Standard Chartered projects that tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) on-chain could reach a $2 trillion market by 2028, according to the provided CoinDesk source text.
The bank pins the growth on institutional adoption, improving infrastructure, and stronger demand for more efficient capital markets. It also expects particular momentum in tokenized funds, bonds, private credit, and alternative assets, especially where traditional markets struggle with settlement speed and liquidity.
The source text also leans on high-profile endorsements of tokenization’s potential. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink is cited as describing tokenization as “a foundational change” in markets and saying, “The next generation for markets, the next generation for securities, will be tokenization of securities.” Binance’s analysis, as relayed in the text, argues tokenized assets can improve capital efficiency by enabling collateral reuse across trading, lending, and decentralized finance platforms.
The next generation for markets, the next generation for securities, will be tokenization of securities.
On the crypto side, the source text includes comments from Changpeng Zhao on unlocking “trillions of dollars” in previously illiquid value, and from Brian Armstrong that “everything that can be tokenized, will be.” Vitalik Buterin is cited on the idea that blockchain systems deliver the most value when they reflect real-world economic activity rather than speculative instruments.
Still, the source text stresses that adoption depends on regulation and platform development, which it describes as uneven across jurisdictions. It says most analysts expect tokenization to evolve alongside TradFi instead of replacing it. In that framing, banks remain central due to regulatory ties and institutional trust, while blockchain networks take on more settlement and issuance functions over time. The text also points to shared infrastructure work, saying Standard Chartered has worked with BlackRock and OKX on frameworks that allow tokenized funds to be used as collateral.
Any tokenized asset remains an asset with risk, and regulatory differences can shape who can access it and under what rules.