As global economic uncertainty intensifies, the RWA sector is experiencing unprecedented growth opportunities.

• The Federal Reserve's policy shift, persistent economic inflation, and escalating geopolitical conflicts have led to a rising market demand for low-risk, stable-return investments;

• The approval of crypto spot ETFs in 2024 will accelerate institutional capital inflow into on-chain finance, driving the DeFi ecosystem towards compliance and maturity;

• With a growing risk-averse sentiment, gold has become a core asset of interest for institutional funds. Amid doubts about the transparency of traditional gold investments, this further propels the growth of the RWA sector.

In such a market environment, where will the next growth point for the RWA sector come from? Matrixdock believes it will stem from intelligence and automation. With AI empowerment, investors can manage on-chain assets more efficiently, optimize investment strategies, and reduce transaction costs, allowing more people to participate in the new development phase of the RWA market.

To further explore the future development of the RWA sector, the challenges faced by the RWA industry, and breakthrough points, we are fortunate to invite Eva, the head of Matrixdock, to hear the voice of a true builder in the RWA industry.

Here is a summary of the interview:

Odaily: With the development of blockchain technology, a plethora of crypto "innovation" projects have emerged. You have accumulated rich experience in the internet and blockchain fields; what motivated you to ultimately dive into the RWA sector and participate in the establishment of Matrixdock?

Eva: Although there have been numerous "innovations" in technology over the years, many products remain confined within the crypto circle. We are still far from truly impacting the global financial system or participating in the lives of ordinary people.

If there is an opportunity to break the circle or to overcome the invisible barriers between the crypto world and traditional finance, I believe it is RWA. RWA is not just about putting assets on-chain; it is about reshaping the entire operation of finance, including rebuilding trust. It not only makes on-chain assets more robust but also makes traditional finance more efficient and transparent.

I personally believe that the value of technology should not remain in code but should truly change the world.

In the gaming industry, I learned to focus on user needs, making technology user-friendly and lowering barriers. This mindset has led me to focus on how to make complex technology more accessible and usable for ordinary people after entering the blockchain space. When founding bitdeer cloud computing, we transformed mining into a shared model similar to ride-sharing through computing power slicing technology, allowing global users to participate with low barriers. This was one of the earliest innovations in Web3 that closely resembled the "sharing economy." Later, at BTC.com mining pool, we introduced a user-level lucky value tracking metric, enabling miners to find ways to optimize mining efficiency more quickly.

These experiences have made me accustomed to starting from real needs and using technology to simplify complexity. RWA can enable Web3 to influence mainstream finance and even change the fairness of wealth distribution; this is what I aim to do, and it is also what Matrixdock is doing.

Odaily: You just mentioned "using technology to simplify complexity." What pain points in traditional finance does RWA address? What role does Matrixdock play in this?

Eva: Traditional finance is often characterized by "slow," "expensive," and "high barriers."** For example, traditional bond trading often involves multiple departments, cumbersome processes, and high transaction costs. RWA tokenization allows assets to be settled on-chain at any time, resulting in higher efficiency and lower costs. Through smart contracts, transactions can be automated, reducing intermediary steps; with high transparency, assets can be recorded and traded transparently and traceably via blockchain, effectively reducing fraud and improper operations in the market.

With the development of blockchain and smart contract technology, and as the market has validated the feasibility of RWA, more and more institutions and even regulatory bodies are actively embracing RWA. For instance, banks like JPMorgan are exploring tokenized bonds, and countries like Switzerland and Singapore are positively inclined towards the tokenization of real assets at the regulatory level.

