What is NUVA?
NUVA is a marketplace for Real‑World Asset (RWA) vaults, bringing innovative, institutional‑quality financial products to everyone, everywhere. Developed by Animoca Brands and NU Blockchain Technologies, NUVA provides exposure to a curated selection of tokenized assets such as Figure Technology Solution’s HELOCs and the YLDS stablecoin.
On NUVA, assets are held in on‑chain, non‑custodial pools called vaults. When you participate in a vault, you receive nuAsset tokens that represent your pro‑rata share of the assets held in the vault. Yield generated by the vault’s underlying assets is automatically reinvested and accrues to the value of your nuAsset tokens.
When will NUVA launch?
NUVA’s marketplace is set to launch on December 8, 2025, with 2 flagship vaults: nuYLDS, a vault holding YLDS - the first yield-bearing stablecoin registered with the U.S. SEC, and nuHELOCs, a vault that provides exposure to Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC) assets sourced from the Democratized Prime HELOC pool issued by Figure Technology Solutions.
What are Real-World Assets (RWAs), and what are RWA vaults?
Real-world assets (RWA) refer to the on-chain, tokenized form of tangible or physical assets in the real world such as financial instruments, real estate and commodities. Tokenization makes these assets more accessible and tradable in digital markets.
RWA vaults are on-chain, non-custodial, and smart-contract-driven pools that hold tokenized assets that generate yield. When you deposit in a vault, you receive nuAsset tokens in your wallet that represent your proportional share of the pool. Vaults are dynamic pools, meaning deposits and withdrawals adjust the pool rather than drawing from a fixed inventory. The vault’s underlying assets generate yield, which is automatically reinvested and accrues to the value of your nuAsset tokens.
How are NUVA vaults curated?
NUVA currently features NUVA-native vaults, which are built and operated directly by NUVA.
In the future, NUVA’s marketplace will also include:
Third-party vaults: launched and operated by external asset issuers and distributed on NUVA’s marketplace.
SuperNUVA vault: built and operated by a partnered vault infrastructure provider, and is designed to support liquidity for nuAssets (the vault tokens across the NUVA ecosystem) and to give users exposure to a diversified set of DeFi strategies.
Who holds the vaults’ assets?
When you deposit USDC into a vault, you receive a nuAsset token in your wallet that represents your pro‑rata share of the vault. The underlying assets are recorded on‑chain and held by the vault’s smart contract. As the vault generates yield, it’s automatically deposited back into the pool and accrues to the value of the existing nuAsset tokens for that vault.
What are nuAsset tokens?
You receive nuAsset tokens when you participate in a NUVA vault, and they represent your ownership share of that vault. As the vault’s underlying assets generate yield, that value is deposited back into the vault and reflected in the value of your nuAsset tokens. nuAsset tokens are ERC-20, fully composable, and transferable; you can freely move them between wallets, trade them on DEXs, or use them in DeFi strategies.
Who operates NUVA and how is NUVA governed?
NUVA’s ecosystem’s future is shaped by its participants through progressive decentralization, where control transitions to the community over time. After the Token Generation Event (TGE), staked NUVA holders can propose and vote on key parameters, including platform fees, revenue‑sharing, treasury deployment and vault composition.
Who can participate in NUVA vaults?
NUVA vaults are designed to be permissionless and globally accessible. Anyone with an internet connection and a compatible crypto wallet, in supported jurisdictions, can participate.
Some vaults may have specific limitations or prerequisites. Any such details are clearly disclosed on each vault’s page in the NUVA app so you know what to expect before depositing into a vault.
As of today, both nuYLDS and nuHELOC vaults are permissionless on NUVA - no KYC verification is required by NUVA to participate.
Do I need KYC? When and why?
NUVA vaults are designed to be permissionless, and no KYC is required by NUVA to deposit into permissionless vaults. To safeguard the protocol and vaults, NUVA applies programmatic AML and sanctions screening.
What vaults are available at launch?
