OpenWorld is a technology-powered digital assets and blockchain innovation company operating at the intersection of institutional capital markets, enterprise blockchain infrastructure, and RWA tokenization. Its mission is to enable the creation and deployment of next generation financial products powered by blockchain technology. Pulse 2.0 interviewed OpenWorld co-founder and CEO Matthew Shaw to learn more.
Matthew Shaw’s Background
When asked about his professional journey and what led him to establish OpenWorld, Shaw shared:
My early career was focused on investment banking, where I was trading and creating complex structured products in emerging markets fixed income, including multi-country debt settlement transactions. During that time, I also co-founded a joint venture boutique investment bank that pioneered new structures in Russian and Central and Eastern European financial markets. We grew the bank very successfully before being fully acquired by our joint venture partner.
My entry into the Web3 industry began in 2017 when I founded Protos Asset Management, a Swiss-based fund management firm focused on cryptocurrency investment strategies, which also issued the third-ever security token. That experience gave me an early look at the rapidly evolving digital asset ecosystem and the opportunities emerging around blockchain technology, particularly through a financial products lens.
Founding OpenWorld was a logical progression. Our thesis, which seemed inevitable to me even in 2017, is that digital assets and blockchain technology were going to take an increasingly central role in the global economy, from payments and tokenization to neobanks. OpenWorld’s mission from the very beginning was to continuously innovate around that trajectory and build products and technologies to help create that future.
The Original Market Opportunity
When asked what problem in the Web3 ecosystem he intended to solve by starting OpenWorld, Shaw explained:
The original problem, or gap, that I and OpenWorld aimed to solve was the lack of trusted and strategic advisors, built around experienced operators and experts, who understood how to design token launches, build structures to support them, and help venture-backed teams commercialize their products for long-term success.
In most cases, these venture-backed projects were getting fragmented solutions from a number of disparate firms. Our aim was to create a destination offering and provide a holistic innovation hub that served everything one needs to launch a commercially viable blockchain product.
OpenWorld was created to provide projects that were creating this bold new financial future with strategic guidance across token design, launch strategy, and ecosystem development, helping them avoid short-term speculation by structuring token launches for long-term sustainability. As one client put it once, we were their lifeline.
OpenWorld’s Mission
When discussing OpenWorld’s core mission and its role in the broader Web3 ecosystem, Shaw described:
OpenWorld’s mission has now expanded to several verticals within the company, but the core mission is the same: innovate around this convergence between blockchain technology and the legacy financial world.
Today, we continue to act as a fully integrated strategic partner to support the design, launch, and growth of blockchain networks, token ecosystems, and digital asset infrastructure. We work closely with leading projects to design token models, structure launches, and build sustainable ecosystems that can grow over the long term.
We’ve helped launch some of the most significant token projects in the industry. When you add up the scale of our launch practice, we’ve partnered on over $66 billion in total network value from tier-one projects. In doing so, I’m really proud that our team has established OpenWorld as the trusted advisor to many of the most important teams in the space.
As the digital asset industry continues to mature, our role is expanding beyond just token generation events and strategic advisory. We have a growing vertical within the company focused on co-developing and deploying technologies and solutions into areas like stablecoins and real-world asset tokenization.
The broader crypto market is becoming increasingly mainstream, and we’re seeing a major shift in global financial systems. Stablecoins are emerging as the payment rails for a new digital financial system, and their intersection with tokenized RWAs will be a major driver of the industry going forward. OpenWorld is actively working in this space as a co-architect, with several tier-one RWA, stablecoin, and neobanking initiatives currently in the pipeline.
Core Products And Offerings
When asked about OpenWorld’s core products and offerings, Shaw detailed:
OpenWorld today is built on a three-vertical system in which all the components work together to support each other.
We have our Digital Assets and Capital Markets practice, which works with blockchain projects, enterprises, and institutions to design token models, structure token and network launches, and develop the governance frameworks necessary for commercialization at scale. We work closely with founding teams across areas such as token launch strategy, tokenomics design, governance structuring, and exchange strategy to ensure projects are built on strong, sustainable foundations.
We also have our OpenWorld Enterprise™ vertical, in which we support, typically as co-architect and co-principal, organizations and sovereigns exploring RWA tokenization, stablecoins, and broader digital asset strategies that bridge blockchain technology with traditional finance.
In this vein, and along with our Digital Assets and Capital Markets team, we also provide guidance on regulatory alignment, public markets strategy, and ecosystem development, helping clients navigate the complex intersection of blockchain innovation and institutional adoption.
And then there is OpenWorld Labs. This is our innovation hub, where early ideas that we believe could bring promising technologies for the future are tested, structured, and developed toward commercialization.
All in all, OpenWorld’s goal is to help lead blockchain innovation and provide a suite of powerful capabilities that enable founders, enterprises, and even sovereign partners to leverage RWAs and financial infrastructure on-chain in a compliant and scalable way.
Building Tokenization Infrastructure
When asked about recent challenges in the digital asset sector and how OpenWorld has addressed them, Shaw noted:
One challenge we’ve seen recently is ensuring that regions like the Middle East, where interest in RWA tokenization is growing quickly, have the infrastructure and expertise needed to support this emerging technology.
Saudi Arabia, in particular, is moving quickly to build a globally competitive digital economy under Vision 2030, and OpenWorld saw an opportunity to contribute to that momentum.
To support this, we worked closely with partners in the Kingdom to launch Saudi Arabia’s first RWA Tokenization Center of Excellence in Al Khobar. The center is designed to bring together developers, policymakers, and industry leaders to advance tokenization across sectors like energy infrastructure, real estate, and carbon markets.
