Beijing Youth Daily: Can "digital assets" become major assets like houses, stocks, and funds?

Source｜Beijing Youth Daily Edit｜Blog Post On February 5, 2025, Beijing Youth Daily reported on "digital assets" in the front page key positions and the full page of the A4 edition. From the perspective of young people, we report on the development of the "digital asset" industry, investment stories and participation of social forces.

The article discusses whether "digital assets" have the potential to become major assets like houses, stocks, funds, and gold; it is also mentioned that China's "digital assets" market is starting from the level of industry collaborative autonomy and gradually building a circulation environment, which is expected to be Form a standardized market; banks and large enterprises, such as Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Ant Digital Technology, GCL Group, etc., have begun to enter the field of digital assets, publish digital collections or carry out RWA projects.

The various measures mentioned by domestic media in large quantities mark the gradual expansion of the application of digital assets and gradually penetrate into a wider range of industries and fields; it also indicates that the "wind direction" of domestic supervision may accelerate changes, not far away. In the future, more opportunities worth paying attention to will likely be born in China.

The following is the full report

With the advent of 2025, people have begun to look back at the performance of various major asset classes over the past year. Among traditional major assets, stocks and funds were the most discussed investment targets for young people, but since 2024, a "digital asset" investment boom has quietly emerged among young people. "Digital assets" generally refer to works of art, collectibles or treasures that exist in digital form, and ensure their uniqueness, immutability and ownership through blockchain technology. Compared with traditional physical assets, having "digital assets" does not require cumbersome logistics and warehousing links.

Why do young people prefer "digital assets"? Can "digital assets" become a type of major assets like houses, stocks, funds, and gold? What are the highlights of "digital assets" as an emerging thing?

Young people at digital art exhibition

From the end of last year to January 10 this year, Jingtan, the largest "digital asset" platform in China, held a digital art exhibition in Shanghai. Entering the development area, giant whales that jumped from the deep sea attracted the audience to "fish" and check in. The rock-filled Sanxingdui Bronze Band, the brightly colored Dunhuang Feitian, the cat from the Sphinx Galaxy... These digital collections are due to A special blockchain encoding, unique and tamper-free, is sought after by young collectors.

"Lavis", a junior from Fudan University, said that he was a fan of offline trendy toys, and now his home is full of physical collections and he is almost unable to get started. Since I came into contact with the Whale Teng’s “Digital Assets” platform, I feel like I’ve discovered a new world. I can enjoy the treasures I’ve collected on my mobile phone at any time. The transaction and exchange methods are much more convenient than the actual product. "I originally planned to write Pop Mart's graduation thesis, but now I feel that the topic of "digital assets" is more challenging."

In the "Cultural" theme exhibition, the "Big Whale Museum" series created by the National Trend Art Institute of China Academy of Fine Arts has made a younger design of elements such as ancient architectural furniture, Chinese time-honored brands, and national treasure giant pandas. Users can create them with collections. Its own digital museum is open to other users to visit and obtain profits.

Speaking of the significance of promoting national trends, Professor Ni Yan, dean of the National Trend Art Institute of China Academy of Fine Arts, said, "For young people, we mainly want to spread positive Chinese traditional culture; for older people, they It is difficult to understand the millet and the two-dimensional world. We added the national trend elements to it. They fell in love with it all at once, promoted the modernization of traditional culture and established national confidence and cultural confidence for a wider population."

Bonan, the manager of the trendy toy IP "Davenchi's Egg", also smelled the love of young people for the national trend. They cooperated with Dunhuang Art Institute, another partner of the Whale Discovery Platform, to jointly develop WEE cub-Dunhuang Feitian The combination of trendy toys and cultural relics has activated the love of two types of fan groups, and ten thousand collections have been sold out in seconds.

"Evidence of presence" left by the digital badge

Among the many types of "digital assets", the POAP commemorative badge is one of the most popular types for young people. It's a bit similar to the hottest "baji" (i.e. badge badge) in the "Millet Economy". POAP is the abbreviation of "Proof-Of-Attendance Protocol" to record and commemorate the occurrence of a specific event. POAP can be used as an easy-to-verify evidence to record on the blockchain that proves that the user is present when an event or activity occurs. Events and activities can be in the physical world or in the virtual world.

Some people will collect tickets after watching movies and concerts to prove that they are loyal fans or that they have been present and participated in something in person. The POAP badge is a record of proving that you have participated in an event online. Zhao Yan, a digital collector from Beijing, said that she is a dual enthusiast of "Baji" and POAP. She now attaches more importance to POAP. She can commemorate or show off her unique experience by showing her POAP collection online, "in a busy urban life." Leave evidence of being present in the

On July 22 last year, iQiyi's ace music variety show "China's Peak Showdown" teamed up with the ARCC platform to launch a limited edition digital badge POAP, which was sought after and loved by young people. The 12 POAP badges released by iQiyi are cast through the ARCC digital badge platform, corresponding to the 12 episodes of "China Rap Peak Showdown". Viewers need to look for hidden easter eggs when watching the show, so as to collect fragments and synthesize the current POAP badge.

