Rome Protocol and KiiChain have joined forces to accelerate the adoption of blockchain-based financial solutions in Latin America.
The partnership will focus on real-world asset tokenization and cross-chain payment finance, aiming to create new liquidity opportunities for businesses, developers, and financial institutions, crypto.news can exclusively report.
An example of this can be seen in Mexico, where people are exploring real estate tokenization to enable fractional ownership, Anil Kumar, CEO of Rome Protocol, told crypto.news. Meanwhile, Argentina is utilizing tokenized agricultural commodities as collateral for farm financing.
RWA tokenization is the process of converting physical or traditional financial assets, like real estate or commodities, into digital tokens that can be traded on blockchain networks. This allows investors to buy and sell fractions of assets more efficiently, increasing accessibility and liquidity.
Solana (SOL) is a popular ecosystem for this, but it’s only growing in popularity, said Alex Cavallero, co-founder of KiiChain.
“Solana is currently one of the most popular and highly liquid ecosystems with incredible traction on-chain. However, users in LatAm and other emerging markets are not connected with the Solana ecosystem,” Cavallero told crypto.news. “With Rome’s interoperability, we can establish new avenues for liquidity between Solana and emerging market users through KiiChain.”
The partnership will make RWA assets more accessible across multiple blockchain ecosystems by joining Rome Protocol’s interoperability layer with KiiChain’s blockchain infrastructure.
Rome Protocol, which improves blockchain interoperability using Solana will provide a framework for RWA issuance, verification, and trading. KiiChain is a Layer 1 blockchain designed for emerging markets. It will contribute its PayFi module, which facilitates blockchain-based payments, lending, and financial services.
Partnership benefits
The partnership will streamline compliance, enhance cross-chain liquidity, and support both institutional and retail adoption.
KiiChain’s RWAs will be mirrored as ERC tokens for broader DeFi access, while on-chain verification ensures regulatory compliance. Cavallero said that financial products, stablecoin-powered yield vaults, and real estate will be prioritized.
“They are the highest desired products that cannot be accessed without the benefits of tokenization,” Cavallero said.
The partnership will establish liquidity by enabling cross-chain asset movement between Ethereum (ETH), Solana, and KiiChain, reducing friction in trading, Kumar said. It also facilitates fractional ownership, allowing investors to buy and sell smaller portions of high-value assets.
“Tokenization can democratize access to real estate investments.” Kumar said.
LATAM’s growing crypto market
Latin America has accounted for 9.1% of global crypto inflows in 2024 and representing 20% of the top countries in Chainalysis’ Global Crypto Adoption Index. This growth is driven by stablecoin remittances, offering a more reliable alternative to inflation-affected local currencies.
With blockchain adoption increasing, the demand for tokenizing real-world assets is rising. This allows secure verification and trading on-chain, opening up new opportunities for financial institutions and retail investors without traditional banking intermediaries.
Regulatory uncertainty, limited infrastructure, and educational gaps remain key barriers to institutional adoption of RWA tokenization in Latin America, Kumar said. While progress is being made, unclear regulations can deter institutions from fully embracing the technology.
Additionally, a lack of blockchain knowledge and adequate infrastructure slows large-scale adoption, Kumar said.
