RWA Perpetuals Explode in 2026, Gold and Silver Become the “New Stars” of Crypto Derivatives?

Jakarta, Pintu News – The real-world assets (RWA) derivatives market recorded a sharp surge in early 2026 on the back of extreme volatility in gold and silver. Data shared by CoinMarketCap on X shows the trading volume of RWA perpetuals-maturityless derivative contracts that track the prices of commodities such as gold and silver-exceeded US$15 billion in the last two weeks.

This surge occurred when gold touched around US$5,500 per ounce and silver reached US$121.64, marking a new phase of integration of traditional commodities into blockchain-based derivatives infrastructure.

RWA Perpetuals: From Niche Product to New Segment

RWA perpetuals allow traders to speculate on the price movements of real-world assets like gold and silver 24/7 without physical ownership or direct tokenization of the underlying asset. The mechanism is similar to Bitcoin’s perpetual swaps: what is traded are price changes, not claims on commodities. The main difference compared to conventional RWA tokens is the focus on pure derivatives, rather than ownership representation.

On some platforms, the daily trading volume of perpetual silver almost matches that of silver futures contracts on traditional exchanges such as COMEX. This indicates a widespread acceptance of blockchain-based commodity derivatives among active traders. Far from being a test phase, volume data shows the market is actually using these instruments for speculation and hedging.

Read also: Difference of “Dip” vs “Crash” in Crypto Market: Sentiment Data Reveals Price Reversal Patterns

Crypto exchanges rush to bring gold and silver into perpetuals

Binance started trading gold and silver perpetual contracts (XAU, XAG) against USDT on January 5 and 7 through its regulated entity Abu Dhabi Global Market. Within a short period of time, the platform became one of the main references for traders who wanted to bet on the price movements of precious metals with perpetual contracts.

In addition to Binance, other exchanges are also expanding similar product offerings. MEXC launched gold and silver futures with no trading fees, while Hyperliquid recorded a significant volume spike for metal perpetuals with daily value surpassing US$1.3 billion, placing silver among the most traded assets after Bitcoin (BTC). Aster DEX has even gone ahead to list metal perpetuals and run incentive programs to encourage gold and silver trading activity on its platform.

Also read: 3 Factors that Allegedly Triggered the Latest Bitcoin Crash Below $60,000

Gold-Silver Volatility and the Outlook for the Tokenization Market

The sharp swings in gold and silver prices in early 2026-due to macroeconomic factors and global uncertainty-created an ideal environment for the growth of RWA perpetuals. Unlike traditional commodity exchanges that close at night and on weekends, blockchain-based derivatives markets operate non-stop. This gives global market participants the flexibility to react quickly to news and price shocks outside of official trading hours.

Structurally, RWA perpetuals are also an entry point into the broader real-world asset ecosystem. Various projections estimate that the tokenized asset market could reach trillion-dollar scale by the end of the decade. In one of its earlier reports, global consulting firm McKinsey & Company predicted that the total tokenized market capitalization could surpass US$2 trillion by 2030. The surge in interest in crypto-based gold and silver derivatives could be seen as an early signal of the acceleration of the trend.

Conclusion

The surge in RWA perpetuals volume amidst extreme volatility in gold and silver shows that the crypto derivatives market for real-world commodities has evolved beyond the experimental stage. With major exchanges like Binance, MEXC, Hyperliquid, and Aster DEX aggressively expanding their precious metals perpetuals product offerings, the RWA ecosystem appears to be entering a new phase of growth.

If the projected tokenization of assets towards trillion-dollar scale materializes, the RWA perpetuals segment could potentially become one of the key nodes connecting traditional commodity markets with on-chain financial infrastructure.

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*Disclaimer

This content aims to enrich readers’ information. Pintu collects this information from various relevant sources and is not influenced by outside parties. Note that an asset’s past performance does not determine its projected future performance. Crypto trading activities are subject to high risk and volatility, always do your own research and use cold hard cash before investing. All activities of buying and selling Bitcoin and other crypto asset investments are the responsibility of the reader.

Reference

• Coin Edition. RWA Perpetuals Surge in 2026 as Gold and Silver Hit Record Volatility. Accessed February 9, 2026.
• Featured Image: Generated by AI