2026: The year of tokenized assets

2026 is shaping up to be the definitive turning point for the tokenization of real-world assets (RWA). What for years was an interesting experiment on the fringes of finance is rapidly evolving into a standard financial infrastructure, with massive participation from traditional institutions.

At the beginning of 2026, the total value of tokenized assets on public blockchains already comfortably exceeds $30-35 billion (according to data from platforms like rwa.xyz), with conservative projections placing it above $50-100 billion by year's end. More ambitious estimates even predict growth into the hundreds of billions in the next 24-36 months.

The main drivers of this transformation are tokenized US Treasury bonds and on-chain money market funds. Products like BlackRock's BUIDL fund (which already manages over $1.8 billion) and Franklin Templeton's on-chain fund (exceeding $650 million) have demonstrated that there is real and sustained demand for predictable returns on low-risk assets with the advantages of blockchain: instant settlement (T+0), full transparency, and integration with DeFi.

But 2026 won't be limited to treasuries. Experts agree that we will see an explosion in several categories:

• Tokenized private credit → from ~$2-3 billion to potentially $10-15 billion
• Tokenized funds and institutional investment vehicles → more than 50% of the 50 largest asset managers will have tokenization strategies
• Real estate and illiquid assets → real secondary markets are beginning to mature
• Structured products and fixed income → leveraging the ~$130 trillion of the traditional fixed income market

Regulatory maturity is the major catalyst. Clarity in the United States, Europe (with tokenized UCITS), Singapore, Hong Kong, and other financial centers allows for a shift from controlled pilots to production deployments. Tokenization is no longer seen as "something crypto," but as the next natural evolution of capital markets: more efficient, more accessible, and more programmable.

Why 2026 specifically?
Because the following factors align simultaneously:

1. Mature infrastructure (programmable compliance, interoperability, initial liquidity)
2. Decisive entry of traditional giants
3. Institutional demand for yield and efficiency in an interest rate environment that is beginning to normalize
4. Competition among blockchains to capture institutional flows

2026 will not be the year everyone goes tokenized overnight. It will be the year tokenization ceases to be a futuristic option and becomes a concrete tool that major financial players can no longer ignore. The bridge between Traditional Financial Technology (TradFi) and blockchain is becoming a four-lane highway.

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