MANTRA Chain Launches First MantraUSD Mint and New DeFi Infrastructure

**Real World Assets (RWAs) are becoming the primary entry point for new crypto users.** New Ethereum wallet adoption of RWAs has increased dramatically: - **2022-2024**: ~1,000 new wallets per month acquired an RWA within 6 months of creation - **Current**: ~30,000 new wallets per month acquiring RWAs, with numbers continuing to rise This represents a **30x increase** in RWA adoption among new users. The trend suggests RWAs are shifting from a niche product to a mainstream onboarding mechanism for cryptocurrency.

**Bithumb has announced support for the $OM to $MANTRA token upgrade**, adding to the expanding roster of major exchanges facilitating the redenomination. **Key developments:** - Bithumb becomes the latest major Korean exchange to support the upgrade, following Upbit's earlier announcement - The upgrade involves a token swap, redenomination, and rebranding from MANTRA (OM) to MANTRA (MANTRA) - Over a dozen major exchanges now confirmed, including Binance, Bybit, OKX, Kraken, KuCoin, Gate, HTX, Bitget, MEXC, and Poloniex **Timeline:** - Governance proposal is live and expected to pass within 8 days - March 2nd appears to be the target date for the transition - MANTRA Swap will likely be the last place to trade $OM and first place to trade $MANTRA - CoinGecko preview listing application has been submitted The coordinated exchange support demonstrates broad industry backing for MANTRA Chain's transition as it positions itself as a security-first RWA Layer 1 blockchain. [Bithumb Official Notice](https://feed.bithumb.com/notice/1652127)

MANTRA is consolidating reward campaigns ahead of its March 2nd token upgrade from $OM to native $MANTRA. **Key Deadlines:** - Fully vested campaigns close this week - $OM Upgrade 5th Tranche and GenDrop claims close 24 hours before March 2nd **What's Changing:** - All rewards will migrate to native $MANTRA after the upgrade - New claim instructions will be provided post-transition - [Bybit has announced support](https://announcements.bybit.com/en/article/token-swap-and-rebranding-of-mantra-om-to-mantra-mantra--bltf301972c59bb7cb7/) for the token swap Users should claim any pending rewards at mantra.zone before the deadline to avoid missing out on their allocations.

MANTRA Finance's first regulated RWA product has secured over $250,000 in private institutional commitments. The **PYSE Green Velocity 1** offering tokenizes lease income from commercial e-bikes operated by UAE's leading food and e-commerce companies. **Key Details:** - Limited allocation remains for MANTRA community and public investors - Compliant with VARA regulations - Investors gain fractional ownership of operational lease income - E-bike fleet serves major UAE delivery platforms This marks MANTRA's entry into regulated real-world asset tokenization, bridging traditional fleet financing with blockchain infrastructure. [Join the waitlist](https://mantra.finance/pyse)

**Fund tokenization is reshaping traditional finance** through streamlined operations and enhanced accessibility. **Key transformations include:** - **Fractional ownership** - Breaking down investment barriers - **Onchain liquidity** - 24/7 trading capabilities - **Automated compliance** - Reducing operational overhead - **Global access** - Expanding investor reach **Impact across sectors:** - Private equity funds gain operational efficiency - ETFs benefit from enhanced liquidity mechanisms - Hedge funds access new distribution channels This shift builds on recent momentum, including Apex Global's Globacap acquisition for U.S. fund tokenization and Hong Kong's live settlement pilots with tokenized money-market funds. **The technology enables:** - Secure, scalable financial operations - Reduced settlement times - Lower operational costs - Enhanced transparency Tokenization represents a fundamental change in how funds operate, moving from traditional structures to blockchain-based systems that offer greater efficiency and accessibility. [Read the full analysis](mantrachain.io/resources/ann)