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Infrastructure Is Holding Back Tokenization

Macro

Stablecoin

Tokenization

20/01/2026

    Welcome to the Data Debrief!

    Welcome back to the Data Debrief! 

    Real-world asset tokenization has evolved from a theoretical exercise into a measurable market, but the data reveals a split reality. Stablecoins have achieved massive scale, while tokenized securities, commodities, and infrastructure tokens remain concentrated, illiquid, and far from self-sustaining


    • Stablecoins represent a $300B market, covering 94% of all tokenized assets

    • Real World Asset (RWA) categories combined are worth less than $20B

    • Trading volumes remain event-driven despite uptick in AUM

    Infrastructure Is Holding Back Tokenization

    Real-world asset tokenization has moved beyond proof of concept thanks largely to U.S. Treasuries. In just three years, tokenized U.S. Treasuries grew from near zero to over $9B. Expanded retail access to products globally helped drive this growth. However, problems persist.

    The sector remains highly concentrated, with 90% of tokenized treasury assets under management (AUM) in just 10 products. Elsewhere, market depth for RWA infrastructure tokens rarely exceeds $2M, and non-U.S. tokenization remains negligible at roughly $800M. With total value locked (TVL) across RWA protocols at around $20B, tokenization has achieved scale in only one category, stablecoins, which have a market cap of around $300B.

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