What Is Plume Network? PLUME Token Price, RWA Thesis & How to Buy

Plume Network is a Layer 1 blockchain built from the ground up for one purpose. Bringing real-world assets on-chain and making them usable in DeFi. Not as static tokens sitting in a wallet, but as composable financial instruments that can be lent, borrowed against, staked, and traded just like any native crypto asset.

The project launched its mainnet in June 2025 and has moved fast since. SEC-registered transfer agent. 14 tokenized funds from WisdomTree. A $50 million deployment from Apollo Global through its diversified credit strategy. Over 280,000 RWA wallet holders, making Plume the largest blockchain by RWA participants. And $645 million in tokenized assets managed on the network as of early 2026.

PLUME, the native token, trades at approximately $0.011 in February 2026, down roughly 95% from its March 2025 all-time high of $0.2475. That gap between institutional traction and token price is the central question for anyone evaluating the project right now.

What Does Plume Network Do?

Plume is an EVM-compatible blockchain designed to handle the full lifecycle of real-world assets. Tokenization, compliance, custody, trading, and yield generation all happen within one integrated stack. Most RWA projects build on top of general-purpose chains like Ethereum or Solana. Plume built its own chain specifically for this.

The architecture includes several core components.

Plume Arc. The tokenization engine that handles the process of converting real-world assets into on-chain tokens. Asset issuers can select modular compliance and regulatory checks (KYC, AML) based on what each asset type requires.

Nest. Plume's flagship yield protocol. Users deposit stablecoins into vaults containing tokenized assets like US treasuries, private credit, and receivables. The vaults are non-custodial smart contracts, and depositors earn yield generated by the underlying real-world assets. Current vault offerings include nBASIS (Superstate funds), nTBILL (US treasuries), and nALPHA (diversified RWA index).

SkyLink. Built on LayerZero, this distributes RWA yields across 18+ blockchain networks. A user on Solana or Arbitrum can access Plume-originated yields without bridging assets manually.

Plume Passport. Smart wallets designed for RWA interactions, supporting gasless transactions and compliance-embedded account features.

Why Are Institutions Paying Attention to Plume?

The partnership list reads like a TradFi rolodex. That is unusual for a crypto project trading under $0.02.

In October 2025, Plume became one of the first blockchain-native entities registered by the SEC as a transfer agent. This means Plume can legally manage shareholder records, process ownership changes, and report cap tables directly to the SEC and DTCC. The token surged 25% on the news.

WisdomTree, managing over $100 billion in traditional assets, launched 14 tokenized funds on Plume the same month. Apollo Global deployed $50 million in private credit through a partnership with Grove and Centrifuge. Invesco moved a $6.3 billion senior loan strategy on-chain via Plume's infrastructure. EY chose Plume to host Nightfall, its privacy Layer 3 for institutional transactions. And Mastercard accepted Plume into its Start Path accelerator.

In early 2026, Plume integrated the KRW1 stablecoin for Korean institutional access, secured an Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM) license, and partnered with Securitize (backed by BlackRock) to deploy assets into Nest vaults, targeting $100 million in capital.

None of these partnerships alone prove long-term success. But collectively, they position Plume differently from most sub-$100M market cap tokens. The regulatory groundwork is there. The institutional pipes are connected. The open question is if token holders benefit from that.

How Is the PLUME Token Used?

PLUME serves four functions within the network.

Gas fees. Every transaction on the Plume chain requires PLUME for gas, creating baseline demand tied to network activity.

Staking and validation. Users and validators stake PLUME to secure the network through its consensus mechanism and earn staking rewards in return.

Governance. PLUME holders vote on protocol upgrades, parameter changes, and treasury allocations through on-chain governance.

Ecosystem liquidity. PLUME is used for liquidity provisioning, collateral, and participation in various DeFi protocols across the Plume ecosystem.

What Do the Tokenomics Look Like?

PLUME has a max supply of 10 billion tokens. Approximately 4.8 billion are currently in circulation, with the rest vesting through 2028.

At TGE (January 21, 2025), 20% of supply entered circulation. The vesting schedule uses linear release for ecosystem allocations and cliff mechanisms for investors and contributors. About 3.56 million PLUME enter circulation daily through ecosystem vesting.

The supply structure is standard for VC-backed L1s. Investor and team allocations (41% combined) are locked with multi-year vesting. That said, ongoing unlocks create persistent sell pressure, which partly explains the price decline from the $0.2475 ATH.

How Has PLUME's Price Performed?

PLUME's price trajectory tells a familiar L1 story. Strong launch, speculative ATH before mainnet, institutional milestones that generated brief pumps, then a sustained decline driven by token unlocks and the broader market downturn.