At launch, two flagship vaults are available on NUVA: nuYLDS and nuHELOC:
nuYLDS holds YLDS, the first yield‑bearing stablecoin registered with the U.S. SEC and issued by Figure Technology Solutions.
nuHELOC provides exposure to Home Equity Lines of Credit (HELOC) assets sourced from the Democratized Prime HELOC pool issued by Figure Technology Solution.
What chains & wallets are supported?
NUVA currently supports Ethereum and Provenance, with additional chains and ecosystems planned to follow. You can connect using common EVM-compatible wallets (e.g., MetaMask and WalletConnect-enabled wallets) on Ethereum, and compatible wallets supported by Provenance. Specific wallet options are listed in the NUVA app at connect time.
What fees exist on NUVA?
During the launch period, all fees are waived. Post-launch, standard NUVA fees will apply to vault interactions, including deposits and redemptions, and any other fees specific to each vault’s structure. Fee levels differ by vault type, and each vault clearly displays its own current fee schedule.
You can always find the exact fees for each vault, including management, performance, minting, or redemption fees, directly on the respective vault’s page.
How do I deposit into a NUVA vault? What stablecoins can I use?
To get started, go to app.nuva.finance and connect your wallet. Select the vault you’re interested in, and input the amount in USDC that you’d like to deposit into the specific vault. For now, we only support USDC but this may change in the future.
Once I participate in a vault, where are my assets?
When you deposit USDC into a NUVA vault, your USDC is used to acquire the vault’s underlying assets, which are then held in a non-custodial, on-chain vault. In return, you receive nuAsset tokens in your wallet that represent your proportional ownership of the vault.
Vaults are dynamic pools: deposits and withdrawals mint or burn nuAsset tokens and adjust the vault’s underlying asset holdings, rather than drawing from a fixed inventory.
The vault’s assets and your ownership are recorded on-chain, so you can verify the vault’s balances, activity, and proof of reserves at any time. As the vault’s underlying assets generate earnings, that value is reflected in the appreciating value of your nuAsset tokens.
nuAsset tokens are ERC-20 tokens, while the vault’s underlying assets are tokenized and recorded on Provenance Blockchain.
What do my nuAsset tokens represent? How can I use them?
Your nuAsset tokens represent your proportional ownership in the vault. Yield generated by the vault will be reflected in the appreciating price of your nuAsset tokens. You can hold your nuAsset tokens to benefit of the yield generated by the underlying asset, but you can also use your nuAsset tokens across DeFi, for example to access liquidity on DEXs or to use them as collateral for loans. At any time, you can also withdraw your nuAsset tokens back for USDC on NUVA, subject to the withdrawal terms specific to each vault.
Are there any minimums for deposits and withdrawals?
Generally, vaults on NUVA have no minimums for deposits and withdrawals. However, each vault may have specific parameters which you can review on the vault specific page. Both nuHELOC and nuYLDs have no minimums.
Are there any lockup periods?
Generally there are no lockup periods, however there may be exemptions for specific vaults. You can review the vault specific policy on the vault’s overview page on NUVA. For example, nuHELOC and nuYLDs have no lockup periods.
How do I liquidate my position in a vault?
To withdraw your nuAsset tokens, visit the vault’s page on app.nuva.finance. Select ‘withdraw’ and introduce the amount of tokens you’d like to convert for USDC. Confirm the transaction and you’ll receive the value of the nuAsset tokens you wanted to convert for USDC in your wallet. You can also move your nuAsset tokens across DeFi and find liquidity on DEXs.
Yield Mechanisms
How is yield generated for my nuAsset tokens?
Each NUVA vault contains different underlying assets, and yield is generated depending on the vault’s strategy. For example, yield for nuYLDS is generated by the underlying asset, YLDS, which is a public security stablecoin registered in the United States by the SEC. YLDS is issued by Figure Certificate Corporation, and invests purchasers' deposits into a mix of commercial loans, government issued treasuries, and other private debt.
Yield for nuHELOC is generated via loans that are collateralized by home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) originated by Figure Technology Solutions (America’s largest non‑bank HELOC provider) and partners, sourced via Democratized Prime.
How and when is yield distributed?
