On-chain equities and RWAs could 100x blockchain value, Nansen CEO says

Crypto markets are experiencing significant tailwinds due to regulatory shifts, but long-term opportunities remain untapped, according to Nansen’s CEO.

Regulations are only now beginning to catch up with DeFi innovation. On Friday, July 18, Alex Svanevik, CEO of Nansen, shared his insights at SCB10X’s ReDeFine Tomorrow 2025 conference. According to Svanevik, there are still major long-term opportunities in crypto that remain largely underexplored.

The ongoing crypto bull market demonstrates that regulation is a key catalyst for growth. Notably, since the 2024 elections, Bitcoin (BTC) has surged from $70,000 to an all-time high of $123,091. Still, Svanevik noted a significant lag between the pace of blockchain development and the long-awaited regulatory response.

“While crypto moves at a rapid pace, traditional finance and politics operate on much slower timelines, sometimes taking quarters or years to fully integrate innovations. Understanding this dynamic lag is crucial for spotting long-term opportunities,” Svanevik stated.

RWAs are the next 100x opportunity: Nansen CEO

While crypto is currently experiencing strong momentum, Svanevik believes the industry is still far from realizing its full potential. He speculates that the next major opportunity will come from tokenized stocks and real-world assets.

“We’ve already seen all-time highs and believe new records are ahead, especially with promising L1 projects emerging. But the true breakthrough will come from regulatory clarity that allows us to tokenise real equity and assets – not just speculative memecoins. What will 10x or 100x blockchain value is getting equity and real-world assets on-chain,” Alex Svanevik, Nansen.

Real-world assets have become one of the fastest-growing segments of the crypto market in recent months. According to a report by RedStone, RWAs reached an estimated value of $24 billion. The report cited private credit as a major driver of the recent surge in the asset class.