Secured assets explained  — FAQ

Q: What are Secured Assets?
Secured Assets are cross-chain tokens backed 1:1 by native assets held in THORChain’s decentralized vaults, protected by over 100 decentralized node operators. They let you use native assets like BTC, ETH, or XRP in Rujira’s DeFi without relying on third-party bridges or centralized wrappers.

Q: How are Secured Assets different from bridged assets?
Bridged assets are I-Owe-U’s (IOUs) created by third-party bridge protocols, which often get hacked or mismanaged. Secured Assets are protected by THORChain’s decentralized vault system, removing the need for external bridges and reducing risk.

Q: How are Secured Assets different from wrapped assets?
Wrapped assets are issued by centralized companies that hold the underlying crypto in custody and can arbitrarily confiscate or double-spend your assets. Secured Assets are fully decentralized and have no middlemen, KYC*, or risk of arbitrarily misappropriation.

KYC (Know Your Customer): identity checks required by centralized services.

Q: How are Secured Assets minted and redeemed?
They are minted when native assets are deposited into THORChain’s vaults and can be redeemed 1:1 for those same assets at any time.

Q: Are Secured Assets backed 1:1 by native tokens?
Yes, every Secured Asset is fully backed and redeemable for its native token.

Q: Can I transfer Secured Assets between chains?
Secured Assets are currently only tradeable on THORChain via Rujira.