The Tokenization Boom: Equities, RWAs, and Market Growth

Over the last few years, tokenized assets have gone from speculative options to viable investment vehicles. This growth, spawned by institutional support and regulatory changes, has helped the tokenized asset market reach a new level of maturity. Here’s why the tokenization boom is here to stay and what it means for investors moving forward.

What Are Tokenized Assets?

Tokenization is a term that refers to bringing assets onto a blockchain. This method of introducing the advantages of blockchain technology to traditional assets has become increasingly popular.  Tokenized assets can represent ownership of companies, real estate, or any asset.

When discussing tokenized assets, it’s important to note that the majority sit at a 1:1 exchange with the underlying asset, enabling them to track the price, providing exposure to a global audience.

Today, there are more types of tokenized assets and tokenization platforms than ever. Here are some examples of tokenized equities you should know.

Tokenized Stocks

There are two types of tokenized stocks. The first type, and most popular, is a digital representation of a share, backed by a real-world share held in custody. For example, you can find tokenized Apple, Tesla, or Microsoft shares on crypto exchanges.

Notably, the first US company to successfully tokenize its stock was Exodus Movement (EXOD -6.35%). In 2021, it opened the floodgates when it tokenized its common stock, demonstrating that blocckhain technology could handle the task more efficiently. Notably, the platform launched its shares on Algorand (ALGO +4.64%). Since then, the firm expanded its tokenized stocks to other blockchains, adding to their accessibility.

Direct Tokenization Strategies

Notably, synthetic assets do provide exposure. However, the trader does not actually own any percentage of the company, like with traditional shares or the second type of tokenized stock.

Direct tokenized stocks differ from the first version in that they are the actual asset. They don’t have a paper asset that they represent, but instead, were launched from day one as a blockchain asset.

Tokenized Real Estate Equity

Tokenized real estate equity tokens are another sector on the rise. These tokens rely on blockchain technology to lower the entry bar and provide more transparency. Keenly, these assets trade like crypto tokens, providing faster transfer and cheaper fees.

Fractional ownership tokens enable tokenized real estate investors to diversify across more high-value properties with less friction. They also enable more investors to enter the market by lowering financial hurdles.

Tokenized Private‑Equity / Startup Shares

Startups are turning towards blockchain technology to improve their fundraising capabilities and access to public capital. As such, private equity is another sector that has seen success. More companies have issued digital tokens that represent equity in the last year than ever, highlighting an interesting subsector of the tokenization market.

Why Tokenization Is Accelerating in 2026

The tokenization boom is hard to miss. For example, the tokenized equities market has seen its infrastructure and capital expand at record rates over the last year due to several factors. It grew by nearly 3000% in the last year alone.

Impressively, the asset‑tokenization market is estimated to sit at $3.01T currently. The same data suggests that it could expand at 44% CAGR. This would place the market at $18.7T by 2031. This year alone, analysts project the industry to hit +$400B in Q1 2026. This statistic represents nearly +$36B in growth.

Tokenized Equities Stats You Should Know

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Tokenized equities are a great example of RWAs integration beyond private credit and Treasury bills into more mainstream instruments. Last year’s data shows tokenized treasuries and money‑market funds exceeded $7.4B in value. When you delve into tokenized equities specifically, reports show this sector hit a market cap of $963M already in 2026. Specifically, this swing represents a 2,878% increase in value from the same time last year.

Nearly every aspect of the tokenized equities market shows growth. For example, there is currently $2.66B in monthly chain transfers across tens of thousands of active addresses.

Key Forces Driving Tokenized Equities Adoption

There are several key factors that continue to drive interest and adoption of tokenized equities. The main factor is a new trust and level of investor confidence. In the past, tokenized equities were seen as strictly speculative.

However, today this view has shifted into a more established and trusted vision for the future of the market. Here are some other key factors driving tokenized equities adoption.

Added Exposure

At the top of the list for reasons why tokenized equities have seen explosive growth is their international exposure. The world is filled with investors eager to get in on the US markets. However, if you’re not a citizen, this is a very difficult task.

You can avoid these headaches and gain access to US and EU blue-chip companies via tokenized equities. This strategy eliminates much of the friction caused by local brokerages and FX controls. This approach also has the added benefit of avoiding high minimums as well.

Regulatory Support

Another main reason why you are likely to see tokenized equities listed by your local broker in the next six months is regulatory changes. Until this last administration, blockchain assets were very misunderstood, with many lawmakers believing that they somehow encouraged money laundering and scammers.

Today, there is a broader understanding of technology. Lawmakers have learned why and how blockchains work, enabling them to make decisions on these assets based on facts and not just emotions.

This scenario has led to these assets becoming an extension of capital markets rather than a speculative asset. Combine this scenario with access to growing institutional rails, new SEC guidance on broker-dealer custody, and a DTCC no-action letter tied to a tokenization pilot, and you can see why there is more investor confidence than in years prior.

24/7 Trading

The ability to trade around the clock has helped tokenize equities take flight. When discussing trading strategies, especially those of high‑frequency traders, the ability to trade 24/7 opens the door for more revenue and opportunities.

Investors are sick of waiting over the weekend and holidays to trade their assets. These are the times that volatility can spawn and expand, leaving traders helpless until Monday morning. Tokenized assets enable traders to avoid additional losses by allowing them to trade whenever they want.

