The rise of the real-world assets (RWA) marks a pivotal shift in blockchain technology, from speculation to utility.

Author: Lesley, MetaEra

As the crypto market matures and global regulatory frameworks become clearer, real-world assets (RWA) are moving from concept to implementation. As a bridge between traditional finance and crypto, the emergence of RWA marks a pivotal shift in blockchain technology, from speculation to utility.

In Hong Kong—a city at the forefront of digital asset regulation—MetaEra CEO Jessica interviewed Plume Network co-founder Teddy Pornprinya for an in-depth discussion on Plume's RWA ecosystem, technological innovation, and global strategy.

Before founding Plume, Teddy built a career bridging traditional finance and crypto. He worked in investment banking, on the Coinbase Ventures team, at DeFi protocols, and at Binance's BNB Chain. He gained solid experience through these roles.

Plume is the first full-stack RWA Chain and ecosystem purpose-built for RWAfi, enabling the rapid adoption and demand-driven integration of real-world assets, and simplifying the deployment process for RWA projects.

According to co-founder Teddy Pornprinya, Plume's development strategy is anchored on three main principles:

"In terms of infrastructure, we're building a range of products to make it easier to bring all types of assets on-chain," Teddy explained. Plume's standardized digital solutions streamline the onboarding of RWAs onto the blockchain.

Addressing the key challenge of "how to reach the right holders after tokenization," Plume has a dedicated go-to-market(GTM) team.

"We have a professional GTM team focused on BD, marketing, community building, and ecosystem incentive design. Our goal is to help projects establish strong branding and a clear narrative," Teddy shared. Through these efforts, Plume connects tokenized assets with suitable markets and investors, enhancing liquidity.

On the demand side, Plume helps projects access capital. The platform works with exchanges, custodians, family offices, funds, and trading communities to channel funds into its ecosystem assets.

A DeFi layer infused with RWA is also a core pillar of Plume. "By combining RWA with our DeFi infrastructure, we unlock new possibilities for both liquidity and utility," Teddy said.

At present, Plume has deployed a variety of DeFi products, including perpetual DEXs, AMMs, and lending protocols, and is collaborating with various asset issuers to deliver diversified investment opportunities.

Since its mainnet launch a month ago, Plume Network has achieved impressive results. "We currently rank first among all blockchains by number of RWA holders, ahead of Ethereum," Teddy revealed.

Plume's total value locked (TVL) has reached approximately $250 million, and its ecosystem includes around 200 projects from the testnet phase, which are now being deployed in stages."Our growth has been truly remarkable," Teddy said.

When it comes to Hong Kong, Teddy spoke with clear enthusiasm: "For us, Hong Kong is a market full of potential."

In the U.S., Plume has built strong experience working with regulators. "Our General Counsel, Salman Banaei, previously worked at the SEC and CFTC. We've also had direct engagements with the SEC's crypto task force and the U.S. Treasury," Teddy explained. "We're looking to bring that experience to Hong Kong — an ideal place to continue building our brand and ecosystem."

Plume recently launched its Bridge Program, designed specifically for the Hong Kong market. The program provides tokenized asset issuers with Plume ecosystem incentives and additional token rewards. It also supports early-stage marketing and brand building for partners.

"Traditional RWA projects tend to be overly focused on the U.S., but we're a global team with a truly global angle," Teddy emphasized. Plume's international strategy reflects its deep understanding of the RWA landscape.

"For Plume, building a global brand is critical. We started in New York and just opened an office in the Empire State Building. Now, we've also established a legal entity and an office in Hong Kong. Our goal is to become a global platform for RWA."

Looking ahead, Plume plans to extend the regulatory infrastructure it has built in the U.S. to the Asia-Pacific region over the next 6 to 18 months — including innovation exemptions, yield-bearing stablecoin development, and transfer agent licensing.

Teddy noted that both Hong Kong and the broader Asia-Pacific region are showing strong enthusiasm for the RWA sector. "From asset issuers to capital allocators, participation across the market is extremely active," he said.

RWA is redefining the boundaries of financial infrastructure. As the nexus between East and West, Hong Kong offers an ideal environment for this emerging sector. "We aim to leverage our regulatory expertise in the U.S. to strengthen our presence in Hong Kong." said Teddy. He believes that at this pivotal moment in the digital transformation of traditional finance, Hong Kong is once again poised to demonstrate its unique strengths as a global financial hub.

As blockchain continues to evolve from a speculative tool into practical infrastructure, platforms like Plume Network are emerging as vital bridges between traditional finance and the digital world — and Hong Kong stands as one of the most solid foundations for that bridge.