Plume launches nBND vault backed by Fidelity Total Bond ETF

Plume has launched a new vault called nBND, backed by Fidelity’s Total Bond ETF (FBND). It is aimed at institutional investors who want tokenized exposure to actively managed bonds.

What Plume actually built

The vault runs on Nest, Plume’s protocol for packaging real-world assets (RWAs) into tokens. Plume describes its broader infrastructure as a modular Layer-2 blockchain designed for that purpose.

The product is formally known as the Nest Fidelity Total Bond ETF Vault, also referenced as nFBND. It issues a receipt token, which works like a coat-check ticket. You hand over capital, and the token proves your claim on the vault’s FBND shares.

That receipt token trades on Plume’s own blockchain. Plume is positioning it mainly for institutions that want bond exposure in a compliant and liquid wrapper.

Nest vaults are built to accept stablecoin deposits. Rather than routing money through a brokerage account, a user can move digital dollars into the vault and receive programmable exposure to the underlying fund.

The fund underneath the token

FBND is not a newcomer. Fidelity launched the ETF on October 6, 2014, and it manages approximately $28 billion in assets.

The fund carries a 0.36% expense ratio and offers a yield of around 4.88%. It is actively managed, meaning portfolio managers choose the bonds rather than passively tracking an index.

How ether.fi fits in

The FBND product grew out of a partnership between Plume and ether.fi, formed in June 2026. The two set out to build the Etherfi Liquid RWA vault.

That vault launched with an initial deployment of $25 million. It is projected to ultimately reach $100 million.

Its holdings include allocations to BlackRock’s iShares AAA CLO ETF alongside Fidelity’s FBND. The idea is to give ether.fi users regulated exposure to yield-bearing bond markets without leaving the crypto ecosystem.

Background: Plume’s regulatory groundwork

Plume’s public mainnet, Plume Genesis, launched in June 2025 with a focus on asset tokenization.

In October 2025, Plume obtained SEC transfer-agent registration to support tokenized securities. A transfer agent keeps the official record of who owns a security, a role that is usually invisible but becomes central once ownership lives on a blockchain.

What this means for tokenized RWAs

There are risks worth weighing. A receipt token adds a layer between the investor and the underlying ETF, which introduces smart contract and platform risk on top of ordinary bond market risk. Interest rate moves will still affect FBND’s value regardless of what chain the token lives on.

The Etherfi Liquid RWA vault offers a useful gauge of demand. It started with $25 million and carries a $100 million target.