The yield for nuYLDS and nuHELOC is continuously compounding, meaning yield is paid out through accrual for each and every block. Yield is distributed back in the vault and deposited back, and accrues in the value of the nuAsset tokens.
How do I receive my yield?
The yield that is generated during the period in which you hold the nuAsset tokens gets redistributed back into the pool of the vault, and is reflected in the price of the nuAsset token. At any time, you can withdraw your nuAsset tokens for USDC on NUVA or access liquidity on supported DEXs.
Composability & Interoperability of nuAsset Tokens
Can I use my nuAsset tokens across DeFi?
Yes, nuAsset tokens are composable and multi-chain ready; meaning they can be used across DeFi ecosystems to access liquidity on DEX platforms, or for use in DeFi applications including lending, stripping, looping, and other DeFi strategies.
On what chains can I use my nuAsset tokens?
nuAsset tokens are ERC-20 tokens and can be used on Ethereum and Provenance, with more chains to follow in the future.
Can I trade my vault tokens on DEX?
Yes, nuAsset tokens are composable, meaning they can be used across DeFi ecosystems which includes accessing liquidity on DEXs. Moreover, they are P2P (Peer-to-Peer) transferable, so you can freely send them between wallets without KYC restrictions.
Is NUVA a crosschain protocol? What chain(s) support NUVA tokens?
NUVA’s vaults are multi-chain, meaning nuAsset tokens can be used permissionlessly on Ethereum and Provenance, with other chains to follow.
Security & Transparency
Is NUVA secure and are the vault contracts audited?
NUVA is built by industry leaders Animoca Brands and NU Blockchain Technologies and works with leading security firms like Sherlock and Halborn to ensure its smart contracts and vaults meet the highest security standards. Sherlock has completed the latest audit of NUVA’s smart contracts (with the report to be published shortly), and Halborn is currently conducting an additional audit.
Moreover, NUVA employs the highest security measures to assure that its protocol and vaults are safe; from its non-custodial design and multisig, to security hardening processes and real-time monitoring and sanction list controls to block high-risk activity.
Vaults provide users with verifiable truth by having on-chain proof of reserves that allow users to verify and confirm the vault’s holdings and underlying assets. On-chain proof of reserves replace trust with verifiable truth.
How can I verify the underlying assets of a vault (Proof-of-Reserves)?
Proof of reserves is a mechanism that allows anyone to verify the vault’s holdings and underlying assets in real-time, on-chain. You can verify vault tokens and underlying holdings directly through blockchain explorers like Zonescan or Etherscan by navigating to the published vault contract addresses
How do I report a bug or vulnerability (security disclosure policy)?
PENDING
What risks should I be aware of?
While NUVA is designed with robust security and compliance measures, risks still exist. These include potential market fluctuations affecting APY rates and regulatory uncertainties. Users are responsible for managing their assets securely, and outcomes are not guaranteed. Always assess your risk tolerance before participating.
NUVA Points System
What are NUVA Points?
You can earn NUVA Points from participating in Vaults and holding nuAssets, liquidity provisioning, DeFi, referrals and social media engagement. Points determine your position on the NUVA Leaderboard which will translate into an Airdrop for the NUVA token. Visit app.nuva.finance for more details.
How can I earn NUVA Points?
There are 5 ways to earn NUVA Points:
Vaulted Points
DEX Points
DeFi Protocol Points [coming soon]
Referral Points
Social Engagement Points [coming soon]
What can I do with NUVA Points?
Today, NUVA Points mainly serve as your scoreboard in the ecosystem and will be used to determine your share of future rewards and token allocation. They intend to:
Determine your share of ecosystem rewards and your eligibility for token allocations at the end of each season.
Translate into benefits such as a NUVA Token airdrop, once the NUVA Token has launched.
Potentially act as a convertible currency for future token sale participation.
After the NUVA Token TGE (Token Generation Event), NUVA Points continue as a key signal of on-chain behavior and credibility, influencing things like reward tiers.
Where can I find my NUVA Points balance?
