Demand for tokenized equities has accelerated since their mainstream debut earlier this year, pointing to this emerging asset class as a potential early signal of broader blockchain adoption beyond Bitcoin and stablecoins.
The combined market capitalization of tokenized stocks has climbed to a record $1.2 billion, according to data from Token Terminal, driven by strong growth in September and December.
“Tokenized stocks today are like stablecoins in 2020,” Token Terminal said, underscoring how early the market remains. Stablecoins were still in their infancy in 2020, but they have since grown into a $300 billion sector this year.
Other industry insiders have likened tokenized stocks to the early decentralized finance (DeFi) boom of 2020, pointing to the potential for more global equities to move onchain and benefit from faster settlement, around-the-clock trading and fractional ownership.
Related: Binance hints at stock perps in push to join global tokenized equities race
The institutional push behind tokenized stocks
The acceleration of tokenized stock activity in September was no coincidence. Around that time, Backed Finance launched its xStocks product suite on Ethereum, debuting about 60 tokenized equities through partnerships with cryptocurrency exchanges Kraken and Bybit.
Earlier this month, tokenization company Securitize announced plans to introduce compliant, onchain trading for public equities, with the promise of direct share ownership.
Meanwhile, Ondo Finance is planning to roll out tokenized US stocks and exchange-traded funds on Solana in early 2026.
Coinbase is moving in the same direction, announcing this month plans to offer stock trading as part of its effort to become an “everything exchange.”
Perhaps the strongest signal of institutional interest came when Nasdaq disclosed that it had filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to offer tokenized stocks on its platform. The exchange’s head of digital assets strategy, Matt Savarese, described tokenization as a top strategic priority.
Related: BlackRock’s BUIDL hits $100M in payouts, showing tokenized finance at scale
