Real-world assets had a breakout year in 2025, but the question now is simple. Will this momentum survive further challenges, or has it peaked?Liquidity, regulation, and actual usage will determine who takes the lead next. In this article, we look at three RWA tokens to watch in 2026.
This list is based on real demand, smart money behavior, and early structure on the chart.
Maple Finance (SYRUP)
According to CoinGecko, RWA was the most profitable crypto asset in 2025, with an average return of over 185%. This context is important because Maple Finance is on the credit side of this trend, ending the year up about 109% year-over-year and recently up 7.5%, showing that momentum is still alive and well.
It is an institutional lending platform where companies borrow capital through actual lending activities, and lenders earn the yield associated with on-chain credits rather than inflationary emissions. This position puts Maple Finance on the shortlist of RWA tokens to watch in 2026.
Bitget CMO Ignacio Aguirre Franco exclusively tells BeInCrypto that Maple’s 2025 performance needs to be understood in context.
“Prices can rise much faster than underlying adoption or revenues justify,” he said.
He added that prices are not a reliable indicator for next year.
“We will prioritize revenue growth and payment volume as important metrics to focus on as we move toward 2026,” he said.
This is in line with the views of Konstantin Anissimov, Global CEO of Currency.com. He believes there is still room for growth in credit lanes as RWA adoption matures.
“On-chain credit is likely to be next. There is real demand… but it will not grow linearly,” he stressed in an exclusive conversation with BeInCrypto.
On-chain data supports this interest. Over the past 30 days, Whale’s holdings increased by 767% to approximately 6.33 million SYRUP, adding approximately 5.6 million tokens.
Mega whales increased their holdings by 15%, and smart money addresses increased by about 28%.
This chart examines the interest of whales and smart money. It shows how the cup and handle pattern is reinforced and formed inside the handle. A breakout above $0.336 initiates a move that is confirmed by clearing the slope neckline near $0.360.
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This prediction has a target of $0.557 (about +60% from confirmation). Weakness appears below $0.302 and the pattern breaks below $0.235.
chain link (link)
Chainlink did not break out as much as application layer RWA projects in 2025. It ended the year down about 38% year over year and is currently trading around $12.37. It has risen 1.7% over the past seven days, but the recovery has been slow and uneven.
Still, its association with institutional rails and data integrity makes it one of the infrastructure layer RWA tokens to watch in 2026.
This position is in line with what Ignacio Aguirre Franco told BeInCrypto when asked why infrastructure projects become more important as deployments mature.
He explains that platforms like Chainlink are closer to the trust layer needed for actual payments.
“Chainlink and Stellar exist at the infrastructure layer, with the former providing trusted data and validation that other applications rely on.
Both are important when dealing with tokenized assets tied to real-world values. And both of these platforms have been doing their part for many years, making them understandably attractive options for institutional investors looking for trust and stability.”
He added that this is where institutions are likely to gravitate.
“Research institutions don’t want to deal with experimental systems at every layer, so having a reliable infrastructure underneath and flexible applications on top makes the most sense as the way forward,” he emphasized.
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Smart money behavior reflects that change. In the past 7 days, the smart money address increased its holdings by 3.82% even as Mega Whale’s balance decreased. This suggests selective accumulation rather than widespread trust, but is still noticeable during downturns.
The chart shows a double bottom near $11.73, and the momentum indicator RSI (Relative Strength Index) has recorded an even lower low. If the price retests the support level while the RSI is rising, it indicates a bullish divergence and suggests that the sellers are losing power. This is the earliest sign of a potential trend change.
LINK has recovered a bit since then.
To continue moving higher, LINK will need to break above $12.45 to confirm short-term upside. Above that, $13.76 becomes the next significant level. It was the resistance that halted the last rally on December 12th and has not recovered since.
If smart money inflows continue and the price breaks above $13.76, LINK could move towards $14.24 and even $15.01, where a momentum decision is likely to be made. A breakout of the $11.75 line could weaken the bullish hypothesis and weaken LINK’s price structure.
Zebec Network (ZBCN)
Zebec Network is part of RWA’s real-time payroll and funds transfer division. It was one of the best-performing companies in 2025, increasing approximately 164% year-on-year, but the past three months have been difficult. It is still down about 42% during this period and is currently trading around $0.0023.
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The token has been flat over the past 24 hours and is trying to regain momentum. Still, its use case keeps it on the list of RWA tokens to watch in 2026.
A whale recently landed again. Over the past 7 days, large holders have increased their balances by 4.79% to approximately 301.67 million ZBCN, adding approximately 13.8 million tokens.
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That’s exactly what’s happening in the major support zone (which we’ll explain later on the chart). This support may be why whales are testing an entry here despite the overall trend being weak.
However, Konstantin Anissimov of Currency.com highlights the following points regarding segment-based survival as it relates to Zebec Network:
“Real-time payroll is the segment most susceptible to rotations…Without continued usage growth, this sector will suffer the most during market rotations,” he said.
This quote is important because it sets Zebec apart. Whale purchases are helpful, but actual usage still needs to be determined.
Technically, setup is easy. The structure becomes slightly bullish only if ZBCN regains $0.0030. This level will be lost on November 29th, and above this level will be about +28% from the current price. Above that, $0.0036 and $0.0041 are the next checkpoints. Holding these will confirm that buyers are indeed chasing whales into the market.
If it breaks below $0.0021 (a significant support that was hinted at earlier), the support argument disappears and the whales’ optimism will be tested. The next downside area is around $0.0014, which would invalidate Zebec’s RWA recovery lawsuit in the near term.