In the NUVA app, you can see your NUVA Points balance, including an overview on how you’ve earned the Points. Click here to go to your NUVA Points dashboard.
Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Address (Wallet Address):
A wallet address is your public identifier on a blockchain, the destination where you can receive tokens and from which you can send them. It’s safe to share your address; your private key/seed phrase must never be shared.
Airdrop:
An airdrop is an event where a project distributes free tokens to users’ wallets. Airdrops are commonly used to build community, generate awareness, acquire users, and decentralize token ownership by placing tokens in many hands.
Allowlist (Whitelist):
An allowlist is a pre-approved list of wallet addresses eligible to participate in a specific action, such as joining a sale, mint, or vault. Projects use allowlists to control access based on criteria like verification status, region, or prior participation.
AML:
AML (Anti-Money Laundering) refers to the laws, regulations, and procedures designed to prevent and detect illicit finance, such as disguising illegally obtained funds as legitimate. In practice, AML frameworks often work alongside KYC (Know Your Customer), sanctions screening, and transaction monitoring.
API:
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a set of defined rules and protocols that enables different software applications to communicate and interact with each other. It acts as an intermediary, allowing one application to request and exchange data or functionality from another in a standardized, reliable way.
APR:
APR represents the annual rate of return or cost of borrowing, but without taking compounding into account. It is a straightforward yearly rate that shows how much interest you earn or owe over a year.
While APY measures total growth including reinvested returns, APR shows only the base rate—making it useful for comparing interest or yield before compounding effects.
APY:
APY is the effective rate of return on an investment over one year, taking compounding into account. Because APY includes the impact of reinvesting earnings (e.g., daily, weekly, or monthly), it will typically be higher than APR, which does not include compounding.
Asset-Backed Token:
An asset-backed token represents a claim on an underlying asset (for example, a pool of loans, real estate, treasuries, or other financial instruments). The token’s value and rights are linked to the performance or ownership of that underlying asset, subject to the terms and disclosures set by the issuer.
B
Bridge:
In Web3, a bridge is a protocol that allows digital assets or data to move between different blockchains.
When you bridge a token, the original asset is locked on its home chain, and a wrapped representation (a new version) is minted on the destination chain. When you send it back, the wrapped version is burned, and the original is released.
Bridges expand liquidity and interoperability across ecosystems, allowing users to access DeFi opportunities on multiple chains. However, they also depend on the security of the smart contracts and validators that hold the locked assets—making bridge design a critical part of the cross-chain ecosystem.
Burn:
To burn a token means to permanently remove it from circulation by sending it to an unrecoverable (or “burn”) address. Once burned, that token can no longer be used, traded, or transferred.
Burning can happen for several reasons, such as supply management (projects may burn tokens to reduce overall supply and increase scarcity) or redemption events: when a user redeems a tokenized position (for example, withdrawing their position from a vault, by swapping a vault token for stablecoin), the redeemed token is often burned to reflect that it has been settled and no longer represents a live claim.
All burn transactions are recorded on-chain, ensuring full transparency and traceability.
C
Composability:
Composability means that different blockchain applications can work together seamlessly, like building blocks that connect to create new possibilities.In simple terms, it allows one on-chain product to be used within another without special integrations.
For example, NUVA’s vaults are composable, which means vault tokens can, where supported, be used across the DeFi ecosystem, such as:
providing collateral for lending,
accessing liquidity on decentralized exchanges (DEXs), or
combining with other yield-generating strategies.
Cross-chain:
Cross-chain refers to the ability for assets, data, or messages to move or be recognized across different blockchains, allowing ecosystems that normally operate in isolation to interact and share liquidity.
There are several main ways this interoperability can happen:
Bridges: protocols that lock an asset on one chain and issue a wrapped version on another.
Multi-deployed tokens: tokens that are natively deployed on multiple blockchains as separate smart contracts coordinated by the issuer.
Omnichain tokens: tokens that maintain a single, unified supply across chains, using secure cross-chain messaging to burn and mint assets as they move.
