Tokenized Stocks Emerge as New Frontier in Global Finance

VICTORIA, Seychelles – January 06, 2026 – By Patrick Griffin

The long-promised convergence of traditional finance and the digital asset economy is gaining significant momentum, with tokenized stocks emerging as a key battleground for innovation. A new report from digital asset analytics firm Block Scholes has cast a spotlight on this rapidly expanding market, identifying exchanges like Bitget and its "Universal Exchange" model as pivotal drivers in bridging the gap between Wall Street and the world of blockchain.

The report details a marked acceleration in the adoption of tokenized equities and ETFs since the third quarter of 2025. These digital assets, which represent ownership of traditional securities on a blockchain, are finding a growing audience among investors seeking 24/7 market access and greater efficiency. This trend marks a significant evolution for the tokenization space, which has historically been dominated by stablecoins. Now, products tracking major indices like the S&P 500 and blue-chip U.S. equities are becoming increasingly common, fueled by improving liquidity and growing institutional interest.

The Shift to Real-World Assets

The tokenization of real-world assets (RWAs) is no longer a niche concept. Market analysts project the RWA sector, currently valued in the hundreds of billions, could swell to between $2 trillion and $4 trillion by 2030, with some optimistic forecasts reaching as high as $30 trillion. While tokenized U.S. Treasuries have led the charge, reaching a market capitalization of over $5.5 billion by mid-2025, tokenized stocks are now catching up, with the market recently surpassing a valuation of $1.2 billion.

This growth is driven by a clear demand for more flexible and accessible markets. Tokenized stocks offer the ability to trade outside of traditional exchange hours, a feature particularly attractive to a global, digitally-native investor base. Furthermore, they allow for fractional ownership, lowering the barrier to entry for high-priced stocks.

According to the Block Scholes analysis, the demand is largely coming from within the existing crypto ecosystem. A large majority of traders engaging with tokenized stocks already hold other digital assets, suggesting they are looking to diversify their portfolios without leaving their preferred trading environment. This finding underscores the strategic importance of exchanges that can offer a unified experience.

"The volume of tokenized assets grew exponentially in 2025, in line with a crypto-friendly US administration and growing institutional participation," said Thabib Rahman, a Research Analyst at Block Scholes, in the report. "The next phase of that growth, which we believe will be a major narrative in 2026, is the on-chain tokenization of real-world stocks and commodities from the TradFi world."

Building a Universal Bridge

At the heart of this trend are platforms creating integrated ecosystems. Bitget's Universal Exchange (UEX) model, highlighted in the report, exemplifies this strategic approach. The UEX is designed to be a single venue where users can trade cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, and tokenized traditional instruments like stocks from providers such as Ondo Finance and xStocks. This removes the friction of managing separate brokerage and crypto accounts, allowing users to fund all their trades directly with digital assets.

"Tokenization only works if access is simple and markets are liquid," stated Gracy Chen, Chief Executive Officer at Bitget. "Our focus with UEX is to make real-world assets feel as seamless to trade as crypto, while keeping the transparency and speed that users expect from digital markets.”

This integrated model is becoming a key competitive differentiator. While the market is still nascent, the Block Scholes report notes that platforms with deep, unified liquidity are best positioned to capture future growth. The data shows that while tokenized stocks generally track their off-chain counterparts closely during market hours, price spreads can widen overnight and on weekends. This highlights both the opportunity in always-on markets and the structural challenges that remain. As one analyst noted, "The ability to manage liquidity across crypto and tokenized securities within one ecosystem is a powerful advantage."

A Crowded Field and the Regulatory Horizon

Bitget is not alone in recognizing this opportunity. The race to offer tokenized stocks is heating up among major digital asset platforms. In Europe, Kraken offers dozens of tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs on the Solana blockchain, while Robinhood EU launched a similar service on the Arbitrum network. Gemini has also partnered with tokenization firm Dinari to bring tokenized equities to its European customers.

Meanwhile, major U.S. players are making moves. Coinbase has publicly stated its ambition to become an "everything exchange" that brings all assets on-chain, and Binance has quietly reintroduced tokenized stock trading for its users after a previous halt due to regulatory pressures. This flurry of activity signals a broad industry consensus that RWA tokenization is the next major growth vector.

However, this rapid innovation is unfolding against a complex and evolving regulatory backdrop. In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued crucial guidance in December 2025, clarifying how broker-dealers can custody tokenized securities under existing rules. The guidance emphasizes strong private key protection and investor safeguards, treating tokenized securities as securities first. This move, coupled with a limited pilot program for the Depository Trust Company (DTC) to tokenize securities entitlements, suggests a cautious but accommodating stance from U.S. regulators.

Similarly, the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is actively consulting on rules to facilitate tokenization within the asset management industry, with a policy statement expected in the first half of 2026. While these developments provide a path forward, significant challenges remain, including managing custodial risks, ensuring compliance across jurisdictions, and addressing issues like the common absence of shareholder voting rights for token holders. As the market matures, the ability to navigate this regulatory maze will be as critical as technological innovation.