Tokenized Assets Reach $37 Billion, But Ownership Clarity Remains an Issue
The market for tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) has grown significantly in early 2026, reaching a total of $37.29 billion on public blockchains—excluding stablecoins. Treasury and money-market products make up the largest portion at $16.16 billion or about 43%, followed by commodities ($4.6 billion), equities, and ETFs ($2.16 billion). As institutional interest grows, U.S. regulators are clarifying how ownership is defined in tokenized securities. Industry leaders emphasize that the legal framework behind tokens matters more than blockchain technology itself when it comes to real-world rights like dividends or voting power. For example, Matrixdock demonstrated a case where burning XAUm tokens led directly to physical gold delivery within T+3 days. Securitize also launched tokenized versions of its own stock (SECZ) on Avalanche and Solana while maintaining traditional NYSE listings. The distinction between issuer-sponsored tokens—where the blockchain is integrated into official ownership records—and third-party-created tokens, which may not reflect legal ownership, remains a key regulatory concern. This issue highlights that owning a token does not always equate to holding direct rights in an asset.
Topics: blockchain ownership structure real-world asset (RWA) tokenization regulation