D
Decentralization:
Decentralization means no single entity controls the system. Instead, decision-making and operations are spread across many independent participants who verify activity, run the network, and help govern it. This distribution tends to make systems more transparent, resilient, and harder to censor than if one party held the keys.
NUVA’s future is shaped by its participants through progressive decentralization, increasing community involvement and on-chain governance over time.
DeFi:
DeFi stands for decentralized finance, and includes financial services run by smart contracts on blockchains, such as lending, borrowing, trading, and yield, without traditional intermediaries taking custody or granting permission. It is typically built on public, permissionless networks (anyone with a wallet can participate), though some setups add permissions or compliance layers.
Decentralization in DeFi is a spectrum: execution may be fully on-chain while other parts (governance, front-ends, oracles) vary. The core idea is programmable, self-custodied finance with open access.
DEX:
A DEX is a decentralized exchange where users trade directly from their own wallets via smart contracts, without a centralized custodian.
DEXs come in two main models:
AMMs (Automated Market Makers): trades happen against liquidity pools (“peer-to-contract”), with prices set by formulas; anyone can supply liquidity.
Order-book DEXs: users place buy/sell orders (“peer-to-peer”), matched on-chain or by decentralized matchers.
What all DEXs share: self-custody, transparent on-chain settlement, and typically permissionless access.
Digital Asset:
A digital asset is a digital representation of value or rights recorded on a blockchain. It can be native (e.g., a chain’s base coin or a utility/governance token) or asset-backed (e.g., tokens representing real-world assets or claims on cash flows).
Digital assets can be fungible (interchangeable units like stablecoins) or non-fungible (NFTs) for unique items.
E
ERC-20
ERC-20 is a technical standard for creating fungible tokens on the Ethereum blockchain. “Fungible” means each token is interchangeable with another—just like one dollar equals another dollar.
The standard defines a common set of rules for how tokens are transferred, tracked, and interacted with across applications. This ensures interoperability - tokens built with ERC-20 standard automatically work with Ethereum wallets, exchanges, and DeFi protocols.
F
Fiat:
Fiat money is government-issued currency - such as the U.S. dollar, euro, or Japanese yen - that isn’t backed by a physical commodity like gold.
Its value comes from trust in the issuing government and the fact that it’s declared legal tender for paying debts and taxes.
Most of the world’s currencies are fiat. This system gives governments and central banks flexibility to manage money supply, interest rates, and inflation, but it also carries risks - such as loss of value through inflation or hyperinflation if mismanaged.
Fungible tokens:
A fungible token is a type of digital asset where each unit is identical and equal in value to every other unit of the same token.
For example, 1 USDC or 1 BTC always equals another 1 USDC or 1 BTC — just like one dollar equals another dollar. This uniformity makes fungible tokens ideal for use as currencies, governance tokens, or representations of other on-chain value (such as yield-bearing or asset-backed tokens).
G
Gas fee
A gas fee is the cost paid to process a transaction or execute an action on a blockchain. Every operation, such as sending tokens or interacting with a smart contract, requires computational power and network resources.
Gas fees are used to incentivize and compensate network participants who validate or confirm transactions, helping keep the blockchain secure and efficient. The amount of gas you pay varies depending on the blockchain you use, the level of network activity, and the complexity of the transaction.
H
Hash
A hash is a result of a cryptographic function that converts any input—such as a transaction, file, or block of data—into a unique string of letters and numbers of fixed length. No matter how large or small the original data is, its hash output will always be the same size.
Hashes are fundamental to blockchain security. Each block contains the hash of the previous one, creating a tamper-evident chain: if any information changes, the hash changes completely, signaling that the data was altered. This property allows blockchains to verify information, secure transactions, and prevent fraud without revealing the original data.
In simple terms, hashing ensures that blockchain data is verifiable, consistent, and secure, forming the backbone of trust in decentralized systems.
HELOC
A HELOC, or Home Equity Line of Credit, is a type of revolving credit that lets homeowners borrow against the equity in their property. The available limit is typically based on the home’s value minus any outstanding mortgage. Borrowers can draw funds as needed—similar to a credit card—and pay interest only on the amount they use. They have also become an attractive asset class for investors because they’re secured by real estate and generate stable, interest-based returns.