For producers, POAP can motivate users to participate more actively in various activities and events by designing unique badges and tasks. At the 10th anniversary of the Wuzhen Summit of the World Internet Conference, citizens can get digital badges by checking in at Xizha Scenic Area, Expo Center Exhibition Center, Wuzhen World Internet Science and Technology Museum, etc.

POAP badges provide young people with a unique way of identity symbols and social recognition. For seminars, concerts, live broadcasts, online courses, etc., users can get POAP badges after participating in the event. In an interview with Beijing Youth Daily reporter, General Manager Whale Detect said that he hopes that 100 million users’ daily items will be collected in digital form in Whale Detect management and application, and future users’ "big and big things" will be digitally badges ( The form of POAP is saved in Whale Detective. Users can open Whale Detective to check in when traveling around the world and get a local digital postcard.

The temptation of digital blind boxes

A reporter from Beijing Youth Daily noticed that the issuance of many "digital assets" takes the form of blind boxes that young people like. The routines in the milli economy have also been moved to the "digital assets" field. Some "digital asset" issuers have attracted users to open blind boxes with extremely low probability by setting rare items in blind boxes, such as 0.1%. In the second-hand trading market of "digital assets", the price gap between rare and ordinary models of digital cards is very big. For example, the ordinary digital cards issued by the Whale Sect platform may be worth only a few cents, but the rare UR-level second-hand price is as high as thousands of yuan. Due to the extremely low probability of rare models, some users cannot open rare models even if they invest thousands of yuan.

However, digital blind boxes are super attractive to young people. Recently, a Whale Strip Platform released a Wuhuang Cat - Qisi Meowen Museum Series Hand-Coarse Angka, with 500,000 digital cards in one hour It was sold out. A user said in the WeChat community: "The probability is very low, and I also know that there is a high probability of losing money, but because on the one hand, I like this IP, and on the other hand, it is difficult to resist the temptation of opening a blind box. The more I open it, The more you have, you can’t control it. It costs more than 5,000 yuan at a time.”

Zhou Qun (pseudonym), a senior student born in 2002 from Taizhou, Zhejiang, is an alternative among his classmates. When his classmates are keen on shopping malls and online shopping, he spends most of the pocket money given by his parents. in purchasing "digital assets". First I learned about this industry from social media. "Later, by chance, I came across Whale Detective and found that there are many digital collections authorized by museums that are very beautifully modeled. My major in university is also related to art design and modeling. Related, these national treasure-level cultural relics 'digital assets' are sold for only a few dozen yuan." From the end of 2022 to the present, Zhou Qun has continued to purchase "digital assets" at Whale Detective. With the arrival of this round of "digital assets" bull market, the market value of "digital assets" held by Zhou Qun has also risen, and the secondary market prices of many collections have increased several times.

However, Zhou Qun does not intend to sell these "digital assets" at present. "I plan to own these "digital assets" in a 10-year cycle and are optimistic about the development of this industry." Although Zhou Qun is an alternative among his classmates, his parents But he is very supportive. "I have discussed this industry with them specifically, and they trust and support me very much. They also often help me grab the first collection."

Asset allocation shifts to "digital assets"

A reporter from Beijing Youth Daily noticed that some investors in the traditional calligraphy and painting field have also begun to enter the "digital assets" field. At the beginning of this year, the post-80s internet celebrity "Principal Le" who focused on sharing experience in traditional calligraphy and painting trading released a short video of "Principal Le laying out digital collections". In the video, he bluntly stated that the traditional calligraphy and painting market is very sluggish and digital transformation is urgently needed at present, so he decided to plan the field of "digital assets" and planned to invest 1 million yuan first as a test fund.

Yu Jiwei, a collector from Shaoxing, Zhejiang who has many years of experience in collecting ancient coins, banknotes and stamps, said that digital collection is like a new world for him. Judging from his decades of experience in the collection industry, digital collection is very good. prospect. According to reports, he has been paying attention to digital collections since the beginning of 2022. The total holding of personal "digital assets" has exceeded 350,000 pieces, and the investment has exceeded 10 million yuan. He is still continuing to increase his holdings.

As the chairman of Zhejiang Yijin Group, Yu Jiwei also set up a "Digital Operation Department" in the company to coordinate and manage his "digital asset" investment projects of tens of millions. The person in charge of a listed company on the New Third Board also said that it will set up a "Digital Asset Operation Department" in the near future to increase the layout of the new "digital assets" field. Jingtan's "digital assets" have also attracted the attention of some private equity fund leaders, and several private equity investors have conducted market research on Jingtan's "digital assets". A private equity fund manager born in the 1980s in Shenzhen told a reporter from Beijing Youth Daily that as more and more young people begin to accept "digital assets", they are considering establishing a private equity fund with "digital assets" as the investment target.

