R3, the enterprise blockchain firm best known for its Corda network, has unveiled R3 Labs, a new division dedicated to bringing the next trillion dollars of real-world assets (RWAs) onto public blockchains. The launch begins with $17 billion of tokenised assets already issued across R3’s platforms, the largest single collection of RWAs worldwide.

R3 Labs will operate on Solana, aiming to streamline RWA tokenisation and reduce the barriers that regulated institutions face in adopting decentralised infrastructure. According to the company, this initiative represents the “next step” in bridging traditional finance (TradFi) and decentralised finance (DeFi), while ensuring compliance, security and scalability.

Why Solana?

The decision to anchor R3 Labs on Solana highlights the blockchain’s performance advantages. Solana’s low-cost transactions, sub-second finality and throughput more than 70 times greater than Ethereum’s real-world capacity (as of July 2025) make it an attractive venue for large-scale institutional deployments.

By building on Solana, R3 Labs promises institutions faster issuance of tokenised assets, deeper liquidity and greater market access. The integration aims to eliminate the complexity and friction often associated with bringing RWAs on-chain, opening opportunities such as yield generation and collateralisation backed by high-quality, regulated assets.

David E. Rutter, Founder and CEO of R3, described the initiative as a “significant milestone” in the company’s mission:

“With $17 billion in RWAs already tokenised across our platforms, we’re building a unique bridge between regulated financial institutions and public blockchain networks.”

Leadership to Drive Adoption

R3 Labs will be led by Richard G. Brown as Chief Executive Officer. Brown, formerly R3’s Chief Product and Technology Officer, was instrumental in the decade-long development of Corda, a distributed ledger platform widely adopted in regulated markets. He is recognised as one of the leading authorities on interoperability and distributed ledger systems.

Joining him is Digby Try as Global Head of Sales. Try brings more than 25 years of experience in fintech, capital markets and digital assets, having previously held senior positions at Coincover and Currencycloud (acquired by Visa for $1 billion).

Brown emphasised the transformative potential of R3 Labs:

“Permissionless infrastructure delivers liquidity, composability and unstoppable innovation, we’re making it easier for institutions to access it confidently and securely. R3 Labs makes it radically simpler, safer and faster to bring high-quality assets to public blockchains at scale.”

Addressing Institutional Barriers

A central mission of R3 Labs is to remove the barriers that have kept regulated institutions from participating in public blockchain markets. The new division will leverage the privacy, control and compliance tooling proven through Corda, while extending access to Solana’s expansive DeFi ecosystem and token standards.

This dual approach enables:

• Greater liquidity for tokenised assets.
  
• Efficiency gains in trading and settlement.
  
• 24/7 collateral mobility, breaking free from the time-zone and jurisdictional constraints of traditional finance.
  
• Regulatory confidence, ensuring institutions can meet compliance requirements without sacrificing speed or openness.
  

Industry leaders echoed the significance of the launch. Guido Stroemer, CEO of HQLAX, highlighted how R3’s solutions have already transformed collateral mobility in banking, calling R3 Labs the “natural next step” toward on-demand, cross-border collateral management.

Similarly, Marco Kessler of SIX Securities Services noted that institutional adoption of public blockchain is accelerating but requires solutions aligned with regulatory and operational standards. He said:

“R3 has a proven track record of delivering trusted infrastructure and solutions for capital markets and R3 Labs is an important next step. We fully support their ambition to bridge traditional and decentralised finance.”

Building the Future of On-Chain Capital Markets

The launch of R3 Labs is not just about today’s $17 billion in tokenised assets but about scaling to trillions in future value. By combining R3’s regulatory expertise with Solana’s high-speed blockchain infrastructure, R3 Labs aims to redefine how institutions interact with financial markets.

The initiative promises to unlock new revenue opportunities, deliver more efficient collateral management and give on-chain investors access to institutional-grade yield and collateral products. Importantly, it offers regulated firms a gateway into DeFi without compromising on privacy, performance, or compliance.

As the line between traditional finance and decentralised finance continues to blur, R3 Labs positions itself as a critical bridge, enabling institutions to step into on-chain markets with confidence.

Rutter summed up the ambition:

“For over a decade, we’ve helped institutions navigate the complexities of going on-chain. R3 Labs is the next step in accelerating that transformation.”

With its $17 billion foundation and a growing pipeline of institutional partners, R3 Labs is set to play a defining role in shaping the future of internet capital markets where all assets, from stocks to bonds to collateral, move seamlessly and securely on-chain.