The 24-hour trading volume sits around $5-12 million, spread across 174 active markets. Binance carries the most volume. The token is also listed on KuCoin, Gate.io, Bybit, and Phemex.

What Is the RWA Thesis Behind PLUME?

The bull case for Plume rests on a macro trend. Real-world asset tokenization grew 260% in the first half of 2025, from $8.6 billion to over $23 billion.

BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, and Apollo are all building tokenized fund products. Standard Chartered projects the RWA market could reach $30 trillion. Plume CEO Chris Yin expects 10-20x growth in value and users through 2026.

Plume's position in this market is specific. It is not competing with Ethereum or Solana for general DeFi activity. It is building purpose-specific infrastructure for institutional RWA issuers who need compliance, custody, and distribution baked into the chain itself. The SEC registration, the WisdomTree deployment, the Nightfall privacy layer from EY, these are components of an institutional stack that general-purpose chains do not offer natively.

The bear case is also straightforward. PLUME trades at $52 million market cap despite managing $645 million in tokenized assets. That disconnect could mean the market does not believe token holders capture value from RWA activity on the chain. Or it could mean the token is mispriced relative to fundamentals. Both are reasonable interpretations.

How to Buy PLUME

PLUME is widely available across major exchanges.

Via Phemex

Phemex lists PLUME/USDT for spot trading. You can also buy PLUME directly with fiat or other crypto through Phemex's buy crypto page.

1. Create a Phemex account and complete verification

2. Deposit USDT, or purchase directly with fiat

3. Search for PLUME/USDT in the spot trading section

4. Place your order (market or limit)

Via Other Exchanges

PLUME trades on Binance, KuCoin, Gate.io, Bybit, MEXC, and others. Binance carries the highest centralized exchange volume.

On-Chain

PLUME is native to the Plume chain but also accessible on Ethereum. You can interact with Plume DeFi protocols directly through MetaMask or any EVM-compatible wallet.

What Are the Risks?

Token vesting pressure. Only 48% of supply is circulating. The remaining 5.2 billion tokens release through 2028. Each daily emission of ~3.56 million PLUME adds sell pressure.

Value capture uncertainty. The chain processes hundreds of millions in RWA value, but it is unclear how much of that activity flows back to PLUME token holders beyond gas fees. Institutional partners benefit from the infrastructure regardless of PLUME's price.

Competition. Ondo Finance dominates tokenized treasuries. Centrifuge leads in private credit. Ethereum and Solana are attracting their own RWA ecosystems. Plume's advantage is its integrated stack, but that advantage erodes if general-purpose chains add similar compliance tooling.

Price history. A 95.5% decline from ATH in under a year, even in the context of a broader crypto downturn, is significant. Previous pump-and-fade cycles around news events (SEC registration, Binance listing) suggest the market is not yet pricing in sustained upside.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Plume Network?

Plume is a Layer 1 EVM-compatible blockchain purpose-built for tokenizing real-world assets and integrating them into DeFi. It launched its mainnet in June 2025 and has onboarded over 200 projects including WisdomTree, Apollo, and Securitize.

Is Plume registered with the SEC?

Yes. Plume received SEC approval as a registered transfer agent in October 2025. This allows it to manage digital securities and shareholder records on-chain, with direct reporting to the SEC and DTCC.

What is Nest on Plume?

Nest is Plume's flagship yield protocol. Users deposit stablecoins into non-custodial vaults containing tokenized real-world assets (treasuries, private credit, receivables) and earn yield from the underlying assets.

Where can I buy PLUME?

PLUME is available on Phemex, Binance, KuCoin, Gate.io, Bybit, and other major exchanges. It trades primarily against USDT.

What is the total supply of PLUME?

10 billion tokens. Approximately 4.8 billion are in circulation as of February 2026, with the rest vesting through 2028.

Bottom Line

Plume has built something most sub-$100M crypto projects do not have. Real institutional adoption, regulatory credentials, and a focused niche in RWA tokenization. The partner list (Apollo, WisdomTree, EY, Mastercard, Securitize) is unusually strong for a token at this market cap.

The question is if any of that translates to PLUME token value. Gas fees on a purpose-built RWA chain, governance rights, and staking rewards are the current mechanisms. If RWA activity on Plume scales as projected, those mechanisms become more meaningful. If it does not, the token remains disconnected from the institutional traction happening on top of it.

At $0.011 and a $52 million market cap, PLUME is priced like a speculative micro-cap while functioning like institutional infrastructure. That gap makes it interesting. It does not make it safe.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves substantial risk of loss. Always conduct your own research before making investment decisions.