Infrastructure provider Libre is launching a new Web3 protocol to bring investment funds to the Aptos network.
The first funds to be deployed on the Aptos layer-1 include Brevan Howard Master Fund, Hamilton Lane’s Senior Credit Opportunities Fund, and BlackRock’s ICS Money Market Fund. Combined, the funds are reported to hold over $91 billion in assets under management.
Libre, a recently launched joint venture between WebN Group and Nomura’s Laser Digital, will serve as the backbone infrastructure for integrating real-world assets (RWAs) on Aptos. According to an announcement, Libre’s Gateway DeFi DApps will allow accredited, professional and institutional investors to access the funds onchain.
Aptos isn’t the first network to receive Libre’s tokenized funds. Over the past few months, the same portfolio has already been deployed on the Solana and Near blockchains.
Tokenization is the process of converting real-world assets or rights into digital tokens that represent ownership or a stake in the asset, allowing them to be traded on blockchain systems. In private equity markets, tokenization helps with access by fractionalizing large, illiquid assets, allowing smaller investors to trade and get exposure to assets.
According to data available on Dune Analytics, over $1.6 billion in securities had already been tokenized as of Sept. 5. Global bank Citi forecasts that the tokenization market will reach up to $5 trillion by 2030.
Source: SteakHouse/Dune Analytics
“Libre is leveraging Aptos Ascend, a product developed by Aptos Labs to provide a gateway to deliver new asset classes and financial services to users, to ensure they benefit from the reliability and sophistication of TradFi paired with the decentralization and fundamental security enabled by Move on Aptos,” said Mo Shaikh, co-founder and CEO of Aptos Labs. “It’s a best of both worlds situation, supported by Aptos Labs’ innovation,” he added.
The Libre protocol went live in the first quarter of 2024, supporting asset tokenization and smart contracts on the Polygon network, as well as collateralized lending and automated rebalancing of separately managed accounts (SMAs). The protocol also offers crypto-native funds, such as Laser Digital’s new Market Neutral Fund.
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