Ozean Unlocks Yield Opportunities from the $70BN Fine Art Market via Artwise Partnership
Ozean, the blockchain for Real-World Assets (RWA) yield launched by Clearpool, has announced a partnership with ArtWise, a protocol focused on innovating the $70 billion fine art financing and investment sector. This collaboration is set to bring tokenized fine art assets into Port, the first RWA exchange traded pool (ETP), enabling users to access enhanced yield opportunities derived from the art market. The partnership aims to expand alternative investment opportunities for Ozean users by introducing access to art as an asset class.
Bringing Fine Art to DeFi
ArtWise aims to establish a comprehensive protocol that facilitates art financing and investment on-chain, evolving into a decentralized governance ecosystem that unites global art professionals to create a reliable and transparent framework for the art market. They focus on blue-chip physical art with verified provenance and robust price records to ensure quality, authenticity and marketability. ArtWise prioritizes providing art financing solutions with blockchain, recognizing the demand among art asset owners for liquidity. Their solution allows for Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratios of up to 70%, which is notably higher than the market’s typical maximum of 50%, a capability made possible through their professional community-driven assessment process.
The ArtWise Protocol enables peer-to-peer lending through a smart contract-enabled pool of crypto, allowing lenders to deposit funds for interest and borrowers to obtain loans using tokenized art assets as collateral. ArtWise offers potential yields of 8–20% and aims to provide short-term loan opportunities, such as 30-day loans. The art market is experiencing a growing demand for RWAs, with the total wealth held in art and collectibles by Ultra-High Net Worth (UHNW) individuals projected to grow to US$2.86 trillion by 2026. ArtWise aims to capture 5% of the annual traded volume within the modern and contemporary art segment, representing a Serviceable Obtainable Market (SOM) of $5.6 billion.
“We look forward to partnering with Ozean to introduce tokenized art assets to their RWA ecosystem, unlocking enhanced yield and diversification opportunities directly from the $70B+ fine art market. This collaboration will create unique value for their users and bring high-yield opportunities to Ozean’s Port,” said Grace Lau, Founder and CEO of ArtWise.
Building Compliant Infrastructure for Real World Assets
Ozean is the blockchain for RWA yield being launched by Clearpool. It is designed to integrate RWAs into Decentralized Finance (DeFi) in a compliant and user-friendly manner. Built on the OP Stack as part of Optimism’s Superchain, Ozean addresses issues such as the limited capture of base RWA yield by end-users and the fragmented nature of RWA protocols, seeking to transform DeFi. Ozean provides essential infrastructure for blockchain financial markets, enabling users to earn native yield on stablecoins.
Clearpool, which launched in March 2022, has originated over US$750 million of tokenized credit to leading institutional borrowers, including the Wall Street firm Jane Street. Clearpool is backed by top-tier investors, including Sequoia Capital, HashKey Capital, Arrington, and Wintermute.
“Collaborating with ArtWise to integrate their tokenized art assets into Ozean enhances the yield opportunities available to our users and fosters greater capital efficiency within the ecosystem by accessing the unique value of fine art,” said Jakob Kronbichler, CEO & Co-founder of Ozean.
Expanding Yield and Diversification with Art-Backed Assets
This collaboration will see ArtWise’s tokenized art assets integrated into Port, Ozean’s platform for accessing tokenized assets. This integration will expand yield opportunities and portfolio diversification for DeFi users, offering access to art-backed loans with potential yields of 8–20% and short-term loan opportunities. The partnership further solidifies Ozean’s role in transforming the digital asset landscape and accelerating the adoption of RWA solutions by bridging the traditional art market with decentralized finance.
