IOST, a pioneering force in blockchain infrastructure, has secured $21 million in a new funding round led by DWF Labs, with participation from Presto and Rollman Management Group. The funding marks a significant milestone for IOST as it doubles down on building IOST 3.0  -  a next-generation multi-chain infrastructure designed specifically for unlocking real-world assets (RWAs) on-chain.

The raise not only validates the startup’s unique market positioning but also underscores the growing investor confidence in real-world asset tokenization as one of the most promising verticals in the broader crypto and decentralized finance (DeFi) landscape.

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The Mission: Real-World Assets Meet On-Chain Scalability

IOST 3.0 aims to bridge the gap between traditional finance and the decentralized world by offering a multi-chain RWA infrastructure that enables tokenization, compliance, and high-throughput deployment of assets such as real estate, commodities, invoices, and more.

At the core of IOST’s vision is unlocking liquidity and global access for traditionally illiquid or location-bound asset classes. Their 3.0 upgrade introduces modular architecture that allows for customizable compliance, enhanced privacy layers, and interoperable RWA smart contracts - tailored for both institutional and DeFi use cases.

“Unlocking real-world assets on-chain is the key to globalizing wealth, expanding access, and making traditional markets more efficient,” said Blake Jeong, a lead figure in the company’s strategy rollout.

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Why This Move Matters Now

In today’s blockchain environment, utility is king. The era of NFT hype and high-yield DeFi speculation is giving way to something more durable: real-world value. As regulators clamp down and user expectations evolve, the industry is shifting toward infrastructure that can bridge crypto with compliant, asset-backed ecosystems - and IOST is emerging as one of the few positioned to deliver at scale.

This is where many builders fall short. Tokenizing real-world assets (RWAs) isn’t just about slapping a smart contract on a title deed or invoice. The real challenge - and opportunity - lies in designing an ecosystem where compliance, custody, liquidity, and user experience are not afterthoughts, but embedded into the protocol’s DNA.

IOST gets this. Its multi-chain RWA infrastructure isn't just a product feature - it’s a foundation for the next wave of programmable finance. Unlike projects retrofitting for real-world utility, IOST built its architecture from day one to accommodate legal frameworks, institutional standards, and capital movement across both traditional and decentralized rails.

Founders building in crypto today need to look beyond the on-chain sandbox. The protocols that will dominate the next market cycle won’t be those chasing yield - they’ll be the ones engineered for trust, seamless integration, and financial interoperability. The off-chain capital that’s been sitting on the sidelines isn’t waiting for another token - it’s waiting for rails it can run on.

And this is exactly where IOST is staking its claim. By solving for the friction points that most projects ignore until it’s too late, IOST is laying the groundwork for Web3 infrastructure that doesn’t just abstract the old system - but upgrades it. The future of crypto isn’t about escape velocity from traditional finance - it’s about meeting it head-on with tools that finally make real-world money programmable.

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A Booming Market: RWA Tokenization in 2025

The global tokenized RWA market is projected to reach $16 trillion by 2030, according to Boston Consulting Group (BCG). From real estate and fine art to supply chain receivables and treasury bills, nearly every industry is beginning to experiment with on-chain representation of assets.

• Private credit tokenization is expected to grow 50x by 2030, with Goldman Sachs citing $4 trillion in projected tokenized debt.
  
• In 2023 alone, over $2 billion in RWAs were issued across DeFi-native platforms, up from just $120 million in 2021.
  

Projects like IOST that provide compliance-first infrastructure and institutional-grade modularity are poised to dominate this new wave.

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Backers and Strategic Muscle

The round's lead investor, DWF Labs, is known for its support of projects with real-world utility and token economics rooted in long-term sustainability. Joining them are Presto and Rollman Management Group, both of which bring not just capital but deep operational networks in institutional finance and blockchain adoption strategy.

This strategic capital will help IOST scale developer tools, launch real-world pilot integrations with traditional financial institutions, and bolster global regulatory engagements.

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What's Next for IOST?

With the fresh funding, IOST plans to:

• Launch PayPin, a native node-driven rewards and staking protocol to incentivize ecosystem contributors.
  
• Expand the IOST Ecosystem Fund to support startups building RWA-based applications on its infrastructure.
  
• Integrate with major compliance providers and custodians to ensure enterprise-grade token issuance.
  

They’re also onboarding enterprise partners across Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, where demand for tokenized infrastructure is growing rapidly.

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Why Founders Should Be Paying Attention

For startups building in Web3, IOST serves as a playbook for sustainable innovation:

• Start with infrastructure that solves for real problems - not hype.
  
• Bake in compliance from day one.
  
• Design with multi-chain interoperability to future-proof your stack.
  

As regulatory clarity improves, infrastructure like IOST's will become the bridge that brings real-world capital into decentralized finance. And in that race, being early isn’t just an advantage - it’s survival.

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