RWA & Stablecoins — Unlocking Real Yield Across Chains

Moderator: Jeffrey (CEO @R2)

Speakers:

• Austin Ballard (Institutional, Fintech, stablecoin growth @OffchainLabs)

• Rachit Agarwal (APAC @Wormhole)

• Ryan Chen (head of research and innovation @DigiFT)

• Enzzo (CBDO @R2)

1. RWA and Stablecoins: Why Now?

• Infrastructure upgrades (e.g., Dencun upgrade) and Layer2 scaling have unlocked real scalability for stablecoins.

• Regulatory momentum (especially post-2024) and institutional adoption (BlackRock, UBS) are accelerating tokenization efforts.

• Cross-chain solutions are critical for RWA assets to flow seamlessly across ecosystems.

2. Biggest Blockers for RWA Scaling?

• Regulation remains the main hurdle: Accredited investor restrictions, heavy compliance burdens, and limited public offering options.

• Liquidity & UX challenges: Gas fees, withdrawal complexity, and off-ramping remain pain points for mass adoption.

• Infrastructure readiness: While tech is there, proper education, transparency, and real use cases are key to crossing the chasm.

3. How Critical is Multichain Infrastructure?

• Multichain is essential.

RWA projects must be available across ecosystems, like a global brand, users don't care about chains, they care about access and efficiency.

• Bridges + interoperability protocols like Wormhole play a proactive role in enabling asset mobility.

• Payment rails (fiat/stablecoin on/off ramps) are becoming vital infrastructure for future global adoption.

4. Major Misconceptions About Stablecoins?

• Stablecoins ≠ speculation tools. They are payment rails, yield vehicles, and financial democratizers.

• Users often lack understanding of backing transparency (fiat vs RWA collateral) and the importance of real, verifiable yield.

• Education around stablecoin 2.0 (yield-bearing, transparent, compliant) will be key for the next phase of adoption.

5. How to Measure Success in RWA x DeFi?

• TVL is not enough.

Metrics should include real user adoption, yield reliability, compliance robustness, and long-term liquidity health.

• Product-market fit (PMF) is proven when assets solve real problems — not when they just farm incentives.

• Tailoring products for both retail (UX, returns) and institutions (trust, compliance) will define winners.

6. The Future: Fast Forward 2 Years

• Mass tokenization: Money market funds, bonds, equities — everything on-chain and accessible.

• AI Agents: Users might allocate portfolios via AI, connecting directly to tokenized RWAs across chains.

• Banks & fintechs will accelerate on-chain adoption, and tech giants (Meta, Stripe, etc.) will join the infrastructure race.

• Social platforms (X, Instagram) + AI wallets could drive the next billion users into on-chain finance.

• Stablecoins and RWA are no longer narratives, they are infrastructure.

• Success = Solving real problems, not just chasing numbers.

• Bridges, infra layers, and tokenization platforms will be the new kings of liquidity.

• Education, transparency, and patience are the keys to lasting adoption.

Thanks again to Austin, Rachit, Ryan, and Enzzo for the brilliant insights, and to everyone who tuned in. Stay tuned for next week's AMA, even bigger guests are coming!

Follow us at @r2yield for updates!