Tokenized real-world assets are attracting institutional capital at an accelerating pace. Demand for tokenized assets rose 41% over the past 30 days, according to data presented at a panel discussion in Singapore on October 8, 2026. The market now holds $323 billion across stablecoins and tokenized assets, with $1.2 billion in capital moving onchain during the most recent 30-day period.
Matthew Horne, head of digital asset strategists at Fidelity Investments, framed the shift as irreversible. “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,” Horne said at the Longitude Singapore panel.
The regulatory environment has accelerated the trend. In December 2025, the SEC issued a “no action” letter to a DTCC subsidiary, enabling it to offer a new securities market tokenization service. Three months later, in September 2026, the SEC approved a temporary exemption allowing limited trading of tokenized US stocks on certain onchain venues. Securitize announced the launch of trading in tokenized shares of a dozen widely held US traded stocks with security entitlements.
Ka Yan Chan, head of digital assets business development at UBS, identified infrastructure as the critical next step. “What would really drive the billions to the trillions is when market infrastructure players like the Fed or DTCC make the first move in transforming the custody layer to a tokenized platform,” Chan said.
The addressable market is expanding. Standard Chartered predicted in August 2026 that tokenized real-world assets may reach $4 trillion by the end of 2028. Current adoption spans 493,000 holders of tokenized real-world assets, excluding stablecoins.
Structural Incentives for Asset Managers
Tokenization provides structural advantages to financial institutions seeking to reach new markets. US asset managers face particular incentives to move equities and treasuries to blockchain-based platforms, according to the panel discussion materials. The combination of regulatory clarity and market infrastructure improvements has created conditions for institutional participation at scale.
The temporary exemption approved by the SEC in September 2026 represents a limited but significant authorization for onchain equity trading. The scope and conditions for converting this exemption to a permanent framework remain undisclosed.
