Why are major institutions heavily investing in tokenized real-world assets?
Tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) are no longer just talk and are becoming practice. At the Consensus Hong Kong 2026 event, companies like Animoca Brands, Mastercard, and Robinhood made one thing very clear: 👉 What is driving this market now are the institutions, not ordinary investors.
📌 What is happening? Today, most of the money is going to:
U.S. government securities (Treasuries) Short-term conservative funds But with a differential: they are being transformed into tokens on the blockchain.
🔗 Chainlink co-founder says: “this bear market is different from previous ones”
Sergey Nazarov (Chainlink) believes that the current decline in the crypto market is not like past cycles — and may be structurally healthier, despite the strong correction in prices.
The market has already fallen –44% since the all-time high, with nearly US$ 2 trillion leaving the sector.
Even so, he sees two important positive signs.
📉 Why is this bear different?
1️⃣ No major collapses (FTX-style)
In previous cycles:
❌ FTX collapsed
❌ Lending platforms failed
❌ Systemic domino effect
Now:
✅ No major institutional bankruptcies
✅ Less systemic risk
✅ Better risk management
👉 This suggests that the sector is more mature and resilient.
2️⃣ RWAs continue to grow strongly
While prices are falling, the tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) continues to accelerate:
📊 +300% growth in 12 months (RWA.xyz data)
This includes:
• Bonds
• Commodities
• Funds
• Traditional financial assets on-chain
👉 In other words: real use of blockchain continues to increase, regardless of Bitcoin's price.
According to Nazarov:
RWAs may surpass the total value of cryptos in the future.
🏦 Institutions are coming
He also highlights:
• on-chain leverage markets
• 24/7 markets
• on-chain collateral
• more efficient liquidation
All of this attracts banks, funds, and institutions.
More utility → more infrastructure → more adoption.
⚠️ Curiosity: $LINK did not follow
Even with this positive narrative:
📉 LINK fell:
• –67% since October
• –83% since the all-time high
Shows that fundamentals do not always reflect in price in the short term.
🧠 In summary
This bear market:
✅ Fewer bankruptcies
✅ More maturity
✅ RWAs growing strongly
✅ Institutional adoption advancing
But:
⚠️ Prices still weak
⚠️ Confidence shaken
⚠️ High volatility
👉 It may be less a “structural collapse” and more a macro confidence crisis.
Utility means that a token has a real function — it is not just for buying and selling.
It can be used to:
💳 Pay for services or fees
🔓 Unlock access to products or benefits
🗳️ Participate in voting and governance
⚙️ Utilize resources within an ecosystem
💡 Utility tokens are created to fulfill a purpose, helping the project to function in everyday life — not just to "sit still" waiting for appreciation.
⚠️ Understanding the utility of a token is essential for assessing its long-term value.
📘 More content from the ABC of Cryptos series.
Keep following to master the fundamentals of the crypto market!
👉 Which token do you use the most for utility, and not just for trading? 👇
🏦 "Big consolidation" may hit the crypto market, says CEO of Bullish
The cryptocurrency sector may undergo a wave of mergers and acquisitions in the coming months.
According to Tom Farley, CEO of Bullish and former president of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), many small companies are expected to be acquired by larger players, making the market less fragmented.
👉 In summary: fewer weak projects, more large companies dominating.
📉 Why might this happen now?
Farley believes that the recent market downturn has accelerated this process.
Bitcoin has fallen about 45% from its all-time high, exposing many businesses that:
• are not growing
• do not generate sufficient revenue
• were overvalued
According to him, some companies were still asking for unrealistic valuations, even without solid results.
"This dream will end," he stated.
🔄 What changes in practice?
What we can see:
✅ Weak projects being acquired or shut down
✅ Companies merging to survive
✅ A more professional market and less "bloated"
But there may also be:
⚠️ Layoffs
⚠️ Startup closures
⚠️ Fewer small players
💬 What are investors doing?
Venture capital funds are already being more selective, investing only in projects with strong fundamentals and real products.
In other words: less hype, more quality.