On September 22 last year, the total market value of the "Whale Detective 50 Index" collection spontaneously compiled by users in the circle on the over-the-counter trading platform was 129.85 million yuan. As of January 31, 2025, the total market value of the "Whale 50 Index" collection was close to 500 million yuan, an increase of up to 280%. Some million-level funds have regarded "digital assets" as a new type of asset allocation in addition to real estate, stocks, funds, and gold.

On New Year's Eve this year, a post-00s complained in the "digital assets" exchange community that he began to study investment and financial management after graduating from university. At first I bought funds, and later I found that the markets in both fields were already very mature and institutions had the right to price. "We retail investors face quantitative institutions armed to the teeth every day. It is very difficult to make money. Throwing tens of thousands of dollars in it seems like a drop of rain has entered the vast ocean. But 'digital assets' is an undeveloped virgin land, and I often have to go with friends. They said that it is a bit like buying stocks in the 1990s, full of unknowns, and full of challenges and hopes."

Opening of data exchange

"Digital Assets" sector

Beijing Youth Daily reporter noticed that GF Securities once stated in a research report that China's "digital asset" market has begun to build a normative circulation environment from the level of industry collaborative autonomy, forming a development path that is ecologically differentiated from the overseas NFT industry, and expects the future. , China will form a normative circulation environment for the "digital asset" market, continue to develop innovative digital collections to amplify the marketing value and copyright value of cultural digital content, and open up a broad blueprint for the development of China's "digital asset" industry.

Since last year, data exchanges in various places have set up "digital assets" trading sectors. The "digital assets" sector of Shanghai Data Exchange has become a dark horse in the "digital assets" trading field. Its first "digital assets" issued by it, "Long Yao chases light, and "Beijing CBD International Group" —The first batch of data assets in the country commemorating the commemoration of the "digital assets" commemorative medals, etc. are popular in the market. The Shanghai Data Exchange recently issued the first RWA project in the agricultural field - the "Malu Grape RWA" project, and completed 10 million yuan. Equity financing. Zhejiang Cultural Property Exchange has also launched a "digital asset" trading business. Zhejiang Cultural Exchange said that based on the successful transformation cases of the IP of Hangzhou National Edition Pavilion, it will explore the application and circulation scenarios of cultural "digital assets" empowering the real economy.

Since 2022, 13 banks represented by Industrial and Commercial Bank of China have also officially announced their entry into the digital collection track. When a user opens the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China App, his latest "digital asset" is "Seeing Intangible Cultural Heritage·Purple Clay Teapot", with a total issuance of 200,000 copies, and users can receive it for free. The "digital assets" it issues mainly include intangible cultural heritage projects, museum cultural and creative industries, and digital commemorative badges. Among them, ICBC has opened a digital collection hall in the mobile banking app, which is listed in the main menu along with deposits, transfers and remittances, etc., and obviously attaches great importance to digital collection business.

A banker told the Beijing Youth Daily reporter that as a cutting-edge field in digital payments, the bank's layout of related "digital assets/digital collections" business will also provide further development of the future blockchain metaverse and the development of digital payment business to make technical aspects. reserves. Young people’s enthusiasm for “digital assets” is also an important factor in bank layout.

Another important type of Chinese companies involved in "digital assets" in the past year is RWA. RWA means real-world asset tokenization, which refers to a form of trading physical assets in digital form (Token) on the blockchain, similar to the "IPO" in the digital world. In September last year, GCL Energy Technology, a green energy service provider under China's largest private power company, cooperated with Ant Digital Technology to complete the first physical asset RWA in China's photovoltaic field. It is understood that this is the first cross-border financing of 200 million yuan in Hong Kong based on the new energy charging pile assets operated on its platform as RWA anchored assets. Zhao Wenbiao, CEO of Ant Digital Technology, said that the RWA model is like a small IPO, allowing more small and medium-sized enterprises to connect global funds through the blockchain network.

Related content can be referenced: Ant Digital Technology and GCL Energy Technology jointly completed the issuance of RWA photovoltaic physical assets of over 200 million yuan

Beware of digital scams

As a new thing in the investment field, "digital assets" are still in the initial stage of development, and their market value is characterized by unstable and high volatility. It is particularly easy to lose money by chasing ups and selling downs. In addition, since the relevant national policies are still unclear, most of the "digital assets" currently lack a good trading environment. If investors want to understand "digital assets", they must first choose formal platforms, such as Whale Strip Platform under Ant Group and Shanghai Data Exchange with large factories or state-owned assets backgrounds; secondly, they must be wary of some criminals' use. Citizens’ curiosity about new things is the reality of fraud under the name of “digital assets”.

Hefei Municipal Public Security Bureau once cracked down on a fraud gang under the guise of issuing and trading "digital assets". It lied that the "digital assets masterpieces" issued were actually works by some ordinary painters, and directly The pictures copied from screenshots on the Internet have no collection value or actual value, and cannot be applied to any scene.