Animoca Brands joins XDC Network as validator for its $870M RWA ecosystem

Web3 investor Animoca Brands has joined the XDC Network as a strategic validator, operating masternodes on the blockchain that processes over $870 million in tokenized real-world assets (RWA).

"XDC Network has always been built on the conviction that institutional-grade infrastructure requires institutional-grade validators," Atul Khekade, co-founder of XDC Network, said. "Animoca Brands brings not just credibility to our validator set, but a reach into networks that can accelerate the kind of real-world asset activity and liquidity that XDC was designed to support.”

The May 19 announcement marks a milestone for XDC's institutional validator program. Animoca Brands joins a group of prominent validators including Deutsche Telekom, HashKeyCloud, Republic, SBI Holdings, and UOB Venture Management, which help secure the network. The XDC Network is a hybrid blockchain designed for trade finance, cross-border settlement, and RWA tokenization.

The partnership comes as the market for RWA tokenization surpasses $33.7 billion globally, excluding stablecoins, according to data cited by Bitget. XDC's focus on this sector has attracted significant attention, with its native token becoming one of the most visited on CoinMarketCap, ahead of Bitcoin and Ethereum, signaling strong retail interest in its infrastructure.

Animoca Brands, a global leader in digital assets and one of the most active builders in Web3, will contribute to the security and decentralization of the XDC Network. The firm's participation is expected to attract further development and liquidity to the ecosystem, which includes a portfolio of over 600 companies.

"XDC's track record in trade finance and its growing ecosystem of real-world asset applications make it a compelling network for us to participate in at the infrastructure level," said Samuel Tse, VP of investments, strategies, and partnerships at Animoca Brands.

The XDC Network has carved a niche with its enterprise-ready, open-source protocol. Its hybrid architecture, which is compatible with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), is optimized for institutional use cases that require both the speed of private networks and the security of public ledgers. This has allowed it to support billions in trade finance and a growing volume of tokenized assets, including corporate bonds, US treasuries, and private credit.

The focus on real-world assets has become a dominant narrative in the crypto industry, with major financial institutions like BlackRock and Franklin Templeton launching their own tokenized products. XDC Network is positioned as a key battleground in this expanding market, with its infrastructure tailored for the compliance, settlement speed, and interoperability required by traditional finance.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.