Can OM Recover After 90% Fall?

The Mantra token crash on April 13, 2025, stunned the crypto world, slashing OM’s value by over 90% from $6.30 to $0.37 within hours. This wiped out nearly $5.5 billion in market capitalization for one of MENA’s most talked-about RWA tokenization platforms. Based in Dubai and licensed by VARA, Mantra has formed major partnerships with UAE developers MAG and DAMAC. Despite the OM token’s steep fall, these relationships and the project’s regulatory standing suggest there may still be a path forward. While VARA has not issued a statement, X is buzzing with speculation and cautious optimism. Can Mantra bounce back?

A Stellar Climb Meets a Sharp Drop

Mantra’s Layer 1 blockchain is designed to tokenize real-world assets like real estate, blending DeFi with traditional finance. Its OM token skyrocketed from $0.0158 in January 2024 to a peak of $8.99 by February 2025, reaching a $6 billion market cap. The rally was fueled by high-profile partnerships:

• MAG Real Estate (2024): Mantra partnered with MAG to tokenize $500 million in Dubai luxury properties, including the Keturah Reserve development.
• DAMAC Group (2025): A $1 billion deal with DAMAC aims to tokenize real estate, hospitality, and data center assets across the region.
• VARA License: In early 2025, Mantra was licensed by Dubai’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA), adding credibility and enabling it to offer regulated digital asset services.

Then, at 2 AM UTC on April 13, OM began to plummet, bottoming out at $0.37 by 6 AM—a 93% crash. Centralized exchanges saw unusually high volume and volatility. By April 14, OM rebounded slightly, trading between $0.80 and $1.10. The community quickly turned to social media, asking: can OM recover?

What Caused the OM Token Crash?

Mantra co-founder John Patrick Mullin addressed the situation on X. He attributed the sharp decline to “a large investor’s reckless liquidations” during a low-liquidity window. He clarified that the Mantra team had not sold tokens, noting, “Team tokens are locked—check wallet mantra1yejpacug78zuqkzwwuc94c0a2al4mz4yfqquam.”

Several factors likely contributed to the crash:

• Low Liquidity: Early-morning trading magnified sell pressure.
• Market Sentiment: Bitcoin’s 10% weekly dip destabilized broader market confidence.
• Token Supply Concerns: Unverified rumors on X questioned OM’s circulating supply transparency, though CoinMarketCap lists 1.4 billion OM in circulation.

Mullin also dismissed speculation that Binance was involved, likely referencing the fact that both Binance and Mantra are licensed under VARA, with strong ties to the UAE ecosystem. VARA has not issued any comment, but its oversight could prove stabilizing in the long term.

Community Reaction: Fear and Hope on X

The token crash triggered fierce debate. #OMScam briefly trended, with some users alleging insider activity or mismanagement. However, no evidence has surfaced suggesting that the Mantra team dumped tokens. Others pointed to the project’s fundamentals. “MAG’s $500M is live, DAMAC’s $1B is next,” one user posted. “This is a dip worth buying.”

Despite the volatility, sentiment on X has been cautiously optimistic, buoyed by Mantra’s partnerships and regulatory status. With Google Cloud also supporting Mantra, faith in its technical and operational resilience remains.

Dubai: A Pillar in Mantra’s Foundation

Mantra’s Dubai roots are more than symbolic. The project sits at the heart of a growing UAE push to become a global hub for digital assets. The MAG and DAMAC partnerships, though not financial backings, demonstrate real-world use cases for RWA tokenization. Its VARA license, obtained in February 2025, allows it to offer investment and trading services within a regulated framework.

Given the turbulence, it’s natural to expect that both VARA and Dubai Land Department (DLD) might slow down their pace temporarily as they reassess momentum and market stability. But this doesn’t signal retreat. Instead, it opens a window for stronger frameworks and higher-quality projects to emerge.

The crash may prompt VARA to examine how centralized exchanges handle low-liquidity events. While there’s no official word yet, the incident underscores the importance of regulatory vigilance.

Can RWA Tokenization Recover?

The OM crash is a blow to the RWA narrative, but not a fatal one. Tokenizing assets like real estate offers benefits: fractional ownership, faster transactions, and improved transparency. Mantra’s live $500 million MAG project and upcoming $1 billion DAMAC rollout are still in motion.

To reinforce confidence, Mantra may need to:

• Accelerate its RWA deployments.
• Clarify tokenomics and supply.
• Improve liquidity to prevent future crashes.

Investors Watch and Wait

X is full of heartbreak and hope. “Lost $30,000 in my sleep,” one user wrote. Others remain bullish: “MAG and DAMAC don’t play around. OM will come back.”

Mantra’s next moves are critical. A transparent post-mortem, clearer supply disclosures, and progress on high-profile projects could restore investor trust. In the world of crypto, recoveries are never out of the question.

With the UAE continuing to support blockchain innovation and RWA projects gaining traction, Mantra may yet turn this crisis into an opportunity.