Tokenized assets and stablecoins: Key takeaways from Cointelegraph's Singapore event

The RWA supply-demand gap

Real-world assets (RWAs) are moving on-chain in droves, but there is a major catch. According to Alex Taaffe, chief revenue officer at GSR, we are seeing a massive imbalance between supply and demand. While asset managers are eager to get capital formation on-chain for everything from commodities to global equities, investor appetite just isn't keeping pace with the flood of new tokens. Highkey, this fragmentation makes it a nightmare to track where liquidity actually sits across different blockchains.

Making stablecoins invisible

The goal for stablecoins isn't just to exist; it's to be invisible. During the panel on stablecoin payments, industry leaders highlighted that for these assets to go mainstream, they need to feel like you’re using Apple Pay. Mike Silagadze, founder and CEO of ether.fi, noted that in places like Singapore, users hold USDC but still have to jump through hoops to pay local bills. The consensus? The user experience (UX) is currently a major L. If it doesn't plug into your day-to-day life without you thinking about it, it won't see mass adoption.

The VC exit problem

It’s not just about retail apps; venture capital is feeling the heat, too. Pulkit Gupta of Nomad Capital pointed out that liquidity for altcoins has been weak over the last few months, making it tough for firms to cash out. The days of expecting an easy exit in six months are dead. Sonia Shaw, CEO of OneAsset, says this is actually a sign of a maturing market—startups now have to show real business fundamentals rather than just hype.

Risk management on-chain

On the tech side, companies like Arkham Intelligence are using on-chain data to make trading safer. By assessing counterparty risk using public data, firms can offer tighter spreads for customers without needing to demand a passport for every transaction. It’s a win for transparency, but as Ilya Podoynitsyn of FinHarbor noted, the regulatory patchwork across different countries remains a massive hurdle that developers have to navigate daily.

Why it matters

The bottom line is that the infrastructure is still evolving. While the stablecoin market cap has hit $306 billion, moving liquidity between chains remains a massive data problem. None of this is financial advice, but keep your eyes on how these teams solve for cross-chain fragmentation—that’s where the real alpha is hidden. Real talk: we're still in the 'building' phase of this cycle.