I
Interoperability
Interoperability is the ability of different blockchain networks to communicate, share data, and transfer assets with each other seamlessly. It allows ecosystems that would otherwise operate in isolation to become connected, enabling users and developers to take advantage of multiple blockchains without being locked into one.
Issuer:
An issuer is the entity that originates, manages, and maintains responsibility for a tokenized asset or financial product.
J
K
KYB
KYB, or Know Your Business, is a due diligence process used to verify the legitimacy and identity of a company or organization before it can access financial services. It ensures that businesses operate legally and that their activities comply with regulations designed to prevent fraud, money laundering, and other financial crimes.
The KYB process typically involves confirming a company’s legal registration, address, ownership structure, and ultimate beneficial owners (UBOs). This helps financial institutions and platforms understand who controls the business and how it operates.
KYC
KYC, or Know Your Customer, is the process of verifying an individual’s identity before they can access certain financial products or platforms. It’s a regulatory requirement designed to prevent fraud, money laundering, and terrorist financing.
Typically, KYC involves confirming details such as legal name, date of birth, address, and government-issued identification. In blockchain and DeFi contexts, KYC is often applied to permissioned vaults or regulated assets, ensuring that participants meet eligibility criteria.
L
Leveraged looping
Leveraged looping is a DeFi strategy where a user repeatedly borrows against deposited collateral to reinvest and increase overall exposure. In practice, this means depositing an asset (for example, a yield-bearing stablecoin), borrowing against it, and then redepositing the borrowed funds to amplify potential returns.
Leaderboard (NUVA)
The Leaderboard is a feature of NUVA’s points system and ranks participants by the NUVA Points they earn during a season. Points are credited for eligible actions such as depositing into vaults, providing liquidity, using supported DeFi integrations, inviting/referring new users, and social engagement.
M
Marker
Marker is the native fungible token standard on Provenance Blockchain, which powers NUVA’s infrastructure. It’s similar in purpose to Ethereum’s ERC-20 standard but designed specifically for regulated, asset-backed tokens.
Markers include built-in features such as transfer restrictions, allowlists, attestations, minting and burning controls, and auditability, all at the protocol level. This makes it possible to issue and manage compliant digital assets like stablecoins or tokenized credit instruments directly on Provenance with full transparency.
Mint
To mint is to create new tokens and add them to circulation (increasing total supply). Projects mint for a variety of reasons: initial issuance, rewards, redemptions/settlement mechanics, or when a vault receives new deposits and issues the corresponding vault tokens. Minting is the opposite of burning, which permanently removes tokens from circulation.
MPC
MPC (Multi-Party Computation) is a cryptographic method of signing transactions where no single party ever holds the whole private key. The key is split into secret “shares” across multiple devices or parties; a threshold (e.g., 2-of-3, 3-of-5) collaboratively produces a valid signature.
Among the benefits are greatly reduced single-point-of-failure risk, flexible recovery policies, and enterprise workflows. MPC is different from multisig: multisig collects multiple distinct signatures on-chain, whereas MPC combines key shares off-chain into one signature that looks like a normal wallet to the network.
Multi-chain
Multi-chain refers to an application, protocol, or token that operates across multiple blockchains. This can mean an app deployed on several networks or a token issued natively on more than one chain, each with its own smart contract and supply managed by the issuer.
Multi-chain setups expand reach and flexibility but can also fragment liquidity and state if the deployments aren’t connected through interoperability mechanisms such as bridges, cross-chain messaging, or omnichain architectures that coordinate activity and supply across networks.
Multisig governance
Multisig governance requires multiple approved signers to authorize important actions, such as treasury movements, contract upgrades, or parameter changes. Teams use multisig to reduce key-holder risk, improve accountability, and create checks-and-balances on critical operations—often as a pragmatic step toward progressive decentralization.