🧠 In summary
• The market may undergo a "cleanup"
• Large companies are expected to absorb smaller projects
• The end of exaggerated valuations
• The sector tends to become more mature
The question is: will this consolidation strengthen the market... or reduce innovation?
🇧🇷 Brasileiros criam protocolo que pode reforçar segurança de IA, blockchains e stablecoins
Um grupo de pesquisadores brasileiros está desenvolvendo a Synapse Chain, um protocolo pensado para aumentar a segurança e a confiabilidade de sistemas de inteligência artificial e redes blockchain.
A ideia não é criar uma nova blockchain ou uma nova IA, mas sim uma camada extra de proteção e monitoramento.
🧠 O que a Synapse Chain faz?
De forma simples:
👉 Observa vários sistemas de IA funcionando ao mesmo tempo
👉 Detecta comportamentos estranhos ou erros
👉 Registra divergências
👉 Ajuda os sistemas a se coordenarem melhor
Tudo isso sem centralizar dados ou controle.
Ou seja: mais transparência e menos risco de falhas escondidas.
🔗 Como isso ajuda o mercado cripto?
Segundo os criadores, a tecnologia pode ser usada para:
• Exchanges
• Blockchains
• Emissores de stablecoins
• Infraestruturas críticas
A proposta é funcionar como uma “camada extra de segurança”, ajudando a evitar problemas em cascata, falhas operacionais ou ataques.
No futuro, pode até ajudar a proteger sistemas contra riscos mais avançados, como a computação quântica.
👨💻 Quem está por trás?
O projeto é liderado por:
• André Etrusco (infraestrutura de IA e blockchain)
• Jaime de Paula (PhD em IA e fundador da Neoway, empresa já avaliada em bilhões)
O desenvolvimento começou no Brasil e agora busca parcerias internacionais.
🧩 Resumindo
• Protocolo brasileiro focado em segurança e coordenação de IA
• Pode reforçar a resiliência de blockchains e exchanges
• Não substitui as tecnologias atuais, apenas adiciona proteção extra
• Potencial uso global
Se der certo, pode virar uma peça importante da infraestrutura cripto no futuro.
⚠️ Crypto market drops 2% after exchange error and increased fear
The cryptocurrency market fell -2.06% in the last 24 hours, dropping to US$ 2.36 trillion.
The main reason was a serious error at the Bithumb exchange, which caused a "flash crash" in Bitcoin and heightened investor fear. As a result, many people rushed to sell.
Additionally, the market continues to move alongside the US stock market, showing that the global economic scenario is also weighing down.
💥 What happened?
Bithumb made an operational mistake and accidentally credited a huge amount of Bitcoin to some users.
This rapidly dropped the price of BTC on the platform (a decrease of about 17%) and generated panic across the entire market.
Even with almost all the money recovered afterward, the scare affected investor confidence.
👉 Result: more volatility and mass selling.
📉 Other factors that pressured
• Large investors sold Bitcoin
• Institutions reduced positions in Ethereum
• Market sentiment in "Extreme Fear"
• Less liquidity, which accelerates declines
When large players sell a lot at once, the price drops faster.
👀 What to watch now?
Important point:
✅ If the market holds above US$ 2.17 trillion, it may attempt to stabilize
⚠️ If it loses this level, it may drop even further
It's also worth monitoring if the money comes back into Bitcoin ETFs. This could help support prices.
🧠 In summary
• Drop driven by exchange error + large sales
• Confidence shaken in the short term
• Market still fearful
• Coming days will be decisive
Now the question is: will the market hold this support or is more correction ahead?
🚀 Crypto market rises nearly 6% and returns to US$ 2.4 trillion
In the last 24 hours, the cryptocurrency market rose +5.87%, reaching US$ 2.4 trillion. The main reason was the strong recovery of Bitcoin, which started to rise again after falling significantly in recent days.
👉 The movement also followed the American stock market (S&P 500), showing that global economic factors are influencing cryptocurrencies.
📈 What drove the rise?
