Chainlink is undergoing a fundamental shift from being viewed as a typical altcoin to becoming critical infrastructure for real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. According to analysis based on an Altcoin Buzz report, Chainlink's Cross-Chain Interoperability Protocol (CCIP) Runtime Environment (CRE) is now being utilized as the standard for delivery-versus-payment (DvP) settlements by major global banks UBS and ANZ.
This adoption represents a significant step forward, moving LINK beyond its "oracle token" label into a serious operational role within tokenized finance. The involvement of UBS and ANZ indicates these are not mere marketing partnerships but reflect Chainlink's integration into the core infrastructure banks rely on for blockchain-based operations. The CRE is specifically designed to allow institutions to interact with blockchain systems without compromising their existing compliance and risk management frameworks.
Altcoin Buzz has labeled Chainlink a "Value Bridge" for an RWA market with a long-term potential valuation of $30 trillion, encompassing assets like bonds, stocks, and commodities moving on-chain. Despite this structural shift in use case, the market continues to price LINK at around $12.80, treating it largely as a cycle-driven altcoin rather than repricing it for its emerging infrastructure role. This creates a perceived gap between Chainlink's fundamental utility and its current valuation.
The analysis suggests Chainlink possesses "evergreen" characteristics because its core utility—providing accurate, reliable data—is essential across multiple crypto sectors including DeFi, gaming, stablecoins, and the burgeoning RWA narrative, granting it durability many project-specific tokens lack.
