Major milestones in trade finance, real world asset tokenization and protocol security serve as catalysts for growth as we approach 2025

Blockchain adoption gained widespread appeal in 2024. Now more than ever, XDC Network is being recognized as an important piece of the global crypto landscape. 

Through novel trade finance applications and major technology upgrades, XDC Network achieved a level of adoption not seen in its first five years. As the crypto industry converges with the real world, XDC Network’s long-term vision for asset tokenization and enterprise use cases now meets with real world demand. 

In 2024, the environment surrounding blockchain in trade finance improved significantly with the promise of crypto legislation and regulatory guardrails in the U.S. and elsewhere on the horizon. In some parts of the world, such developments have already been realized. In June, France officially adopted the Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR) — which provides a framework for the legal use of electronic transferable records. Japan followed only a month later, joining the UK and the UAE in recognizing electronic bills of lading.

Leveraging this regulatory clarity, XDC Network saw deepened integrations with XDC Trade Network, the MLETR-compliant platform for trade document exchange, and the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) TradeTrust, the legalized and standardized digital trade platform.

XDC Trade Network

Trade finance assets are synonymous with real world assets (RWAs)

As a trade finance blockchain, XDC Network has been an asset tokenization network since its founding — one that offers a complete RWA tokenization platform for any project and is fully integrated with the tokenization tracking platform, RWA.xyz. XDC Network is host to projects that tokenize commodities, private credit, and access to an ETF that tracks U.S. treasury bills, to name a few. 

Notable RWA tokenization projects launched on and around the network this year included the following:

As tokenization began to flow throughout the blockchain industry, XDC Network participants set anchor in a unique token offering targeted for a Q1 2025 launch. The upcoming project will create novel on-chain liquidity and earning opportunities while providing capital for one of the network’s bread-and-butter industries.

XDC Network is a destination for globally recognized technology leaders

In addition to the Archax integration providing a broader reach in RWA tokenization and regulated environments, Deutsche Telekom MMS launched a masternode on XDC Network. Leveraging its vast web3 infrastructure capabilities, the German technology giant helps enable innovative and secure applications on the network.

The APAC team made headlines this year when SBI XDC Network APAC and SBI R3 Japan completed a proof-of-concept (PoC) experiment with R3 Corda. The experiment demonstrated a successful digital asset transfer over R3 Corda and XDC Network, proving that assets like $XDC can serve as a form of payment to improve efficiency and facilitate inter-business settlement in trade transactions. Additionally, the use of the $XDC native token allowed for one-stop execution of instant settlements while encompassing both the private transaction details and the public value transfer data.

XDC 2.0 — an upgrade with serious implications for the blockchain industry

The XDC protocol team delivered the much-anticipated XDC 2.0 upgrade, ensuring XDC Network remains one of the most secure, efficient, and trusted blockchains. 

The 2.0 upgrade introduced state-of-the-art security, employing forensic monitoring not yet seen in the blockchain industry. XDC 2.0’s security update will identify and destroy nodes deemed to be malignant, slashing their tokens immediately and protecting the network from harm. XDC 2.0 also requires only three-block finality. New blocks are generated every two seconds. 

The launch of XDC 2.0 comes after a rigorous three-year period of development and testing and a completed CertiK audit.

Subnets enable the creation of bespoke private networks with the security of XDC mainnet 

We recognize that many risk-averse organizations prefer a conservative approach to implementing blockchain technology. The XDC 2.0 upgrade provides institutions and any network user the ability to launch subnets—private, sovereign networks—to combine the advantages and security of the XDC Network with a fully private blockchain.

A series of user-friendly applications will come with the subnet launch on the network, including:

Network progress was made through old-fashioned hard work, event participation, and accelerator programs

Hard work is only sometimes seen, but its effects are nearly always felt. The heads-down approach of so many in the XDC community strengthened the network worldwide. Some of those efforts and their results included the following:

Community members from XDC Foundation and XinFin participated in a host of conferences in the blockchain and trade finance areas to create new partnerships and advance the network’s use cases. 

Accelerator programs flourished in XDC Network communities throughout 2024 

The aforementioned Plug and Play accelerator program focused on startups with specific RWA and enterprise applications, while accelerators like Tenity and Brinc provided EVM-compatible projects with mentorship, portfolio exposure, and ongoing technical support. XDCDAO supported the XDC Accelerator Program, and XVC Tech co-launched Pivot-to-XDC along with Pivot. All of these programs have the common goal of attracting high quality projects to the XDC Network.

Looking Forward

In 2024, XDC Network moved towards solving an increasing number of problems in the real world through collaboration, efficiency, and technical security. While the real world took a step closer to blockchain at large, XinFin’s earliest vision for the network continued to pave the way for adoption and transformation.

Next year holds hope in many ways for the digital asset industry, and XDC Network will continue to be a beacon of innovation. We saw an increase in regulated projects come onto the network this year, and we expect that will continue throughout 2025 as legislative and regulatory progress provides some much-needed industry framework.

This regulatory clarity will provide space for creative solutions to emerge, further leveraging off-chain assets for on-chain utility and liquidity. The upcoming USDC and USDT bridges, combined with the efficiency and security of the network, ensure XDC will be a natural home for stablecoin use cases to emerge and grow. Meanwhile, subnets open the door for institutions balancing customers’ privacy with appropriate financial transparency.

The XDC brand has come a long way. From Wayne Rooney and Jason Sudeikis repping XDC at DC United to the widespread use of the XDC name throughout global events each year, the XDC Network has become recognizable in circles broader than the crypto industry.

Mainstream opportunities and the XDC Network’s firm footing in the industry are about to intersect. For the XDC community, it is time to leverage the technology, the brand, its values, and the hard work throughout the ecosystem; and capitalize on the brightest outlook ever for the digital asset industry. 

At this point of confluence between the new and the old, XDC Network stands ready to receive what is coming downstream and serve the industries ahead.

READ more from XDC Foundation on Medium.