The rise of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization continues to accelerate as DigitShares launches its tokenized real estate trading platform, RealEstate.Exchange (REX), on Polygon, bringing compliant, fractional property investments to retail investors around the world.
This move aims to solve liquidity issues in traditional real estate markets by enabling secondary market trading of tokenized property assets, starting with luxury real estate in Miami, Florida.
🏠 REX Debuts with Two Flagship Properties in Miami
At launch, REX features:
- The Legacy Hotel & Residences, a 529-unit tower managed by FraXion.
- A 38-unit residential complex managed by Trade Estate.
DigiShares CEO Claus Skaaning confirmed that 5–6 additional properties are in the pipeline, covering residential, commercial, and luxury segments.
REX’s goal is to create a liquid secondary market for real estate investors who traditionally face long lock-up periods and limited exit opportunities.
🌐 Why Polygon? Speed, Cost, and Scalability
REX selected Polygon’s proof-of-stake blockchain for its:
- Low transaction fees
- Fast settlement times
- Robust security framework
Polygon currently ranks as the 13th-largest blockchain by 24-hour trading volume, according to CoinGecko, and continues to attract enterprise-grade tokenization projects.
📊 A Regulated Global Platform in the Making
- REX is licensed in the U.S. via Texture Capital, an SEC-registered broker-dealer.
- It participates in the EU’s blockchain sandbox as it seeks MiCA and MiFID approvals.
- Future expansion plans include registrations in South Africa and the UAE, two emerging hubs for tokenized real estate.
Since 2018, DigiShares has helped facilitate between $100M–$200M in tokenized property deals.
🌍 RWA Tokenization Market Heating Up
The tokenized asset market has reached $62 billion, according to Security Token Market (STM). Real estate represents the largest number of tokenized assets by count (595 tokens), although equity and debt tokens still dominate in monetary value.
- Mantra Finance and Blocksquare are also rolling out new RWA tokenization frameworks.
- Dubai is rapidly becoming a global RWA hub, with regulatory clarity attracting firms like Mantra Finance.
Mantra CEO John Patrick Mullin projects the RWA market to reach trillions of dollars in the coming years, saying:
“It’s in the tens of billions now. We’re expecting this to go into potentially trillions of dollars of assets onchain.”
Hidden Insight
Real estate tokenization on Polygon could become the gateway for retail investors into commercial real estate markets, previously reserved for institutional players. If liquidity and compliance infrastructure hold, RWA tokens may become a new asset class for both passive income and capital growth—bridging TradFi and DeFi more seamlessly than ever.