$250M Ondo Catalyst fund signals ‘arms race’ for RWA tokenization

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Hold onto your wallets, folks, because we’ve got a $250 million reason to talk about tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) today. DeFi protocol Ondo Finance and venture giant Pantera Capital are ready to toss that cash into RWAs, aiming to capitalize on the sizzling hot tokenization trend, all thanks to those sunny regulatory developments over in the U.S. 🤑

In a plot twist that no one saw coming, both companies—yes, the ones with money to burn—just informed Axios that they’ve teamed up to launch a shiny new fund called Ondo Catalyst. Ian De Bode, Ondo’s very own Chief Strategy Officer, said they plan to use the $250 million to scoop up equity stakes and tokens from emerging projects. So, you know, the usual ‘buying up stuff’ game.

“We are seeing a bit of an arms race right now,” said De Bode, referring to the flock of companies running to get their hands on tokenized assets like they’re the last bag of chips at a Super Bowl party. Exchanges are particularly obsessed with tokenized stocks and ETFs. Oh, the drama. 📈

Speaking of which, Robinhood—yes, that app we all love to hate—just launched a new layer-2 blockchain to let their European customers trade tokenized US stocks and ETFs. I guess they decided ‘Why not?’

Meanwhile, Kraken, that other crypto exchange with its own set of ambitions, is apparently planning to offer tokenized US stock trading outside of the U.S. Because, why not take this global while you’re at it?

And don’t forget about Coinbase. They’re out here trying to secure regulatory approval to offer tokenized equities. Because nothing screams “We want to be your favorite trading platform” like playing regulatory footsie with the SEC. 🏦

Ondo’s been working overtime to push onchain finance, recently forming the “Global Markets Alliance” with several crypto firms. So yeah, they’re putting a whole new spin on ‘getting the band together.’ Also, OKX Wallet is now in on the action. How exciting.

Earlier this year, Ondo went full steam ahead with Ondo Global Markets, which aims to bring your good old-fashioned traditional financial markets onto the blockchain. Old meets new, and it’s all happening here.

Oh, and did I mention that Ondo is backed by none other than Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund? Yeah, they’ve got billionaire backing, which is like saying you’ve got a gold ticket to the future. And what are they doing with that ticket? Well, they’re allegedly building a crypto-friendly bank. So… just your average Tuesday in the world of finance. 💸

The tokenized RWA market is gaining momentum

Meanwhile, tokenization is so hot right now, even the government’s getting in on it. US SEC Chair Paul Atkins is out here saying that it’s time to create pathways for tokenization innovation. Like, okay, Mr. Atkins, show us the way.

For those of you keeping score, the SEC used to be all about “regulation through enforcement,” but now it’s all about “how do we advance innovation in the marketplace.” Talk about a 180! 😎

According to a recent industry report from RedStone, Gauntlet, and RWA.xyz, the tokenized RWA market has shot up by a jaw-dropping 380% since 2022. That’s right, it’s now worth $24 billion as of June. And no, stablecoins aren’t even included in that total. You read that right—stablecoins are casually lounging around at over $250 billion. Just a little extra pocket change, huh?

The report also revealed that private credit and US government debt are driving the bulk of RWA growth. Because when you think ‘tokenization,’ you definitely think about US government debt. But hey, whatever floats your boat. 🚢

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2025-07-03 23:49