The market for real-world assets (RWA) has surpassed $33.8 billion, reviving interest in related cryptocurrency projects as a key 2026 investment theme. Attention is focusing on projects tied to tokenised assets, institutional payment infrastructure and blockchain-based financial rails, amid growing efforts to handle bonds, commodities and payment systems on-chain. Chainlink drew the most attention among top RWA projects by market value, followed by Stellar, Avalanche, Hedera and Ondo.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has delayed releasing a proposal for an \'innovation exemption\' that would allow tokenised stocks to trade on crypto-based platforms. Concerns include the risk of third parties issuing stock-linked tokens without listed companies\' consent and challenges in verifying token holders and their eligibility to exercise shareholder rights. The SEC has gathered feedback from hundreds of market participants and is adjusting details rather than reversing direction.