For many RWA deals you can start with just a few hundred dollars - sometimes less. Lowering the minimum is the whole point of fractional ownership: an asset that once required tens of thousands is divided into small, affordable slices. The catch is that minimums vary a lot by platform and by the type of offering. Deals open to everyone tend to have low minimums; deals limited to accredited investors often set them higher.

What a typical minimum looks like

As of 2026, retail-friendly tokenized real estate often starts in the $50-$500 range per token, and some tokenized Treasury products have low or no stated minimum beyond the price of a single unit. Accredited-only private deals - credit, certain funds - commonly start at $1,000 and can run to $10,000 or more.

So the honest answer to "how much do I need" is: enough to buy one unit of whatever you want, plus a buffer for fees. For a beginner, that is usually a few hundred dollars, not thousands.

What sets the minimum

Three things drive it.

First, the offering type. A deal registered for the public under a framework like Regulation A+ is built for small investors and keeps minimums low. A private placement under Reg D 506(c) is sold only to accredited investors and typically sets higher minimums. Second, the platform's own floor, which covers its costs. Third, the asset itself - a single high-value property tokenized into fewer, pricier units will have a higher per-token minimum than one split into thousands.

Why accredited deals ask for more

Accredited-only offerings serve a smaller, wealthier pool of investors, so sponsors often set higher minimums to keep the number of holders manageable and the paperwork proportionate. It is not that the asset is better - it is that the regulatory path assumes larger checks. If a high minimum is the only thing stopping you, there are usually open-to-all deals in the same asset class with lower entry points.

The frameworks that set these floors

The low minimums are not arbitrary - specific SEC frameworks make them possible, and each comes with its own investor caps. Regulation A+ Tier 2 lets an issuer raise up to $75 million a year from the general public, and non-accredited investors can participate up to 10% of the greater of their annual income or net worth. Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) allows raises up to roughly $5 million a year, with per-investor limits that scale with income and net worth - smaller investors are capped at the greater of $2,500 or 5% of the lesser of income or net worth. These rules exist precisely to let ordinary people invest small amounts, which is why deals built on them have the lowest floors.

Real products show the range. Franklin Templeton's BENJI opens at around $20; retail tokenized-real-estate platforms have historically priced individual property tokens near $50; Ondo's USDY sits around $500; and accredited-only Reg D private credit or fund deals commonly start at $1,000 and climb from there. The pattern is consistent: the more public the framework, the lower the minimum.

Start small on purpose

Even when you can afford more, a small first position is the smart move. It lets you learn a platform's mechanics, see how distributions actually arrive, and test the exit process with little at risk. Mind the lock-up too: a low minimum does not help if the money is tied up longer than you expected. Invest an amount, and for a term, you are genuinely comfortable with.

Where to go next

• Next: how to fund your account.
• The eligibility angle: the accredited-investor rules.
• Glossary: fractional ownership.

Sources: rwa.xyz; U.S. SEC (sec.gov), as of 2026.