BlackRock, Laser Digital tokenized strategies are expanding onchain via Kaio, Hedera
Hedera Overview - August 15, 2025
Welcome to the Hedera Overview. We provide biweekly content for Hedera enthusiasts, users, developers and curious-minded web3 users so they can stay up to date on the ecosystem.
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The ecosystem insights
HBAR token price: $0.24 (-3.59%)
Market cap: $10.25B (-2.16%)
Total value locked (TVL): $143.62M (-0.59%)
Total staked: 14.6B (-0.67%)
Transactions per second: 6.37 tx/s (-57.44%)
The percentages and metrics are calculated from its change over a 14-day time frame unless noted otherwise.
Hedera Highlights
Diving deeper into some of the biggest updates from Hedera.
#️⃣ What’s happening: KAIO expanded its tokenized fund offerings and onchain infrastructure for regulated RWAs to the Hedera network.
#️⃣ Why it matters: KAIO’s launch on Hedera includes onchain access for institutional and accredited investors to strategies like the Laser Digital Carry Fund, BlackRock ICS US Dollar Liquidity Fund and the Brevan Howard Master Fund. All of these provide exposure to areas like liquid cash management, global macro strategies, and blockchain-integrated investment products.
KAIO has a compliance-first RWA infrastructure, so by integrating with Hedera’s low-cost public ledger, its offerings can be securely accessible in a more regulated, transparent, and programmable manner.
What makes KAIO programmable is that users can add automated rules or features, like smart contracts, that run by themselves without needing a middleman. Since it’s onchain, all transactions and instances can be viewed directly to make sure nothing is altered.
In addition, this positions tokenized money market funds to be used as collateral for stablecoins or to function as yield-bearing reserves. For Hedera users, by having tokenized funds onchain, they can leverage it as collateral in DeFi protocols for stablecoin issuance or accessing loans. In turn, it unlocks financial strategies and composable features possible because it's a digital asset.
#️⃣ The bigger picture: Hedera’s involvement positions it as a competitive platform for RWA tokenization. In order to compete with traditional rails, blockchains need to offer low transaction costs and high throughput. Alongside contributions from Hedera’s Council, these features can meet institutional requirements for security, scalability and compliance.
Integrating high-profile issuers like BlackRock, Brevan Howard and Laser Digital showcases the Hedera ecosystem’s credibility and potential. This further increases the opportunity for RWA services on public DLTs.
Unpacking the hash
Hedera stablecoin market cap grew 54% on the week to $86.4M, DefiLlama data shows
USDC issued on the network also rose 40% in the same period to $91.8M, USDCcool data shows
Total NFT volume on Hedera surged 131% on the month to $4.85M, according to DappRadar data
Learn about all kinds of AI developments on Hedera ranging from its $1M hackathon to the HOL Desktop and more, in an X space
Hedera Foundation announced a strategic collaboration with Swarm to launch tokenized stocks for Apple, Tesla and MicroStrategy on Hedera Network
Ecosystem players
Highlighting the companies, communities and users tied to Hedera ecosystem
Here’s some Hedera protocols that had noteworthy TVL growth on the month:
Hashgraph partnered with Blockaid to deliver real-time dApp and token scanning for scam and fraud prevention with integration via HashPack’s wallet
Dfns integrated Hedera to its wallet infrastructure for automated asset recognition and secure transaction handling
Get involved with the community
Want to dive into the ecosystem full-time? Find the latest job postings here or get involved at an event below.
Register for the Hedera Africa Hackathon to compete for a $1M prize pool
Check out Hedera’s involvement in ETHGlobal New York from August 15-17 featuring a $10K hackathon prize pool
Meet up with the community for an event co-hosted by Hedera, Animoca Brands JP and Mawari on August 25 in Tokyo
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This product was built by Token Relations.
This information is for entertainment purposes only. It should not be considered financial advice, nor should it be used to make investment decisions. Cryptocurrencies are high risk and you should consult a financial professional before making any financial decisions. Make sure you do your own research.