The tokenized assets market surged by 40%: volume reached $51 billion, number of holders grew by 60%
Since the beginning of the year, the market for tokenized real-world assets (RWA) has shown steady growth of 40%, reaching $51 billion. This trend is particularly notable against the backdrop of a general correction in the cryptocurrency market, indicating a fundamental interest from institutional investors in digitizing traditional assets.
The number of unique holders of RWA tokens has increased by 60%, exceeding 917,000. The leaders in asset volume remain the Figure platform with $18.9 billion and Securitize, managing $4.3 billion. This confirms the market concentration around several key players with regulatory frameworks and technological infrastructure.
Structure and Dynamics
The majority of RWA is occupied by private credit (47%), followed by US Treasury bonds (30%) and precious metals (9%). Most activity is concentrated in the Provenance (39%) and Ethereum (33%) networks. The tokenized equities segment deserves special attention, having grown by 130% over six months to reach $1.6 billion. This is the fastest-growing sector, indicating rising demand for liquidity and 24/7 trading.
Analysts highlight three main approaches to equity tokenization:
- Trading Infrastructure. Brokers, such as Robinhood, buy shares and hold them as collateral for tokens. This enables 24/7 trading but does not provide the holder with voting rights.
- Settlement Layer. Blockchain replaces traditional accounting systems. Projects like Figure and Securitize create regulated stacks where investors receive full ownership rights.
- Hybrid Model. Coinbase offers an "exchange of everything," combining tokens for stocks, derivatives, and crypto assets for users outside the US.
Regulatory Prospects
The further development of the industry directly depends on the SEC's stance. The regulator has already approved pilot projects by NYSE and Nasdaq for trading tokenized securities. A key catalyst, in my opinion, will be the so-called "innovation exemption," which would allow trading such assets within the US without violating existing norms.
The monthly transaction volume in the tokenized equities segment reached $5.3 billion in June. For comparison, in September of last year, this figure was only $500 million. Such a tenfold increase in six months is a clear signal of a shift from experiments to mass adoption.
Expert Opinion: Equity tokenization is not just a trend but a logical stage in the evolution of financial markets. However, the key challenge remains balancing decentralization with regulatory compliance. If the SEC continues to soften its stance, we will see explosive growth in this sector within the next 12 months.