Crypto Journalist
Amin Ayan
Crypto Journalist
Amin Ayan
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Mercado Bitcoin, one of Latin America’s largest crypto exchanges, announced plans to tokenize $200 million worth of real-world assets (RWAs) on the XRP Ledger.
Key Takeaways:
- Mercado Bitcoin will tokenize $200M in fixed-income and equity assets on the XRP Ledger.
- Ripple’s move comes amid forecasts of a $19 trillion tokenized asset market by 2033.
- Calls for clear U.S. tokenization rules are growing as major players push into RWAs.
The move will bring tokenized fixed-income and equity instruments onto XRPL, as the exchange looks to tap into the growing market for digital versions of traditional assets, according to a statement released by Ripple on Friday.
“Mercado Bitcoin’s integration with the XRPL shows how public blockchain infrastructure is being trusted by institutions and is becoming a reliable foundation for bringing regulated financial products to the market,” said Silvio Pegado, Managing Director, LATAM at Ripple.
Push for Tokenization Rules Gains Steam in US Market
Ripple’s announcement follows a Boston Consulting Group report forecasting the tokenized RWA sector to reach a market capitalization of $19 trillion by 2033, underscoring surging interest from both crypto-native and traditional financial players.
The deal highlights momentum across the industry as asset managers and blockchain firms ramp up efforts to secure regulatory frameworks for tokenized assets, especially in the United States.
Earlier this week, Ondo Finance, a decentralized finance protocol, acquired Oasis Pro, a regulated trading platform specializing in digital securities settlements, to deepen its footprint in the RWA market.
Meanwhile, Centrifuge, another blockchain firm focused on real-world assets, unveiled plans to tokenize the S&P 500 index, offering decentralized access to a basket of America’s top publicly listed companies.
The rush into tokenized RWAs has also attracted attention from the biggest names in finance.
In January, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink publicly called on the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to approve tokenization of stocks and bonds, arguing it could improve market efficiency.
Last week, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins told CNBC that the “rules have not been clear” when it comes to regulating digital assets in the United States and hinted at the “imminent” boom in tokenization as a whole.
Atkins claimed that tokenization is “the next step” in order to have “much more efficiency” across markets.
Ripple Drops Cross-Appeal Against SEC to Resolve Case
Last month, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse revealed the company will withdraw its cross-appeal against the SEC, adding that the regulator is also expected to drop its own appeal.
The announcement followed a U.S. district court decision rejecting a joint request from Ripple and the SEC to reduce Ripple’s $125 million civil penalty and overturn the ruling that classified Ripple’s institutional XRP sales as securities transactions.
In her ruling, Judge Analisa Torres noted Ripple’s readiness to “push the boundaries” of the earlier summary judgment, suggesting a risk of future violations.
Ripple’s chief legal officer, Stuart Alderoty, said the firm faced a choice between dropping the appeal or continuing to contest the finding.
He emphasized that regardless of the decision, “XRP’s legal status as not a security remains unchanged,” and assured that Ripple’s business operations would continue as usual.