By establishing the Center of Excellence, OpenWorld is helping create a collaborative environment where innovation, education, and real-world deployment can move forward together.
Institutional Blockchain Adoption
When discussing what has prevented broader blockchain adoption among financial institutions and how OpenWorld is addressing those barriers, Shaw explained:
Financial institutions are increasingly interested in blockchain, but broader adoption has been slowed by a few key factors. Regulatory clarity is still evolving in many jurisdictions, and institutions need clear frameworks around compliance, custody, and reporting before deploying new infrastructure at scale.
There are also operational considerations, including integrating blockchain with existing financial systems and ensuring the technology meets the security, transparency, and risk management standards that large institutions require.
At OpenWorld, we focus on helping bridge those gaps by building infrastructure designed for institutional use and focusing on real-world applications that demonstrate clear value.
Areas like stablecoins and tokenized RWAs are particularly compelling because they can improve payment efficiency and unlock new investment opportunities. As the regulatory environment matures and these use cases continue to prove their value, we believe OpenWorld will play a major role in driving broader institutional adoption.
Major Company Milestones
When asked about OpenWorld’s most significant milestones, Shaw said:
One of the biggest milestones for OpenWorld has been supporting the launch of more than $66 billion worth of tier-one token projects over the past several years. That work has helped establish the firm as a trusted advisor and launch partner for many of the most significant teams building in the Web3 ecosystem.
More recently, we’ve been focused on expanding OpenWorld’s global footprint and building capabilities around tokenized RWAs and regulated digital asset infrastructure.
A good example of this is the transaction last year between Heritage Distilling, listed on Nasdaq under the symbol IPST, and the Story Foundation to launch a $360 million $IP token reserve strategy. OpenWorld acted as the Web3 advisor and helped guide the structure of the initiative while coordinating stakeholders across Wall Street, crypto exchanges, traditional banks, institutional investors, and regulatory frameworks.
That evolution is also reflected in two recent developments for the company: our announced merger agreement with VerifyMe and our work to establish a Real-World Asset Tokenization Center of Excellence in Saudi Arabia. Both are designed to further bridge blockchain innovation with institutional and sovereign partners.
Planned VerifyMe Merger
When asked what strategic opportunities OpenWorld’s intended merger with VerifyMe could unlock, Shaw specified:
OpenWorld’s recently announced merger with VerifyMe positions the combined company to pursue a Nasdaq listing as a compliance-first digital asset and RWA tokenization platform. This move allows us to enter the public markets at a time when investor appetite is increasingly shifting toward regulated, revenue-generating digital asset infrastructure.
The merger brings together OpenWorld’s expertise in token ecosystem design and launch strategy with VerifyMe’s experience in authentication technologies, compliance systems, and enterprise-grade logistics infrastructure.
The goal is to build an institutional-grade platform capable of supporting regulated token listings, enterprise adoption, and RWA tokenization across multiple jurisdictions.
Broadly, we believe this transaction reflects the next phase of the digital asset industry. As institutional adoption accelerates, there is growing demand for platforms that combine blockchain innovation with strong governance, transparency, and compliance frameworks.
By bringing these capabilities together under a publicly listed structure, the combined company aims to help set new standards for how RWAs are brought on-chain and integrated into global financial markets.
Saudi Arabia And Vision 2030
When asked why Saudi Arabia was the right location for OpenWorld’s RWA Tokenization Center of Excellence and how the initiative aligns with Vision 2030, Shaw described:
Saudi Arabia was a natural choice for launching our RWA Tokenization Center of Excellence because the Kingdom offers tremendous long-term growth prospects and has made it clear that it is committed to building sustainable, future-focused industries.
We’ve developed deep relationships in the Kingdom and are putting together a local team on the ground, which reflects our intention to be there for the long term and contribute to the broader economy.
The Kingdom is also particularly compelling for RWA tokenization. Saudi Arabia has a significant base of assets that could benefit from this technology and a more efficient, global method of distribution. Tokenization can unlock new liquidity and investment opportunities for assets across sectors, which aligns well with the country’s broader economic ambitions.
This initiative also closely aligns with the Kingdom’s stated Vision 2030. The program is focused on diversifying the economy beyond natural resources, attracting foreign direct investment, and building new financial infrastructure that supports long-term economic growth.
By enabling global investors to access tokenized assets originating in the Kingdom, the Center of Excellence can help facilitate international capital flows while supporting Saudi Arabia’s modernization of financial markets.
Goals And Priorities
When discussing OpenWorld’s goals and priorities for the year, Shaw concluded:
One of our top priorities this year is completing our planned merger with VerifyMe and transitioning OpenWorld to a U.S. publicly listed company.
We were fortunate to find VerifyMe because its core capabilities in precision logistics and supply chain management are a natural complement to blockchain technology. Bringing these technologies together creates exciting opportunities for innovation and new efficiencies across industries.
As we transition from a private Cayman-based company to a U.S. public company, transparency, governance, and strong financial standards will be front and center. We see this as an important step to help us attract new partners, create more strategic deals, and accelerate the growth of the business as the digital asset ecosystem continues to mature.
Strategically, we also continue to follow our customers into the areas where blockchain adoption is accelerating most quickly, including neobanks, token generation events, stablecoins, and RWAs.
As the digital asset market continues to mature, these areas are emerging as key drivers of the next phase of blockchain adoption, and OpenWorld is actively working on several significant RWA initiatives that we expect to share more about in the coming months.