Real overview
Understand the systems behind Real and where to begin.
What is Real?
Real is a financial network for tokenized assets. It has three parts: its own blockchain, contracts that check who can hold each asset, and a protocol that makes service providers put stake behind their work. Because Real runs its own chain, it decides who validates blocks, how fees work, how much capacity there is, and when the network upgrades.
Three layers of the financial network
Real Chain
Real Chain is the network layer. It is a dedicated Layer 1 blockchain that runs Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) contracts. It gives the financial applications built on it their own validator set, blockspace, fee policy, and upgrade path.
Tokenization Engine: the asset layer
The Tokenization Engine lets issuers create permissioned asset tokens: tokens that only eligible investors can hold. It uses ERC-3643, a token standard with identity and transfer controls. The engine combines token contracts, investor identities, trusted claims, and configurable rules. Issuers and authorized operators use these parts to manage the token through its whole lifecycle.
Business Validator Protocol: the trust layer
The Business Validator Protocol defines three business roles for assets: tokenization, scoring, and insurance. It ties each participant's assigned work to stake, rewards, and enforcement. These roles are business duties for assets, not network validation.
Where to begin
Read the system architecture first, or choose the section for your role: