Financial institutions are accelerating their shift toward an onchain future, with major players like Fidelity Investments and UBS highlighting the advantages of tokenization in accessing new markets and streamlining investment products.
Tokenization momentum among leading asset managers
Matthew Horne, head of digital asset strategists at Fidelity Investments, emphasized the irreversible pace of institutional adoption toward blockchain-based assets. Speaking at Longitude Singapore, Horne stated that institutional momentum over the past 18 months makes returning to traditional systems unlikely.
Horne explained that US asset managers are especially motivated to transition assets onto blockchain networks. He cited improved investor access and the ability to reach previously untapped markets as driving factors for this trend.
“In the last 18 months, if you look at the push by true institutions to move toward an onchain future, it’s really no going back,” said Horne.
RWA.xyz, a platform tracking real world asset tokenization, reported a 41% increase in demand for tokenized assets over the past 30 days. The number of holders expanded to more than 493,000 wallet addresses, excluding stablecoins. This trend reflects growing institutional and retail interest in blockchain-enabled finance.
Mini dictionary: RWA.xyz, a platform that tracks the adoption and distribution of tokenized real world assets (RWAs) across various blockchain networks, supplying data on asset types, issuance, and wallet participation.
US regulatory developments and onchain capital movement
Ka Yan Chan, head of digital assets business development at UBS, discussed the scale of tokenization’s potential impact. She stated that tokenizing staple instruments such as treasuries and equities could bring billions of dollars onchain. Industry participants could then focus on building infrastructure to distribute these tokenized assets.
Recent US regulatory actions have supported this acceleration. In December 2025, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a “no action” letter to a Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC) subsidiary, allowing the launch of a securities tokenization service. In September, the SEC granted a temporary exemption for the limited trading of tokenized US stocks on selected blockchain-based venues.
Securitize, a digital assets company, announced it had begun facilitating trades of tokenized shares in a dozen of the most widely held publicly traded US companies. These assets are structured to include security entitlements for investors.
The movement of onchain capital continues to accelerate. OnchainBenchmark data showed more than $1.2 billion in new capital entering the ecosystem over the last month. The total capitalization of stablecoins and tokenized assets has now reached more than $323 billion.
| Metric | Last 30 Days | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Tokenized asset holders | +41% to 493,000 | N/A |
| Onchain capital inflow | $1.2 billion | $323 billion |
Long-term predictions and industry outlook
Standard Chartered’s global head of digital asset research, Geoff Kendrick, forecasted in August that the market capitalization of tokenized real world assets could approach $4 trillion by the end of 2028. The estimate reflects growing expectations for the future scale and utility of blockchain-based instruments in global finance.
Tokenization provides better investor access and helps asset managers “reach new markets,” according to Horne.
