Tokenized assets exceed $25 billion after nearly quadrupling in a year

Markets Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email Tokenized assets exceed $25 billion after nearly quadrupling in a year Treasurys, private credit, and commodities are driving growth, but most tokenized assets remain isolated from DeFi markets. By Sam Reynolds | Edited by Shaurya Malwa Mar 8, 2026, 11:04 a.m. Make us preferred on Google What to know : Tokenized real-world assets excluding stablecoins have surged to more than $25 billion onchain, nearly quadrupling in a year, with six categories now exceeding $1 billion each. Much of the growth reflects large, infrequent institutional allocations rather than active secondary trading, as issuers prioritize capital formation and fundraising efficiency over liquidity. Only about 12% of the roughly $8.5 billion in RWA-backed stablecoins is deployed in DeFi, leaving most assets siloed behind compliance barriers and raising questions about whether tokenization will integrate with permissionless finance. Six asset classes now exceed $1 billion onchain, but just 12% of RWA-backed stablecoin supply has entered DeFi protocols. Tokenized real-world assets, excluding stablecoins, have crossed $25 billion in onchain value, nearly quadrupling from roughly $6.4 billion a year earlier, according to data from RWA.xyz. (RWA.xyz) The milestone, and continued growth, as RWAs hit the $20 billion mark at the end of 2025, continues a shift from early experimentation toward institutional-scale deployment. Asset managers, including BlackRock, Fidelity, and WisdomTree, have launched tokenized fund products over the past year, while the number of tokenized U.S. Treasury offerings alone expanded from 35 to over 50, according to data compiled by Nexus Data Labs . Six tokenized asset categories have now crossed the $1 billion threshold: U.S. Treasuries, commodities, private credit, institutional alternative funds, corporate bonds, and non-U.S. government debt, according to RWA.xyz data. Issuance outpaces integration Still, much of the activity reflects asset issuance rather than active trading. Despite the growth in supply, much of the activity reflects asset issuance rather than active trading. Onchain transfer data shows many of the largest RWA transactions clustering around $10 million per transfer, a pattern consistent with institutional allocation batching rather than continuous market activity. A February 2026 survey from tokenization platform Brickken reinforced the point: 53.8% of tokenized asset issuers said capital formation and fundraising efficiency are their primary motivation for tokenizing, while just 15.4% cited liquidity. Even when assets move onchain, most remain walled off from decentralized finance. 6/7 The twist nobody talks about: RWA-backed stablecoin supply = ~$8.5B Only $1B (11.8%) is actually deployed in DeFi 88% sits idle because of KYC/whitelisting walls Permissionless assets (reUSD, etc.) hit 96%+ utilization Composability is the next unlock for RWA h/t… pic.twitter.com/gpbyRl9CD0 — Diego | Take Profits (@0xTakeProfits) March 7, 2026 Nexus Data Labs estimates roughly $8.49 billion in RWA-backed stablecoin supply exists, but only about $1 billion, or 11.8%, is currently deployed in DeFi protocols. The remaining 88% sits outside onchain lending and trading systems, largely because the underlying assets impose compliance requirements, including KYC checks, transfer restrictions, and whitelisting. That gap frames the sector's central question heading into the second half of the year. Tokenized asset supply is growing fast enough that some projections place the market above $400 billion by year-end. Whether those assets remain siloed in permissioned structures or begin integrating with the composable collateral, lending, and trading systems that define DeFi will likely determine whether tokenization scales as a parallel settlement layer for traditional finance or becomes something structurally different. Real World Assets RWA.xyz More For You Pudgy Penguins: Challenging the Pokemon and Disney Legacy in the Global IP Race By CoinDesk Research Feb 27, 2026 Commissioned by Pudgy Penguins CoinDesk Research looks into how Pudgy Penguins disrupts traditional toys market via a phygital model. With 2M+ units sold, they scale via global partnerships and events. What to know : Disrupting a Stagnant Market : Pudgy Penguins is utilizing a "Negative CAC" model to challenge the traditional $31.7B licensed toy industry by treating physical merchandise as a profitable user acquisition tool rather than just a final product. View Full Report More For You Bitcoin dip may not be over as whales sell into retail buying — a bearish signal By Shaurya Malwa 5 hours ago The divergence between large and small holders has historically preceded further downside, with the Crypto Fear and Greed Index dropping to 12 What to know : Large bitcoin holders, or whales, bought aggressively during last week's Iran-related sell-off and then sold much of those positions as prices rebounded to $74,000. Retail investors have been buying as prices slipped back below $70,000, a pattern analysts say often signals that a market correction is not yet finished. With about 43% of bitcoin supply now at a loss and sentiment in "extreme fear," analysts say the market is at a crossroads between a breakout above $74,000 and a deeper test of support near $60,000, with whale behavior hinting at the latter. Read full story Latest Crypto News Canton’s Yuval Rooz says smart contract blockchains face a reckoning over value gap 6 minutes ago Bitcoin dip may not be over as whales sell into retail buying — a bearish signal 5 hours ago XRP slips as traders watch $1.35 support 5 hours ago Coinbase says new U.S. tax-reporting rules for crypto are cluttered, confusing 14 hours ago Trump's cyber strategy vows to 'support the security' of cryptocurrencies and blockchain 15 hours ago The Multibillion-dollar shift turning prediction markets into a professional hedging tool 16 hours ago Top Stories Bitcoin could crash by another 30% as four-year cycle gains strength, investment firm says Mar 7, 2026 Why bitcoin couldn't hold $70,000 despite its best week of Wall Street news in months Mar 6, 2026 Those who cheered U.S. Bitcoin reserve have spent year watching Trump's order languish 20 hours ago Kalshi, Polymarket seeking $20 billion valuations in fundraising talks: WSJ 18 hours ago Circle moves $68 million in just 30 minutes by using its own stablecoin for internal payments 20 hours ago SEC, Justin Sun reach settlement over Tron lawsuit Mar 5, 2026