As a participant in the RWA industry, Matrixdock deeply understands the pain points of traditional finance, leading industry standards in asset transparency, compliance, and user-friendliness. For example, our assets strictly adhere to "sufficient reserves with audits," ensuring that "assets exist before tokens." We comply with KYC/AML standards and collaborate with global institutions. Our team combines expertise in traditional finance and blockchain to deliver tradable and value-added assets, making RWA investment simpler and more feasible. Currently, our STBT (U.S. Treasury token) has reached an AUM of $120 million within a year, becoming a foundational asset for stablecoin issuers and DeFi protocols. Our XAUm (gold token) has been live for less than six months and is already deeply embedded in DeFi, allowing for collateralized lending and trading hedging, making gold more flexible than ever.

Of course, we also face some challenges now. Traditional investors are accustomed to bank accounts, brokerage trading, and centralized custody, while on-chain investments involve wallet management, private key security, and smart contract interactions, which are entirely new experiences for them. To address these issues, we have designed a complete process from KYC to on-chain operations and provided user-friendly APIs, making it easier for individuals and institutions to accept and use our products.

Odaily: Speaking of gold, the transparency of physical gold has recently come under market scrutiny, such as Musk questioning the authenticity of U.S. Treasury gold reserves. How does Matrixdock's gold token address the investment pain points of physical gold?

Eva: The traditional gold market has two major pain points: lack of transparency (such as the absence of reserve audits) and low liquidity (such as the geographical and temporal limitations of ETFs). Recently, Musk's questioning of the authenticity of U.S. gold reserve audits reflects the market's doubts about the transparency of precious metal investments.

The value of gold has always been built on trust, but if reserves are not transparent, the market finds it hard to be at ease. This is the significance of XAUm, which uses blockchain technology to rebuild trust in gold, making it more transparent and verifiable.

XAUm is not "paper gold"; each token is backed by 100% LBMA-certified physical gold. This gold comes from well-known suppliers like Point Gold and Heraeus, stored in top global vaults like Brink's and Malca Amit, ensuring safety and compliance, and supporting physical redemption. All reserves undergo regular independent audits, and users can view the gold storage status in real-time via blockchain, achieving true openness and transparency. XAUm allows gold to transition from "hearsay" to "self-verification."

XAUm supports large transactions, enabling institutional investors to efficiently and safely allocate gold assets. Matrixdock connects to the global gold market through multi-layer liquidity integration, optimizing pricing to provide users with better liquidity and lower transaction costs. For instance, during last month's gold shortage, we achieved over $10 million in purchases in a single day, with pricing better than the market.

Moreover, XAUm is also very "user-friendly," supporting 24/7 trading and can be staked in multiple DeFi protocols to enhance asset efficiency, even combining with other on-chain assets to unlock capital potential.

XAUm allows gold to move from closed vaults to the open blockchain world, enabling every investor to become their own "gold auditor," verifying reserve status in real-time with just a few clicks. Therefore, XAUm is not just an investment product but a new industry standard that makes gold investment more transparent, flexible, and trustworthy. This is not only our vision but also the direction of the future of financial technology.

Odaily: You just mentioned that the tokenization of government bonds and gold falls under standard assets. How do you view the tokenization of non-standard assets? Does Matrixdock have any plans to explore the tokenization of non-standard assets?

Eva: The on-chainization of non-standard assets is a very good idea. During the DeFi Summer, there were numerous explorations in this area, fully demonstrating the demand for the on-chainization of non-standard assets. However, overall, the current foundational setup still cannot adequately meet the pace of on-chainization for non-standard assets.

Although the blockchain ecosystem has progressed, non-standard assets like private equity and supply chain financing are still stuck on key issues such as transparency, liquidity, and credit mechanisms, and the market needs more breakthroughs.

From Matrixdock's perspective, we believe that the on-chainization of non-standard assets will definitely be the next step in RWA development, but the key lies in whether market demand and infrastructure are mature enough. Our strategy is "standardize first, then non-standard." At this stage, our focus is on highly liquid, market-recognized standardized assets (U.S. Treasury bonds, gold) because they already have mature trading markets that can seamlessly integrate into the on-chain financial system. In the future, we will also pay attention to the possibilities of non-standard assets, but the core logic will not change: transparency, liquidity, and combinability with on-chain finance. If a certain type of non-standard asset can achieve breakthroughs in these three aspects, such as short-term supply chain financing or even structured yield products, we will immediately consider how to incorporate it into the Matrixdock ecosystem. But for now, we prefer to deepen and thoroughly explore the market for standardized assets to lay a solid foundation for future non-standard asset tokenization.

