Mercado Bitcoin Deploys $20M in Private Credit on Rootstock

Latin American digital asset platform Mercado Bitcoin said that it had deployed more than $20 million of tokenized private credit on Bitcoin sidechain Rootstock, deepening its push into real-world assets (RWAs) and targeting $100 million in issuances by April. 

According to a release shared with Cointelegraph, several offerings had already reached target capacity since going live.

The move adds Rootstock to Mercado Bitcoin’s multichain tokenization strategy, which includes planned RWA issuances on Stellar (XLM) and the XRP Ledger, giving international investors Bitcoin‑secured exposure to Latin American private debt markets.

Lucas Pinsdorf, business director at Mercado Bitcoin, told Cointelegraph that the newly issued assets included a mix of receivables and corporate debt, backing both Brazilian and foreign borrowers. 

“What is particularly interesting is that these are not limited to Brazilian companies,” he said. “Within the issuances, Mercado Bitcoin also chose to issue debt for an American company.”

Related: Crypto activity in Brazil rises 43% with average investment surpassing $1,000: Report

RWA demand expanding globally

Pinsdorf said the initial $20 million offering sold through quickly, increasing confidence that the $100 million target would be “a sell‑out … very soon.” 

According to RWA.xyz data, Mercado Bitcoin ranks among the world’s top 10 tokenized private credit issuers, with more than $370 million in cumulative loans.

Still, it is far behind the market leaders. The top three issuers tracked by RWA.xyz have issued at least $5.4 billion each.

Pinsdorf said that Mercado Bitcoin structured its private credit tokens within Brazil’s regulated framework, drawing on licenses within its group supervised by the country’s Comissão de Valores Mobiliários (CVM) and the Central Bank of Brazil. 

Latin America’s tokenized credit race

Mercado Bitcoin’s RWA pipeline follows a broader regional movement to bring yield‑bearing instruments onchain. 

In Argentina, long-standing crypto exchange Ripio recently launched local currency stablecoins and tokenized sovereign exposure as Latin American issuers seek to bridge traditional credit markets and blockchain liquidity.

Pinsdorf said Mercado continued to engage with regulators to shape the roadmap for tokenized finance.

“We hope for clearer and more objective frameworks on how the path to tokenization in the financial market will be paved,” he said.