Obligate, an on-chain capital markets platform, announced the facilitation of a bond issuance for Polytrade, the tokenized real-world asset (RWA) marketplace. The funding was secured through an electronic, blockchain-based bond (eNote) on the Obligate platform using the Polygon PoS Network, with all proceeds disbursed in Circle’s USDC stablecoin.
“This eNote marks the start of a long-lasting relationship with Obligate. It also showcases our resolve in continuing to grow our tokenization business while we go from a single asset to a multi-asset RWA aggregator,” said Piyush Gupta, CEO of Polytrade, in a statement.
Tobias Wohlfarth, head of Origination at Obligate, said in a statement: “As the select partner of Polytrade’s inaugural and forthcoming digital bond issuances, we are signifying a strategic advancement into the Asian market. This alliance reaffirms our steadfast dedication to transforming on-chain capital markets without geographical limitations.”
“As the tokenization landscape evolves, greater global market access and broader infrastructure offerings are going to be critical to widespread adoption. Obligate and Polytrade are swiftly addressing both of these core competencies and we are excited to see this growth of the tokenization space being facilitated on Polygon,” said Colin Butler, global head of Institutional Capital at Polygon Labs, in a statement.
The high concentration of bank lending in the APAC region combined with banks being more conservative in the context of regulatory requirements when it comes to lending to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), highlights the importance of diverse funding sources, which are particularly beneficial for SMEs. This is where the significance of alternative funding sources, like those offered by Polytrade, becomes evident. Platforms such as Obligate, by providing such non-bank lenders access to new forms of capital, play a crucial role in filling this gap.
“Liquidity is one of the key bottlenecks for RWAs and this partnership with Obligate marks a big step towards easing liquidity for the sector,” said Milind Bansia, head of Strategy at Polytrade, in a statement.