Ether.fi bets $100M on Plume as tokenized RWA demand accelerates

Plume and Ether.fi have launched a yield-bearing real-world asset vault with a $100 million exclusive allocation from Ether.fi.

According to the press release, the allocation comes from ether.fi’s liquidity provider base, including funds, family offices, and high-net-worth individuals. Charles Mountain, ether.fi’s head of ecosystem, said in the press release that the capital also includes managed funds from Ether.fi’s liquid ETH, liquid USD, and liquid BTC vaults, which hold about $300 million in total value locked.

Ether.fi adds RWA yield through Plume

Mountain said Ether.fi is seeing strong demand for earn products with institutional-grade risk and less exposure to DeFi complexity. Through the new product, ether.fi users can access tokenized real-world asset yield directly inside the ether.fi app.

According to Mountain, the integration of Plume Nest Vaults gives users access to institutional-grade real-world asset yield through a platform they already use. He said such products were previously available mainly to select investors.

Plume said users have been looking for more stable yield options after periods of volatility and exploit risks across DeFi. The company described the vault as part of a changing on-chain yield market, where investors want structured products with clearer risk controls.

Plume built Vaults around Ether.fi demand

Plume co-founder and CEO Chris Yin told The Block that Plume spent several months studying demand from ether.fi and its users. After that process, Yin said Plume sourced assets, completed due diligence, and built vaults that matched ether.fi’s needs as a partner and platform.

The vault is designed to bundle several institutional asset strategies into one product, according to Plume. Rather than requiring users to manage different positions manually, the structure allows deposits and withdrawals through a single vault product.

Plume said its RWA vaults work in a similar way to structured income products. The company said the vaults provide exposure to a basket of institutional assets, including overcollateralized credit pools, AAA-rated collateralized loan obligations, and total bond market exchange-traded funds.

Tokenized asset products gain traction

The launch comes as tokenized real-world assets continue attracting large financial institutions. Plume said the assets used in its vaults come from managers that collectively oversee more than $10 trillion.

Over the past year, firms such as Apollo, WisdomTree, Hamilton Lane, and BlackRock have expanded tokenization work as investors seek blockchain-based access to traditional financial products.

Vault products have become one route for packaging tokenized yield opportunities, according to Plume. The company said this model can reduce the need for users to interact with several protocols separately.

Plume said its vaults are non-custodial and built with compliance controls. The company linked that approach to its Bermuda Monetary Authority license and its Securities and Exchange Commission transfer agent approval through Kimber Transfer Agency.

Meanwhile, Ether.fi’s role gives the vault immediate access to one of the better-known restaking and crypto yield user bases. Ether.fi is also one of the largest crypto card providers, according to the company.