The Secret Unveiled by a Bunch of Grapes: RDA and RWA, Why Suddenly Exploding in Popularity?

Have you ever thought that one day houses, stocks, and even a bunch of grapes could become a type of digital token, like a "digital certificate," confirming rights and enabling efficient circulation on the Blockchain? Recently, the concept of these digital assets has suddenly exploded in popularity, becoming a hot topic in the finance and technology circles—this is RWA (Real World Assets on-chain) and RDA (Real Data Assets).

RWA is to "pack" real-world assets—houses, photovoltaic power plants, gold, agricultural products—into a digital shell using blockchain technology, forming programmable and transferable digital asset certificates. The transparency and traceability of blockchain make the confirmation of rights and transfer of these assets safer and more efficient. For enterprises, it is like opening a new financing channel: allowing originally illiquid assets to be activated, improving transaction efficiency, reducing intermediary costs, and attracting more investors.

Of course, opportunities coexist with risks: smart contract vulnerabilities, technical risks, regulatory red lines, poorly constructed projects... all of which can lead to financial losses for investors. It is precisely because of these issues that the concept of RDA has emerged. So, what is the difference between RDA and RWA?

1. RWA tokens are not currency, but rather "certificates."

If cash in a wallet is currency, then RWA tokens are more like a "digital certificate" that proves you have certain rights over a house, bond, or even a vineyard—these rights could be ownership or rights to profits.

For example:

Some RWA tokens represent ownership shares of real estate, and the holders own a part of the house.

Some RWA tokens represent rental income rights, and holders can share in future rental returns.

Therefore, the value of the RWA token depends on the price and yield performance of the underlying assets, but it cannot be directly used for payment or circulation like currency.

2. The Two Issuance Methods of RWA

① Physical asset category: such as real estate and bulk commodities. These types of assets have low liquidity and require off-chain confirmation of rights and valuation before designing the issuance structure. By using oracles to correspond the information of real assets with on-chain digital tokens, digital confirmation of rights and equity division is achieved. Note that "cutting" here refers to the digitization of equity shares, rather than the physical asset being divided.

② Standardized securities: such as stocks and bonds. Because these assets are already standardized and do not require complex rights confirmation and valuation, they can be directly mapped to digital tokens. It's like slicing stocks into more "shares" or turning a basket of securities into a fund token, where holders obtain corresponding rights shares.

Why do people like RWA?

Expand financing targets

Reduce financing costs

Design flexible trading structures

Expand the scope of investors

For holders of real estate and large infrastructure, this is a new path to break through traditional financing bottlenecks. However, in mainland China, the regulation of virtual assets is strict, and RWA projects must comply; otherwise, it is easy to cross the line.

3. Case Study: Malu Grapes - Exploration of Digital Assets Between RWA and RDA

In November 2024, the Malu Grape digital asset project will be launched and complete financing of 10 million yuan.

It is not purely RWA, but rather a mixed attempt between RWA and RDA.

Why do you say that?

The shadow of RWA: anchored behind real grapes and consumption scenarios;

The flavor of RDA: packaging planting data and interactive experiences into digital certificates.

Gameplay Example:

The user receives a digital "Malu Grape Asset Package," which includes a grape redemption card and production data;

You can interact in the "digital vineyard", and points can be exchanged for physical grapes;

Once each digital asset voucher is exchanged for a physical item, it will no longer circulate and will not possess the attributes of free trading in the secondary market.

This design is intended to comply with strict domestic regulations, limiting the transfer function and locking rights at the level of physical consumption, rather than the arbitrary speculation of "securitized tokens."

Four, RDA: Data can also become assets

RDA (Real Data Asset) focuses on the data itself, rather than the digital asset itself.

Logistics data, transaction data, revenue data, etc., are supplementary information in traditional finance;

Under the RDA framework, this data can be packaged, put on-chain, and certified, becoming a new type of digital asset certificate.

Understanding method:

RWA: The on-chain asset is the house itself, and what you hold is a share of the house;

RDA: The on-chain data is the rental income generated by the house, and what you hold is the value of the data.

Different profit logic:

RWA returns come from the asset itself (such as rental income);

RDA earnings come from the data itself (such as the value of rental data).

A slight difference in wording can lead to a completely different underlying logic.

In summary:

RWA: Reflects physical assets, real but not as intuitive as digital.

RDA: Reflects digital assets, intuitive and efficient, but the valuation method is not mature. The difficulty in valuation lies in the quantification of the data's usage value, which is less intuitive than physical assets, leading to the possibility of a "black box."

In the future, RWA and RDA may complement and coexist with each other:

RWA enables assets to be on-chain, authenticated, and circulated;

RDA makes data more real and transparent.

For enterprises, this means more diverse financing methods and innovative opportunities.

Summary in one sentence.

RWA stands for "asset on-chain", and RDA stands for "data on-chain".

A way to enable the segmentation and rights verification of real assets, and a way to price and circulate the data generated from the assets.