Instant Settlement

Aside from transferring quicker and providing more access, tokenized assets offer instant settlement. Instant settlement is a major upgrade, as traditional requests could take over 2 days to complete. During this time, trades could miss out on other lucrative opportunities.

Tokenized equities eliminate this problem with instant settlement. This feature is made possible because the tokenized assets include their regulatory requirements directly in their smart contract programming. This capability frees up capital and reduces counterparty risk.

Fractional Ownership

Fractional ownership has helped tokenized equities reach a new audience. These tokens represent a small piece of ownership of a larger asset. Notably, fractional ownership tokens are very popular in the tokenized real estate equity market. Here, they open the door for more diversification.

Traders use these tokens to gain access and exposure to premier real estate projects at a term that meets their budget. This is a major upgrade, as in the past, only accredited investors could access these lucrative deals. As such, fractional ownership tokens are seen as a great way to democratize the economy.

DeFi Support

Tokenized assets open the door for a new level of capital efficiency via DeFi protocols. Tokenized equity holders can enter their tokens into DeFi reward and yield-earning protocols to increase their capital efficiency and ROIs.

This feature has helped to drive adoption to new heights while providing new utility to these assets. Today, it’s common to see tokenized equities used as collateral in p2p lending platforms, staked to secure rewards, farmed to gain yield, and much more.

Real‑World Assets (RWAs)

The RWA movement is another driving factor in the large-scale adoption of tokenized assets. RWA refers to real-world assets with blockchain representations. These assets can be anything from stocks to art, and everything in between.

Analysts agree 2026 could be a breakout year for RWAs as there are currently around $19-$36B in RWAs sitting on the blockchain, excluding stablecoins. According to reports, US treasuries are the top RWA with $8.7B in assets tokenized in 2026 alone.

Industry Leaders Drive Adoption

The tokenized equity market is dominated by a handful of first movers. These platforms continue to pioneer this innovative technology while at the same time fighting for regulatory support and clarity. Here are a few industry leaders worth knowing:

Ondo Global Markets

Ondo Global Markets launched in 2021 with its goal to support RWA tokenization. The platform was founded by Nathan Allman on the Ethereum (ETH -1.69%) blockchain. Today, it’s one of the most popular DeFi tokenization platforms, supporting a host of tokenized equities.

In 2025, the company expanded its operations and rebranded to Ondo Global Markets. This rebranding better represented the platform’s international clientele. It also coincided with the company expanding to offer +100 tokenized US equities, giving the firm strong positioning in the market.

Notably, Ondo Global has strong investor support. In its early days, it secured $4M in seed funding, with the majority being invested by Pantera. The company then secured $20M in Series A funding before hosting a $22M public token sale.

Impressively, Ondo Global currently dominates the tokenized securities market. Its focus on tokenized equities specifically has helped it to secure this market dominance, as reports show it accounts for more than half of the entire tokenized equity market value.

Securitize

Securitize launched as a security token and tokenization platform in November 2017. As a first mover in the space, the platform has been instrumental in driving adoption. Securitize takes a regulatory-first approach to the market, integrating KYC and other regulations long before recent legislation.

The company’s founders, Carlos Domingo and Jamie Finn, had experience in the tokenization market as Domingo is also a founder of one of the first tokenized venture‑capital funds, SPiCE VC. This experience helped streamline Securitze’s rise to the top.

Securitize’s Early Institutional Breakthroughs

In 2021, Securitize helped launch the Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank’s first credit‑rated, asset‑backed security‑token fund. It also launched a security token trading platform the same year in the country.

Today, Securitize is seen as an all-in-one tokenization ecosystem. It integrates end-to-end services for issuing, managing, and trading tokenized assets in a regulated environment. Notably, the company filed a public registration with the SEC, signalling that it will go public in the coming months.

Other Notable Platforms Hosting Tokenized Equities

There are more platforms entering the tokenized equities market monthly. These aren’t tiny networks either. Firms like Coinbase (COIN -4.36%), Kraken, Bybit, and Robinhood (HOOD -3.16%) now provide access to, or have expanded, their current tokenized equities offerings recently.

Future of Tokenized Equities

Currently, there are only around a dozen major crypto exchanges supporting these assets, but you can expect to see more platforms offering tokenized equities in the future. Most analysts agree that this number will, at the very least, double this year as RWAs gain momentum and more blockchain integration occurs.

RWA-Focused Trading Venues Are Expanding

You can also expect to see a rise in RWA-centric platforms. Protocols like Ondo Global and Abra will offer RWA-minded investors added features and options. They will also streamline the tokenization of assets, helping to increase the market value in the coming years.

Coinbase to Enter the Tokenized Equity Sector

Coinbase announced plans to enter the RWA tokenization sector in a major way this year. The company has been working on its entrance for a while now, starting with the launch of the Base blockchain.

Keenly, Base supports tokenized assets and advanced DeFi integration. As such, this latest venture will provide traders access to top US markets and more via a regulated infrastructure.

Latest Coinbase (COIN) News and Performance

What’s Driving the Current Tokenization Boom | Conclusion

When you see that the tokenization market expanded by 2,800% in a single year, it’s easy to spot the trend. Now that you have a better understanding of the mechanics driving this growth, you can use it to capture this momentum and improve your positioning.

Learn about other cool digital asset development here.