XDC Network: the forgotten RWA altcoin that seems ready for a comeback

While RWA tokens such as Ondo, Chainlink, Quant and Hedera attract attention, the crypto community points to a notable absentee in that list: XDC Network. This blockchain project focuses on trade finance and cross-border infrastructure, and shows impressive figures. Yet XDC remains largely under the radar, which some analysts find interesting.

XDC is available at OKX and Bybit.

What makes XDC Network different from other RWA projects?

Most RWA protocols focus on tokenised government bonds or private credit. XDC takes a different course and focuses on trade finance, supply chain settlement, document digitalisation and cross-border business infrastructure. That is a deliberate choice, because the trade finance market represents several trillion dollars globally.

Two characteristics stand out. First, XDC works with a hybrid model: institutions can store sensitive data in a private environment, while verification and settlement take place on the public chain. Second, XDC is compatible with ISO 20022, the universal messaging standard for financial institutions. Only a handful of blockchain networks can say that, which gives XDC a clear advantage when cooperating with traditional banks and financial parties.

Central to the ecosystem is the XDC token itself. It serves as a means of payment for gas fees, as an instrument for staking to secure the network, and as a settlement asset for invoices, trade documents and tokenised claims. In addition, the token grants voting rights within the network’s governance system.

XDC surpasses $1 billion but still trades 85% below all-time high

XDC Network announces that the platform now processes more than $1 billion in tokenised value. Over 71.5% of that consists of genuine real world assets. For a sector that runs into the trillions, that is still just a fraction of the potential, but it shows that traditional financial parties are increasingly making the move to decentralised infrastructure.

At the time of writing, XDC trades at $28, with a market capitalisation of approximately $600 million. That places the coin in eleventh place among RWA-focused tokens, according to CoinMarketCap. Compared to the all-time high of $0.1939, achieved during the 2021 bull run, XDC is still about 85% lower. That could indicate significant recovery potential, but also persistent selling pressure. The question is whether the project builds enough traction to move back towards those levels.

Analysts who follow the RWA market see the combination of growing adoption, a distinctive product focus and ISO 20022 compatibility as strong arguments for XDC. Whether that is enough to break the all-time high remains an open question for now. In a market where altcoin selling pressure drops to its lowest level in five years, this could be a favourable time for forgotten names like XDC to reappear on the radar.