or holding any cryptocurrency. Conduct your due diligence and consult your financial advisor before making investment decisions.

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Most traders chase price action; Fundamental Grade Crypto API helps you see the business behind the token—community traction, tokenomics design, exchange presence, VC signals, and DeFi health—consolidated into one score you can query in code. In a few minutes, you’ll fetch Fundamental Grade, render it in your product, and ship a due-diligence UX that drives trust. Start by grabbing your key at the Get API Key page, Run Hello-TM to verify your first call, then Clone a Template to go live fast.

What You’ll Build in 2 Minutes

A minimal script to fetch Fundamental Grade from /v2/fundamental-grade for any symbol (e.g., BTC).

  • Optional curl to smoke-test your key in seconds.
  • A drop-in pattern to display the grade + key drivers in dashboards, screeners, and research tools.

Endpoints to consider next

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  • /v2/resistance-support (risk levels)
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Why This Matters

Beyond price, toward quality. Markets are noisy—hype rises and fades. Fundamental Grade consolidates hard-to-track signals (community growth, token distribution, liquidity venues, investor quality, DeFi integrations) into a clear, comparable score. You get a fast “is this worth time and capital?” answer for screening, allocation, and monitoring.

Build trust into your product. Whether you run an investor terminal, exchange research tab, or a portfolio tool, Token Metrics discovery helps users justify positions. Pair it with TM Grade or Quantmetrics for a balanced picture: what to buy (fundamentals) and when to act (signals/levels).

Where to Find

The Fundamental Grade is easily accessible in the top right of the API Reference. Grab the cURL request for seamless access!

Ready to build?

  • Get API Key — generate a key and start free.
  • Run Hello-TM — verify your first successful call.
  • Clone a Template — deploy a screener or token page today.

Watch the demo: VIDEO_URL_HERE. Compare plans: Scale confidently with API plans.

FAQs

1) What does the Fundamental Grade API return?

A JSON payload with the overall score/grade plus component scores (e.g., community, tokenomics, exchange presence, VC backing, DeFi health) and timestamps. Use the overall grade for ranking and component scores for explanations.

2) How fast is the endpoint? Do you publish SLOs?

The API is engineered for predictable latency. For high-traffic dashboards, add short-TTL caching and batch requests; for alerts, use jobs/webhooks to minimize round-trips.

3) Can I combine Fundamental Grade with TM Grade or signals?

Yes. A common pattern is Fundamental Grade for quality filter + TM Grade for technical/sentiment context + Trading Signals for timing and Support/Resistance for risk placement.

4) How “accurate” is the grade?

It’s an opinionated synthesis of multiple inputs—not financial advice. Historical studies can inform usage, but past performance doesn’t guarantee future results. Always layer risk management and testing.

5) Do you offer SDKs and examples?

You can use REST directly (see JS/Python above). The docs include quickstarts, Postman, and ready-to-clone templates—start with Run Hello-TM.

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For UI pages, cached polling works well. For event-style notifications (upgrades/downgrades), prefer webhooks or scheduled jobs to avoid spiky traffic.

7) What about pricing, limits, and enterprise SLAs?

Begin free and scale as you grow. See API plans for allowances; enterprise SLAs and support are available—contact us.

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Endpoints to consider next:

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Beyond price, toward quality. Markets are noisy—hype rises and fades. Fundamental Grade consolidates hard-to-track signals (community growth, token distribution, liquidity venues, investor quality, DeFi integrations) into a clear, comparable score. You get a fast “is this worth time and capital?” answer for screening, allocation, and monitoring.

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Token Metrics provides real-time prices, trading signals, and on-chain insights all from one powerful API. Grab a Free API Key

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  • Exchange Presence: venue coverage, depth/liquidity proxies.
  • VC/Investor Signals: quality/durability of backing and ecosystem support.
  • DeFi Health: integrations, TVL context, composability footprint.

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  • Caching: Use memory/Redis/KV with short TTLs; pre-warm popular symbols.
  • Webhooks & jobs: For alerts, use signed webhooks or scheduled jobs; log delivery outcomes.
  • Pagination/Bulk: When covering many tokens, paginate or process in batches.
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  • Observability: Track p95/p99 and error rate per endpoint; alert on spikes.
  • Security: Keep API keys in secrets managers; rotate regularly.

Use Cases & Patterns

  • Screener Maker: Rank tokens by Fundamental Grade, filter by market cap/sector, and add “rising fundamentals” badges for discovery.
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  • Allocator / Risk: Require a minimum Fundamental Grade before inclusion; rebalance only when grade crosses thresholds.
  • Community/Discord: Post weekly upgrades as digest messages with links back to your app.

Next Steps

  • Get API Key — generate a key and start free.
  • Run Hello-TM — verify your first successful call.
  • Clone a Template — deploy a screener or token page today.
  • Watch the demo: VIDEO_URL_HERE
  • Compare plans: Scale confidently with API plans.

FAQs

1) What does the Fundamental Grade API return?

A JSON payload with the overall score/grade plus component scores (e.g., community, tokenomics, exchange presence, VC backing, DeFi health) and timestamps. Use the overall grade for ranking and component scores for explanations.

2) How fast is the endpoint? Do you publish SLOs?

The API is engineered for predictable latency. For high-traffic dashboards, add short-TTL caching and batch requests; for alerts, use jobs/webhooks to minimize round-trips.

3) Can I combine Fundamental Grade with TM Grade or signals?

Yes. A common pattern is Fundamental Grade for quality filter + TM Grade for technical/sentiment context + Trading Signals for timing and Support/Resistance for risk placement.

