Ondo and Pantera Launch $250M Catalyst Fund Ondo Finance and Pantera Capital are partnering to launch a $250 million fund named Ondo Catalyst to expand the creation of tokenized real-world asset (RWA) projects. The fund will seek to take equity and token positions in early-stage projects transforming traditional finance with blockchain technology. Ondo Chief Strategy Officer Ian De Bode stressed the need for early-stage backing in the now more competitive RWA landscape, terming the trend an “arms race” for leadership in tokenization. A New Era for Real-World Asset Tokenization Tokenized RWAs—such as U.S. government debt and private credit—have increased 380% since 2022 to a $24 billion valuation as of June, according to a report from RedStone, Gauntlet, and RWA.xyz. This figure is exclusive of stablecoins, which exceed $250 billion. Onchain demand for financial products continues to rise, with exchanges and financial institutions entering the competition to tokenize traditional assets like ETFs and stocks. Regulatory Shifts Are Catalyzing Innovation A more accommodating regulatory environment in the U.S. is also driving the trend. SEC Chairman Paul Atkins recently signaled a move away from enforcement to innovation, stating the agency now wishes to “advance innovation in the marketplace.” This trend has prompted firms like Robinhood, which recently launched a layer-2 blockchain to enable European customers to trade tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs. Kraken and Coinbase also have tokenized stock offerings in the works for international markets. Ondo’s Strategic Move towards Onchain Finance Ondo has been on the march towards blockchain finance. It launched Ondo Global Markets earlier this year, a platform that aims to bridge traditional finance and blockchain infrastructure. The company also created the Global Markets Alliance, partnering with several crypto firms—including OKX Wallet—to promote the use of blockchain-based capital markets. Backed by Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, Ondo continues to be a leader in tokenized finance and infrastructure.
