35% Invest in Tokenized Assets as Market Tops $29B

About 35% of surveyed investors have allocated funds to tokenized real-world assets as the market’s total value surpasses $29 billion, a newsletter poll conducted April 6, 2026 found. The same poll showed about 45% of respondents are waiting for clearer regulation before investing and roughly 24% are not convinced they need exposure.

Tokenized assets are digital representations of physical or financial instruments-such as real estate, government bonds, private credit, commodities and equities-recorded and traded on blockchains. Tokenization turns ownership rights into tradable tokens that can enable fractional ownership, 24/7 trading, faster settlement and on-chain transparency.

Data from rwa.xyz show the market grew from about $1.4 billion in April 2023 to more than $29 billion today, an increase of nearly 20-fold. The market expanded rapidly in the past year, rising from $5.79 billion at the start of 2025 to $21.39 billion by year-end 2025. Standard Chartered projects the tokenized asset market could reach $2 trillion by 2028.

Regulatory developments and higher yields on tokenized instruments coincided with upgraded infrastructure for custody and compliance. U.S. legislative action, including the passage of the GENIUS Act and progress on the CLARITY Act, together with Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets framework, have altered the legal backdrop for tokenized products. Industry participants point to improved custody services, compliance layers and fiat on/off ramps as practical enablers for larger-scale use.

U.S. Treasuries account for nearly half of the tokenized market by value, reflecting demand for standardized, yield-bearing instruments. Commodities, led by tokenized gold, total more than $5 billion. Asset-backed securities and private credit also contribute meaningfully to overall volume.

Tokenized equities are the fastest-growing category. Market capitalization for tokenized stocks rose from about $374 million to $982 million over the past year, and the reported number of holders increased from roughly 2,000 to more than 207,000. Retail access widened after brokerages listed tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs on scalable L2 networks, and major centralized exchanges introduced tokenized stock offerings. Traditional exchanges have filed or announced plans for tokenized securities platforms.

On decentralized trading venues, new protocols have increased market creation and liquidity. A permissionless framework for launching perpetual futures tied to equities and commodities has processed substantial commodities volume, with contracts for WTI crude, Brent crude, silver and gold accounting for major activity. A protocol backed by a large exchange’s investment arm and integrated with a major smart-contract chain has scaled by offering lower fees and broad distribution.

The April 6 poll sampled an investment-aware audience across crypto, AI and technology. It found 34.7% of respondents had already allocated to tokenized assets, about 45% were watching or waiting for clearer rules, and roughly 24% reported they were unconvinced of the need to invest. The poll results and market data prompted a formal response from the International Monetary Fund regarding tokenization’s growing role in financial infrastructure.

Adoption varies by investor type and asset class, with concentration in standardized, regulated and yield-bearing instruments. The market figures, regulatory changes, and infrastructure developments provide the current factual context for investor positioning in tokenized assets.