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Tokenize Everything, But Can You Sell It? RWA Liquidity Challenges and the Road Ahead

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  • Rischan Mafrur

Abstract

The tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) promises to transform financial markets by enabling fractional ownership, global accessibility, and programmable settlement of traditionally illiquid assets such as real estate, private credit, and government bonds. While technical progress has been rapid, with over \$25 billion in tokenized RWAs brought on-chain as of 2025, liquidity remains a critical bottleneck. This paper investigates the gap between tokenization and tradability, drawing on recent academic research and market data from platforms such as RWA.xyz. We document that most RWA tokens exhibit low trading volumes, long holding periods, and limited investor participation, despite their potential for 24/7 global markets. Through case studies of tokenized real estate, private credit, and tokenized treasury funds, we present empirical liquidity observations that reveal low transfer activity, limited active address counts, and minimal secondary trading for most tokenized asset classes. Next, we categorize the structural barriers to liquidity, including regulatory gating, custodial concentration, whitelisting, valuation opacity, and lack of decentralized trading venues. Finally, we propose actionable pathways to improve liquidity, ranging from hybrid market structures and collateral-based liquidity to transparency enhancements and compliance innovation. Our findings contribute to the growing discourse on digital asset market microstructure and highlight that realizing the liquidity potential of RWAs requires coordinated progress across legal, technical, and institutional domains.

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  • Rischan Mafrur, 2025. "Tokenize Everything, But Can You Sell It? RWA Liquidity Challenges and the Road Ahead," Papers 2508.11651, arXiv.org.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2508.11651
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kreppmeier, Julia & Laschinger, Ralf & Steininger, Bertram I. & Dorfleitner, Gregor, 2023. "Real estate security token offerings and the secondary market: Driven by crypto hype or fundamentals?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    2. Mafrur, Rischan, 2025. "AI-Based Crypto Tokens: The Illusion of Decentralized AI?," OSF Preprints yrzj5_v1, Center for Open Science.
    3. Kreppmeier, Julia & Laschinger, Ralf & Steininger, Bertram & Dorfleitner, Gregor, 2023. "Real Estate Security Token Offerings and the Secondary Market: Driven by Crypto Hype or Fundamentals?," Working Paper Series 23/6, Royal Institute of Technology, Department of Real Estate and Construction Management & Banking and Finance.
    4. Laurens Swinkels, 2025. "Empirical Evidence on the Ownership and Liquidity of Real Estate Tokens," Springer Books, in: Gang Kou & Yongqiang Li & Zongyi Zhang & J. Leon Zhao & Zhi Zhuo (ed.), Blockchain, Crypto Assets, and Financial Innovation, pages 434-467, Springer.
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