4) How “accurate” is the grade?

It’s an opinionated synthesis of multiple inputs—not financial advice. Historical studies can inform usage, but past performance doesn’t guarantee future results. Always layer risk management and testing.

5) Do you offer SDKs and examples?

You can use REST directly (see JS/Python above). The docs include quickstarts, Postman, and ready-to-clone templates—start with Run Hello-TM.

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→ Join the waitlist to be first to trade TM Global 100.

Why Indices Matter in October 2025

Search intent right now: investors want credible, rules-based crypto exposure that can participate in upside while reducing drawdown pain. A crypto index is a basket of assets selected and maintained by rules—so you avoid one-off bets and constant manual rebalancing.

With liquidity rotating quickly across sectors, weekly rebalancing helps maintain alignment with current market-cap leaders, while regime switching provides a disciplined, pre-defined response to bearish conditions. The result is a clear, consistent process that removes emotional decision-making and operational drag.

Definition

A crypto index is a rules-based basket of digital assets that’s constructed, weighted, and rebalanced on a set schedule.

How the TM Global 100 Index Works (Plain English)

  • Regime switching: Bullish: Hold the top-100 crypto assets by market cap.
  • Bearish: Exit all positions into stablecoins and wait for a new bullish signal.
  • Weekly rebalancing: Reflects updated rankings and weights across the market-cap universe.
  • Transparency: Strategy modal shows methodology and thresholds; Gauge → Holdings Treemap → Transactions Log make every change visible.

What you’ll see on launch: Price tile, gauge (“rebalances weekly”), 100 tokens, one-click Buy Index flow, and a 90-second checkout via embedded wallet.‍See the strategy and rules.

Benefits at a Glance (Why This Beats DIY)

  • Time saved: No more manual coin-picking, sizing, and calendar rebalances.
  • Lower execution drag: One click vs. dozens of individual orders that can add slippage.
  • Stay current: Weekly rebalances help you capture market-cap changes without constant monitoring.
  • Discipline in drawdowns: Automatic switch to stablecoins removes panic decisions.
  • Radical visibility: Holdings treemap, table, and transactions log show what you own and what changed—every week.
  • Operational simplicity: Embedded wallet and a unified dashboard; no juggling chains and exchanges.

Step-by-Step: How to Get Early Access (Waitlist)

  1. Open the Indices Hub: Head to the Token Metrics Indices hub.
  2. Choose TM Global 100: Open the index page and review the Gauge → Strategy → Holdings.
  3. Join the Waitlist: Add your email to be notified the moment trading opens.
  4. (Optional) Connect Wallet: Pre-connect your wallet for a faster launch-day checkout.

Launch-Day Flow (~90 seconds): Tap Buy Index, review fees/slippage, confirm, and see your position in My Indices. Track Rebalances: After each weekly rebalance or regime change, check the Transactions Log for updates.

→ Join the waitlist to be first to trade TM Global 100.

Decision Guide: Is This Right for You?

  • Hands-Off Allocator: Want broad exposure without micromanaging? Yes—rules-based + weekly rebalances.
  • Active Trader: Need a core that sits in stables during bears while you hunt edges elsewhere? Fits.
  • TM Member/Prospect: Already trust Token Metrics research? This is the rules-based version of “own the market.”
  • Risk-Aware Newcomer: Prefer a clear framework over vibes? Methodology is visible and auditable.
  • DIY Basket Builder: Tired of missed rebalances and slippage? One click can reduce execution drag.
  • Data-First Analyst: Want to verify? See the holdings, weights, and transaction history anytime.

FAQs

1) What is a TM Global 100 index?

It’s a rules-based crypto index that holds the top 100 assets by market cap in bullish regimes and moves to stablecoins in bearish regimes. It rebalances weekly and shows transparent holdings and transactions.

2) How often does the index rebalance?

Weekly, with additional full-portfolio switches when the market regime changes.

3) What triggers the move to stablecoins?

A proprietary market signal. When bearish, the index exits all token positions into stablecoins and waits for a bullish re-entry signal.

4) Can I fund with USDC or fiat?

At launch, funding and settlement options surface based on the embedded wallet and supported chains. USDC payouts are supported for selling; additional entry options may be introduced later.

5) Is the wallet custodial?

No. The Embedded Wallet is self-custodial—you control your funds while using a streamlined, on-chain checkout.

6) How are fees shown?

Before you confirm, the Buy flow shows estimated gas, platform fee, maximum slippage, and the minimum expected value.

7) How do I join the waitlist?

Go to the Token Metrics Indices hub or the TM Global 100 strategy page and submit your email. We’ll notify you the moment trading opens.

Security, Risk & Transparency

  • Self-custody: Embedded smart wallet; you hold the keys.
  • 2FA & session hygiene: Use strong auth practices for your TM account.
  • Fee clarity: Gas, platform fee, and slippage are displayed before you confirm.
  • Auditability: Holdings, treemap, and transactions log are always visible.
  • Model limits: Regime logic can be wrong, and markets can gap; rules reduce discretion—not risk.
  • Regional availability: Product surfaces may vary by region as we expand.

Crypto is volatile and can lose value. Past performance is not indicative of future results. This article is for research/education, not financial advice.

Conclusion

If you want a disciplined, rules-based core that adapts to market regimes, Token Metrics Global 100 is built for you. Weekly rebalances, transparent holdings, and one-click buy remove operational friction so you can focus on your strategy.

→ Click here to get early access to Token Metrics indices.

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