N
NFT
An NFT, or non-fungible token, is a unique digital asset recorded on a blockchain that cannot be exchanged on a one-to-one basis with another token. Each NFT contains distinctive information, such as ownership history, metadata, or digital attributes that sets it apart from others. NFTs are widely used to represent digital collectibles, art, in-game assets, and verifiable ownership of real-world items. Unlike fungible tokens (such as ERC-20 or Marker tokens), NFTs are individually identifiable rather than interchangeable.
Non-custodial
Non-custodial means you control and hold your assets. Funds live in your own wallet, and actions (deposits, withdrawals, trades) require your signature. No third party can move your funds without your approval. This is the opposite of custodial, where a company holds assets on your behalf.
nuAsset token
A nuAsset token is the token you receive when you deposit into a NUVA vault (e.g., nuYLDS, nuHELOC) and represents your proportional ownership in that vault.
As the vault’s underlying assets generate earnings, the value of those earnings is reinvested into the vault, increasing the value of the existing nuAsset tokens for all holders.
When you deposit, the vault mints nuAsset tokens directly to your wallet. When you withdraw, your nuAsset tokens are burned, and you receive the corresponding proceeds. The vault’s total underlying assets adjust dynamically with deposits and redemptions, you’re not buying from a fixed inventory.
NUVA-native vaults
NUVA-native vaults are vaults created and operated by NUVA. They sit alongside other issuer vaults in the marketplace.
NUVA Points
NUVA Points are rewards for participating in NUVA, earned through actions like depositing into vaults, providing liquidity, using supported DeFi integrations, referrals, and approved social engagement. Points will translate into Public Sale Allocation and Airdrop for NUVA token, and over time, they also help unlock ecosystem benefits as NUVA evolves.
O
Omnichain
Omnichain refers to the ability of a token or protocol to operate seamlessly across multiple blockchains while maintaining a single, unified supply and state.
Unlike multi-chain or cross-chain setups, where tokens exist as separate instances or wrapped versions on each network, omnichain architectures use cross-chain messaging and smart contract coordination to let assets move natively between chains.
Omnichain designs reduce fragmentation, improve liquidity, and enable a more connected, composable user experience, allowing assets and protocols to function as one across chains.
P
Permissionless
Permissionless systems are open to anyone; you don’t need approval to read data, make transactions, or interact with smart contracts (as long as you meet network rules). This openness fosters composability, innovation, and accessibility, since anyone can participate without intermediaries.
NUVA’s vaults are permissionless, meaning any eligible wallet can deposit, redeem, or interact with vault tokens directly, no application process, approvals, or intermediaries required. This structure makes institutional-grade assets available to a much broader audience while maintaining full on-chain transparency.
Permissioned
Permissioned systems restrict access to some or all actions—such as who can onboard, view data, hold an asset, or transfer it. Permissioned controls are common for regulated or institutional products (e.g., requiring identity checks, jurisdiction filters, or investor qualifications) while still leveraging blockchain transparency.
Proof of reserves
Proof of Reserves (PoR) is an on-chain verification approach that lets anyone confirm a vault’s token supply and backing activity directly on the blockchain. This means users can view token supply, the backing reserves or ledgers, and the mint / burn activity of a vault, without relying on intermediaries. All vaults on NUVA provide on-chain proof of reserves.
Provenance Blockchain
Provenance Blockchain is a purpose-built blockchain for digitizing RWAs (real world assets) and is designed for regulatory compliance and institutional transaction volumes.
As of October 2025, Provenance hosts $17 billion in live RWA (real-world asset) TVL (total value locked) and powers 75% of all tokenized private credit globally, making it the backbone of the legitimate on-chain real-world asset industry. Major industry players like Figure Technology Solutions (largest non-bank HELOC provider) have chosen Provenance Blockchain to digitise their assets.
Q
R
RWA
RWA, short for Real-World Asset, refers to any off-chain asset that has been tokenized, meaning its ownership or economic value is represented as a digital token on a blockchain.
RWAs can include a wide range of assets such as loans, real estate, treasuries, private credit, or commodities. Tokenizing them brings traditional financial products on-chain, making them more transparent, divisible, and liquid, while enabling instant settlement and on-chain verification.
