REAL Finance has expanded access to its native $ASSET token in Europe, with the token now available to eligible users through Kraken EU. The move opens broader access for European participants as the company continues building infrastructure for tokenized real-world financial assets.

The Sofia, Bulgaria-based company said the expanded availability builds on $ASSET's existing presence on Kraken and extends access through the exchange's European Union operations. For crypto exchanges, the EU market operates under the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation, which took full effect across the bloc in December 2024 and provides a harmonized licensing framework for token trading and issuance.

Within the REAL Finance network, $ASSET serves several functions: it is used to pay transaction fees, participate in staking, support network security, and take part in onchain governance.

The expansion comes as demand develops across European markets for infrastructure supporting tokenized financial assets. Tokenization of real-world assets (RWA) — representing instruments such as bonds, funds, and other financial products on blockchains — has become one of the most active areas of institutional crypto adoption, with major asset managers and banks running pilot programs and live issuance platforms.

Network targets institutional RWA market

REAL Finance is developing a Layer 1 blockchain focused on tokenized real-world financial assets. Its infrastructure is designed to support financial products throughout their lifecycle, including issuance, management, distribution, and settlement.

The network is also working with regulated financial institutions and infrastructure providers as it builds its European institutional ecosystem. One partner is Wiener Privatbank, an Austrian bank regulated by the Austrian Financial Market Authority (FMA). According to REAL Finance, Wiener Privatbank supports custody, reserve management, asset structuring, and institutional distribution within the ecosystem.

The companies are targeting more than €3.5 billion in assets for tokenization through the REAL Finance ecosystem. The project's broader infrastructure is intended to connect regulated financial institutions, custodians, and other counterparties with blockchain-based financial markets.

For REAL Finance, the listing on Kraken EU provides another route for eligible European users to access $ASSET while the company works to expand the institutional applications of its blockchain infrastructure.

REAL Finance focuses on onchain capital markets

REAL Finance CEO Ivo Grigorov said Europe remains an important market for the company as it develops infrastructure connecting regulated institutions with blockchain-based capital markets.

"Europe is a key market for REAL Finance as we build the infrastructure connecting regulated financial institutions with onchain capital markets," said Grigorov. "Expanding access to $ASSET through Kraken EU gives more participants in the region a way to engage with the network as that institutional ecosystem grows."

The company said its infrastructure covers tokenized financial assets from issuance and custody through settlement and potential secondary-market utility. The broader focus is on creating an institutional onchain capital markets ecosystem for the tokenization, management, and settlement of real-world financial assets.

With $ASSET now available to eligible users through Kraken EU, REAL Finance is seeking to combine greater token accessibility with the continued development of its European institutional network. The company's strategy remains centered on bringing regulated financial assets and associated capital-market activities onchain.