A successful RWA tokenization project is one that has assets with real value, attracts customers, and doesn’t get the project in trouble with regulators or lawsuits. Strong security plays a critical role in achieving each of these three goals.

The purpose of RWA tokenization is to officially track ownership of real-world assets on-chain. By encoding ownership information into a token, it’s possible to buy/sell/trade that ownership on-chain, and the transparency of the blockchain’s digital ledger allows anyone to check this data and validate the asset’s provenance.

However, this system only works if ownership of a particular token can only be transferred during a legitimate sale. If an attacker can compromise a token contract and steal the tokens, then there is a mismatch between the official record of ownership and actual possession. While tracking ownership on-chain may be enough for digital assets or financial instruments, an attacker who steals the deed for a piece of property or luxury goods likely can’t compel the real owner to hand it over. Also, the immutability of the blockchain’s digital ledger means that a stolen token can’t be easily returned to the original owner without undermining the system’s security and/or decentralization.

The best way to avoid these types of situations is to make these types of attacks as difficult as possible to perform. This includes ensuring that RWA token contracts are implemented using security best practices, undergo comprehensive audits before launch, and are securely operated and managed by the team behind the token.

Traditional financial systems work largely on trust. People are willing to hand over their money to a bank or similar institution in return for the bank updating the value recording the user’s account balance in their ledger. This system works because the banks and regulators have established trust that customers can walk into the bank and withdraw their money again whenever they need it.

Tokenized RWAs need to have a similar level of trust to be successful. If a RWA token works properly, then ownership of that token maps to ownership of the corresponding real-world asset. In most cases, this is something of significant value, such as financial assets, real estate, luxury goods, etc. For users to adopt tokenized assets, they need to believe that as long as they hold the token they are the legitimate owner of that asset.

Demonstrating strong security is a critical component of building this necessary level of trust for a tokenization project. Many successful projects to date have been created by known institutions that can take advantage of their existing trust to build a user base. Other tokenization projects will need to work to demonstrate the trustworthiness of their offerings to users by showcasing audit reports and implementation of security best practices.

Tokens can be used to track ownership of a wide variety of potential assets. The most famous example is the use of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to record ownership of digital art. However, this use case has limited utility, and the low barrier to entry and potential for abuse resulted in most NFTs losing most or all of their value.

More mature applications of RWA tokenization are going to use assets of real value — financial assets, real estate, etc.  In most cases, these are also the types of assets that are most heavily regulated due to their value and the potential repercussions if they’re stolen.

Tokenization projects looking to operate in highly regulated industries are going to need to follow the rules for those industries. For example, the financial industry has strict standards that describe how organizations must secure their systems, software, and customers’ assets. RWA tokenization projects operating in this space will need to be able to comply with regulatory requirements both on and off-chain.

RWA tokenization efforts face something of an uphill battle for various reasons. The “Wild West” approach to tokenization with digital art NFTs left a bad taste in many potential users’ mouths and undermined the potential credibility of projects. Additionally, DeFi’s reputation for frequent major hacks runs the risk of creating regulatory barriers in key industries.

The best way to overcome many of these challenges is by demonstrating that a tokenization project meets or exceeds common security best practices for on-chain projects and the target industry. Some key elements of this include:

• Smart Contract Security: RWA tokenization requires smart contracts that define the tokens that track asset ownership and implement the desired functionality. Securing these contracts includes following development best practices and ensuring that all code undergoes a comprehensive security audit before being deployed on-chain.

• Key Management: Blockchain accounts and smart contracts are managed by private keys that can be used to generate digital signatures on behalf of that account. Accounts with elevated privileges or in control of valuable assets should be protected by cold and multi-signature wallets.

• Identity Management: RWA tokenization requires the ability to link real-world identities with on-chain accounts. This may require know-your-customer and anti-money laundering (KYC/AML) capabilities, especially in the financial sector.

Effective RWA tokenization requires robust security at every stage of the design, development, deployment, and management process. For help with the secure implementation of your tokenization project, reach out to Halborn for security audits and advisory.