NUVA’s vaults provide exposure to tokenized real-world assets like Figure Technology Solutions’ HELOCs and YLDS stablecoins, allowing users to gain exposure to institutional-grade credit and yield opportunities directly from their wallets.
S
Smart contract
A smart contract is a program that runs on a blockchain and automatically carries out actions when its conditions are met. Because the rules and outcomes are in code, smart contracts execute transparently and predictably, for example, minting vault tokens after a deposit or processing a redemption.
SOFR
SOFR, Secured Overnight Financing Rate, is a U.S. dollar benchmark interest rate that reflects the cost of overnight borrowing collateralized by U.S. Treasuries. It replaced LIBOR in many loans and derivatives. In RWA and credit contexts, SOFR often serves as the base rate for pricing variable yields.
Stablecoin
A stablecoin is a digital token designed to keep a steady value, typically pegged to a fiat currency like the U.S. dollar. Designs vary, fiat-backed or treasury-backed reserves (most common), crypto-collateralized, and algorithmic approaches, each with different risk profiles.
Stablecoins are widely used for payments, settlement, and liquidity in DeFi and RWA markets. In NUVA’s ecosystem, users can deposit into vaults with stablecoins.
Staking
Staking means locking tokens to support a blockchain or protocol and, in many cases, earn rewards. It is a core feature of proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchains, where users delegate their tokens to help validate transactions and secure the network. In return for their participation, stakers receive rewards, often in the form of more of the same tokens.
T
TGE
A Token Generation Event, or TGE, is the moment when a project’s native tokens are officially created and distributed for the first time. After a TGE, tokens typically become transferable and may be listed for trading. A TGE can include one or more mechanisms such as an airdrop, token sale, liquidity launch/listing, allocations with vesting/lockups, etc.
Points or contribution systems, like NUVA Points, can determine who gets how much at TGE, but that’s just one possible input, the essence of a TGE is bringing the token into existence and starting its lifecycle on-chain.
TradFi
TradFi stands for Traditional Finance and refers to the conventional financial system, including banks, credit institutions, funds, and other regulated entities, that operate with centralized control and intermediaries.
TVL
Total Value Locked (TVL) represents the total current value of all assets held within a protocol’s smart contracts, including principal deposits and any yield or appreciation those assets have generated.
In NUVA’s context, TVL reflects the combined net asset value (NAV) of all active vaults, capturing both user deposits and the accumulated earnings of the underlying real-world assets. It serves as a snapshot of the total capital deployed and growing within NUVA’s ecosystem.
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Underlying asset
An underlying asset is the real-world financial instrument or exposure that gives a token or vault its value. When you hold a nuAsset token, its value derives from the performance and yield of these underlying assets, which are managed transparently within the vault.
USDC
USDC (USD Coin) is a popular U.S. dollar-pegged stablecoin, meaning 1 USDC is designed to always be worth $1. It’s issued by Circle and backed by US dollars and short-term U.S. Treasuries, making it one of the most widely used and trusted stablecoins in crypto.
USDC is used across Web3 for payments, trading, and accessing DeFi applications. On NUVA, USDC is the stablecoin you use to swap into vaults and receive nuAsset tokens in return.
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Vault
Vaults are on-chain, non-custodial smart-contract pools that hold assets designed to generate yield.
When you deposit into a NUVA vault, you receive nuAsset tokens directly in your wallet that represent your proportional share of the vault.
The vault’s holdings adjust dynamically with deposits and redemptions—you’re not buying from a fixed inventory. As the underlying assets produce earnings, those earnings are deposited back into the vault, increasing the value of existing nuAsset tokens for all holders over time.
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Wormhole
Wormhole is an interoperability protocol that connects multiple blockchains, allowing tokens, data, and messages to move securely between them.
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YLDS
YLDS is a yield-bearing stablecoin created by Figure Technology Solutions and issued on Provenance Blockchain, and is the first SEC-registered stablecoin. On NUVA, users can gain exposure to YLDS via the nuYLDS vault.
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