Bitcoin reacting strongly
BTC fell to near US$ 60 thousand, the lowest value in over a year. Many people took advantage of this low price to buy, which helped the asset quickly rise back to the region of US$ 69 thousand.
In addition, large companies and exchanges seem to have accumulated billions in Bitcoin, reinforcing the recovery.
⚠️ Other factors of the day
• The exchange Bithumb made a mistake and mistakenly credited 2,000 BTC to users, causing confusion and local volatility.
• Tether created more US$ 1 billion in USDT, putting more money circulating in the market, which helped to strengthen the rise.
👀 What to watch now?
The short term depends on two points:
✅ Bitcoin staying above US$ 69 thousand
✅ Stopping the outflow of money from Bitcoin ETFs
If it holds this level, it may try to reach US$ 72k–74k.
If it loses strength, it may return to the range of US$ 60k–63k.
🧠 In summary
The market showed strength after the drop, but caution still exists. If money continues to flow in, the rise may continue. Otherwise, new fluctuations may occur.
Now the question remains: will Bitcoin continue to lead, or will altcoins take the opportunity to react as well?
📉 Crypto falls sharply: market loses 7% in 24h. What is happening?
The cryptocurrency market fell 7.22% in the last 24 hours, and is now worth about US$ 2.37 trillion. The main reason was the drop in Bitcoin, which pulled everything else down.
Moreover, Bitcoin is moving very similarly to gold (74% similarity in movements), showing that global economic factors are pressuring both.
🔴 Why did the market fall?
1️⃣ Strong drop in Bitcoin generated a domino effect
With the price dropping quickly, many investors had their positions forcibly closed.
Just in the last 24h, more than US$ 396 million in bets on BTC's rise were automatically closed.
This further increased the selling pressure.
2️⃣ Fear took over the market
The sentiment is at "extreme fear."
Many people are selling to avoid losses.
3️⃣ Large investors are also leaving
Bitcoin ETFs in the US saw an outflow of US$ 544 million in a single day.
In other words: big money leaving the market.
👀 What to observe now?
Bitcoin is in an important zone between US$ 68,000 and US$ 70,000.
👉 If it holds this level → a quick recovery may happen
👉 If it loses this support → it could drop close to US$ 66,000
It is also worth monitoring if the ETFs start receiving money again. This could indicate that the large investors are coming back.
✅ In summary
• Pressured market
• A lot of fear
• Outflow of big money
• Bitcoin decides the next move
The next few hours are important to see if BTC stabilizes or if the drop continues.
📉 Crypto market drops 2.4% and liquidations accelerate losses
The cryptocurrency market lost about 2.4% in the last 24 hours, standing at US$ 2.57 trillion. The drop occurred mainly due to many positions being forcibly closed, which generated rapid sales and a domino effect.
Additionally, the crypto market is moving almost in sync with the US stock markets (89% correlation), showing that the movement is also influenced by the global economic scenario.
🔴 What caused the drop?
👉 Main reason: forced sales
More than US$ 679 million in crypto contracts were automatically closed in 24 hours.
Many people were betting on a rise, and when the price fell, these positions were forcibly closed, further increasing selling pressure.
As a result, Bitcoin reached its lowest price in recent months.
👉 Ethereum pulling the market down
ETH dropped significantly (-25% in the week).
Large investors transferred large amounts to exchanges, which usually indicates an intention to sell. This increased fear in the market.
👉 Negative sentiment
The index measuring investor sentiment entered "Extreme Fear," indicating that most are cautious.
👀 What to watch now?
📌 Important Bitcoin zone: US$ 72.8 thousand – 74 thousand
If it stays above this → market may calm down
If it loses this level → another wave of sales may occur
📅 Next important event:
On February 6, the US inflation data (CPI) will be released. This could significantly affect the market, either up or down.
✅ In summary
The market is undergoing a "cleanup," with an excess of positions being closed and more insecure investors.
The behavior of Bitcoin at these current levels and the economic news from the US will likely define the next steps.
⚠️ Moment calls for attention and risk management.