Kaleb Jake Leija | Plume

Another week in RWAs, and the signal keeps getting louder. It was a week of markets moving, infrastructure shipping, and institutions committing. If you’re tracking where tokenization and stablecoins are actually heading, here’s what mattered 👇 1️⃣ RWAs Are No Longer a Side Category • RWAs officially surpassed DEXs to become the 5th largest DeFi category with ~$17B TVL • Tokenized stocks hit a new ATH at $1.2B market cap • Tokenized silver volume surged 1,200% during the recent price rally • Real estate tokenization projected to reach $4T by 2035 2️⃣ Tokenized Treasuries & Funds Hit New Milestones • BlackRock’s BUIDL became the first tokenized treasury fund to pay $100M+ in dividends • JPMorgan launched MONY, a tokenized money market fund, live on Ethereum mainnet • Wall Street giants are already processing trillions via Canton Network’s blockchain rails This is what institutional-scale adoption looks like - boring, quiet, and very real. 3️⃣ Stablecoins Keep Expanding Into the Real World • Trip.com now accepts USDT & USDC for travel bookings • Telcoin launched the first U.S. bank-issued stablecoin (eUSD) on Ethereum & Polygon • Circle unveiled Arc, a purpose-built chain for USDC & stablecoins • 750M USDC minted on Solana in the first major issuance of 2026 • Circle also burned 51M USDC on Solana as part of supply management Stablecoins are no longer just crypto liquidity, they’re becoming global payment infrastructure. 4️⃣ Regulation & Geopolitics Are Shaping the Next Phase • UK implements OECD crypto tax reporting from 2026 • Bank of Russia updates digital asset investment rules • Japan & South Korea push non-USD stablecoin development • China explores an interest-bearing CBDC, raising questions about U.S. digital finance leadership Regulation isn’t slowing the space, it’s quietly defining who leads it. 5️⃣ Infrastructure & Ecosystems Are Heating Up • Ethereum hits an all-time high in smart contract deployments (Q4) • Ethereum’s 2026 roadmap prioritizes L1 scaling & institutional privacy • Solana posts record-breaking RWA growth and network recovery metrics • Casper x Stobox move to tokenize a $144B U.S. parking market • T7X adds TRON support for RWA issuance This is what scaling looks like when demand is real. ----------------------------- RWAs + stablecoins are no longer “crypto narratives.” They’re becoming the operating layer for capital markets, payments, and asset issuance. The question is who captures the value as it becomes infrastructure. What do you think will drive the next wave faster payments, treasuries, or tokenized equities? If you’re building, investing, or just staying sharp in the RWA space, follow @_mikepreneur for weekly highlights & insights from inside the market.

PLUME is now live on @coinbase PLUME-USD spot trading is active on coinbase.com, Coinbase Advanced, and supported regions on Coinbase Exchange. This unlocks a new level of accessibility where users can buy, sell, send, and receive PLUME.

The new Altitude Earn. Three markets. One business account. • DeFi via @kamino with risk management by @gauntlet_xyz. • Institutional Credit via @plumenetwork. • Altitude Rewards via infrastructure by @stablecoin, backed by US treasuries managed by BlackRock.

Your favorite list is back forbes.com/30-under-30/20… Congrats to this year's crypto cohort: @BurntBanksy @DAnconia_Crypto @ben_chain @teddyP_xyz @HighCoinviction and @RyanWatkins_ @Nick_van_Eck @giovignone and all-star alums: @mansourtarek_ and @MBTannenbaum