Crypto news

Tokenized stocks have ceased to be a peripheral experiment at the intersection of cryptocurrencies and traditional finance. Today, we are witnessing the formation of a fundamentally new class of infrastructure that blurs the boundaries between stock markets and digital assets. For millions of crypto exchange users, investing in shares of leading global corporations is becoming as routine as buying Bitcoin or Ethereum. And this is only the beginning of a large-scale transformation.

From a niche product to a full-fledged market

2026 has become a turning point for this segment. According to my analysis of DeFiLlama data, the market capitalization of tokenized stocks has grown by more than 140% since the start of the year — from $814 million to nearly $2 billion. This is one of the highest growth rates among all classes of digital assets. But the key change is not in the numbers, but in the structure of demand. Investors no longer choose between the high returns of cryptocurrencies and the stability of traditional securities. They want to combine Bitcoin, Nvidia shares, and Apple shares in a single portfolio managed through one platform.

Trading quality — a new criterion of maturity

When a market is just emerging, users pay attention to the number of available assets. When it matures, they focus on the quality of trade execution. Traditional exchanges have long been evaluated by liquidity, order book depth, and transaction costs. The tokenized assets segment is moving along the same path. My analysis shows that the median bid-ask spread on Bitget is 0.83 basis points — less than one hundredth of a percent. This is the best figure among the largest platforms, and the order book depth at best prices is also maximal. Behind these technical parameters lie real trader costs: a low spread minimizes losses on entry and exit, while high liquidity allows large orders to be executed without significantly impacting the price.

Liquidity as the currency of trust

The main problem of the first generations of tokenized assets was a lack of liquidity. Platforms offered hundreds of instruments, but trading volumes remained minuscule, leading to wide spreads and slippage. Now the situation is changing dramatically. From June 2 to July 19 alone, the trading volume of rTokens — RWA tokens from the Reality platform — exceeded $1.16 billion. Investors continue to show the greatest interest in technology companies, semiconductor manufacturers, AI developers, and ETFs on innovative industries. This reflects a global trend: tokenized stocks are becoming a tool for accessing rapidly growing sectors of the economy without the need to open an account with a foreign broker.

Transparency — the next frontier

High liquidity must be backed by trust. Reality has expanded its partnership with The Network Firm and has moved to daily publication of independent Proof-of-Reserves reports for 500 tokenized stocks and ETFs. Every investor can verify daily that the issued rToken is fully backed by the underlying security. Such standards, in my conviction, will become the norm for the entire industry.

Three years that will change everything

I am convinced that we stand at the beginning of a long journey. Over the next three years, the market will undergo fundamental shifts. First, the number of tokenized assets will grow manyfold: from shares of European and Asian companies to government bonds, corporate debt, indices, and commodities. Second, liquidity will become the main competitive advantage — platforms will compete not over the number of listings, but over market depth and execution speed. Third, the boundaries between TradFi and cryptocurrencies will disappear completely: an investor will open one account and buy Bitcoin, stocks, ETFs, gold, and bonds from it.

Tokenization is not just a digital wrapper for traditional assets. It changes the very mechanics of how investors interact with global markets. Round-the-clock trading and accessibility for anyone with a digital wallet make the market more open and efficient.

My conclusion: the next three years will be a period when tokenized stocks finally transition from the category of innovation to a mainstream financial instrument. Investment in liquidity, transparency, and execution quality — that is what will determine the leaders of the new generation of global markets.