EtherFi has committed $25 million to Plume’s Nest Real Assets (RWA) protocol as it integrates tokenized RWA yield directly into its platform as it looks to move beyond native crypto return sources.
According to announcement on Thursday, the rollout will begin with the release of Plume’s nBASIS vault, which is tied to USCC’s Superstate crypto fund, with plans to add a dedicated real-world asset vault directly to the EtherFi interface in a later phase.
The initial allocation provides EtherFi users with indirect exposure to a strategy combining cryptocurrency-based trading, staking rewards and government securities, a structure traditionally only available to institutional or sophisticated investors.
The integration will expand RWA’s exposure to more than $6 billion in EtherFi user deposits. According to Plume, the treasury structure is designed to simplify access by supporting on-chain execution and reporting while enabling predefined risk and compliance controls.
EtherFi is a cryptocurrency platform that started with Ethereum liquid staking and has since expanded into a broader yield offering, while Plume provides infrastructure that packages institutional investment strategies into onchain vaults, giving users access to institutional strategies managed off-chain via integrated crypto platforms.
Plume has also taken steps toward integration with time-honored financial systems, including registering as a transfer agent with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in October.
Related: The Babylon-Ledger tie-up expands access to Bitcoin vaults for employ as collateral
Real-world activity of tokenized assets is increasing
Unlike time-honored DeFi income, which is generated in cryptocurrency markets, real-world asset strategies profit from income streams such as interest on government securities and lending activities.
According to data with RWA.xyz, the value of tokenized real assets has grown to over $27 billion from approximately $5.7 billion at the beginning of 2025. Much of this growth is driven by U.S. Treasury tokenized products, which have an online value of over $11 billion.
Tokenized treasuries give onchain investors access to government-backed debt instruments, combining blockchain-based settlements with the yield of short-term bills and money market funds.
Products from companies such as BlackRock, Franklin Templeton and Circle have significant market share, with Circle’s USYC having approximately $2.3 billion in assets, BlackRock’s BUIDL fund having approximately $2 billion in assets, and Franklin Templeton’s onchain fund having more than $1 billion in assets.
Plume reports that 262,325 RWA holders hold tokenized assets worth over $348 million, and the value of distributed assets has increased by 69% in the last 30 days, according to RWA.xyz data. Nest’s treasury products are available now, including a fundamentals-focused treasury with over $26 million in assets.
In November, Plume co-founder and CEO Chris Yin told Cointelegraph that the tokenized real-world asset market could grow up to fivefold this year.
He added that while most of the value of risk-weighted assets is currently concentrated in U.S. Treasury bills, a maturing market and a changing interest rate environment are prompting users to seek higher yield opportunities elsewhere.
Warehouse: Are DeFi creators responsible for other people’s illegal activities on their platforms?