Odaily: In recent product updates, Matrixdock mentioned achieving deep integration of RWA with AI. As an RWA participant who first proposed the concept of AI integration in the industry, could you elaborate on why embracing AI is important? What will investors perceive?

Beyond the genuine market demand, I often ponder where the future of RWA lies. We can see the current popularity of RWA and the rapid development of AI at a "heavenly" level, making the trend of AI "from brain to hand" inevitable. In this wave of technology, we firmly believe that the future of RWA lies in the deep integration of AI and blockchain, building new financial infrastructure that makes financial markets smarter and more efficient.

RWA is not just about tokenizing assets; it also involves expanding combinations after tokenization. We can hold assets through CeFi and DeFi, interact with more on-chain protocols, and achieve greater liquidity and higher asset utilization. As AI becomes more widespread, AI Agents, as important asset management participation tools, will have two clear requirements for the assets they interact with on-chain: asset recognizability and asset callability.

This brings us to Matrixdock's core philosophy, "let assets come alive," which we call "financial Lego." RWA is not just about going on-chain; it is about being truly usable. Through blockchain, AI, and programmable assets, we are building a more transparent and intelligent financial system, allowing traditional financial assets and crypto-native assets to be freely combined, traded, and applied like Lego. Our STBT (U.S. Treasury token) and XAUm (gold token) are not just tokenized assets; they are intelligent asset combinations supported by wallets and APIs. Whether for individuals, institutions, or AI agents, these assets can be combined like "Lego," supporting stablecoins, DeFi, and institutional applications, unlocking unlimited potential.

In the future, AI will automatically optimize asset allocation, such as dynamically adjusting the ratio of gold to U.S. Treasury bonds, while blockchain ensures that every transaction is transparent and trustworthy. Smart contracts will enable 24/7 millisecond-level trading, eliminating intermediaries and reducing costs. Matrixdock empowers RWA with AI + blockchain, allowing assets to run on their own while investors reap the benefits. This is not only our vision but also the reality we are practicing.

Odaily: Thank you, Eva, for sharing insights on AI finance. We are very much looking forward to the intelligent future of RWA. At the end of this interview, we have selected a question from an investor who is curious about gold: Is it appropriate to invest in gold now, and do you have any investment advice?

Eva: Trump's tariff policy has indeed heightened market uncertainty, and geopolitical factors have further amplified this instability. As a safe-haven asset, gold is naturally in high demand.

Although gold prices are reaching new highs, the core value of gold lies not in short-term fluctuations but in its long-term inflation resistance and safe-haven properties. Considering the global economic turmoil, issues with the credibility of the U.S. dollar, and the controversy over gold reserve transparency, allocating a portion of gold as a long-term hedge remains a reasonable choice.

My investment advice is:
First, invest in gold through dollar-cost averaging to smooth out volatility. By buying in batches, you can reduce the impact of market sentiment on your investments. At the same time, adjust your positions flexibly; I suggest that 5%-10% of your personal investment allocation in gold is reasonable.
Second, if your personal investment risk is clear, consider increasing the asset utilization of gold. Traditional gold can only be stored and does not generate income, but with gold tokens (like XAUm), you can stake and borrow to obtain stablecoins, invest in other assets, and improve capital efficiency while maintaining exposure to gold.

In summary: If an investor has long-term hedging needs, now is still a good time to allocate gold; if you want to enhance capital utilization, choosing gold tokens and then staking and borrowing can maximize the value of your assets, allowing gold to actively contribute to a flexible asset allocation strategy.

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