Asset Manager Eyes Real-World Assets and Sector-Specific Web3 Tokens
VanEck is preparing to launch a new private digital asset fund in June, targeting Web3 and real-world asset (RWA) projects built on the Avalanche blockchain, the firm announced on May 21.
The new VanEck PurposeBuilt Fund, which will be available only to accredited investors, aims to invest in a portfolio of liquid tokens and venture-backed Web3 projects. Key sectors include gaming, payments, decentralized financial services, and artificial intelligence (AI).
Idle capital in the fund will be deployed into Avalanche-based RWA products, such as tokenized money market funds, enabling efficient yield on capital while supporting real-world blockchain adoption.
“The next wave of value in crypto will come from real businesses, not more infrastructure,” said Pranav Kanade, portfolio manager of VanEck’s Digital Assets Alpha Fund (DAAF), which will also manage the new fund.
VanEck Expands Thematic Crypto Exposure
VanEck’s upcoming Avalanche-focused fund is the latest in a series of moves by the asset manager to expand its footprint across Web3 verticals.
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On May 14, VanEck launched the Onchain Economy ETF (NODE), designed to track companies engaged in digital asset infrastructure and blockchain services.
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In April, the firm rolled out a crypto company index-tracking ETF, focused on publicly traded firms operating in the blockchain ecosystem.
VanEck is also one of several asset managers with pending applications to the SEC for spot and thematic crypto ETFs, with over 70 filings awaiting review amid an increasingly favorable regulatory landscape under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Avalanche Grows as Institutional RWA Hub
VanEck’s decision to anchor its new fund on Avalanche (AVAX) reflects the network’s emergence as a leading platform for real-world assets and institutional DeFi.
Avalanche’s subnet architecture allows institutions to deploy Ethereum-compatible smart contracts within permissioned or tailored environments, offering flexibility and compliance for enterprise use cases.
The blockchain currently hosts around $1.5 billion in total value locked (TVL), according to DeFiLlama, and has become home to multiple RWA initiatives.
“We’re seeing a shift away from speculative hype toward real utility and sustainable token economies,” said John Nahas, chief business officer at Ava Labs, the company behind Avalanche.
Notably, Solv Protocol recently launched a yield-bearing Bitcoin product on Avalanche, further bolstering the network’s institutional RWA offerings.
Final Thoughts: VanEck Bets on Blockchain’s Real-World Future
VanEck’s PurposeBuilt Fund marks a strategic move toward real-world utility in crypto — backing tokenized assets, enterprise-ready protocols, and projects with tangible economic value.
As interest in RWAs and sector-specific Web3 applications grows, Avalanche’s ecosystem is positioning itself as a bridge between traditional finance and blockchain, while asset managers like VanEck are accelerating the mainstreaming of tokenized capital markets.
