Tokenized Assets Hit $6.6B as Crypto Exchanges Expand Into Stocks
In brief
- Tokenized assets reached $6.6B in June 2026, up fivefold from $1.4B in January 2025.
- Perpetual futures on US stock indices now dominate trading volume and open interest.
- Crypto exchanges expand into tokenized equities and commodities amid pressure from traditional brokerages.
Perpetual Futures Drive the Growth
A CoinGecko study released Wednesday analyzed tokenized traditional assets across six major exchanges: Binance, OKX, Bybit, Bitget, Gate, and MEXC. The data shows a striking pattern: perpetual futures account for the vast majority of trading activity, while spot markets remain comparatively small.
By mid-2026, US stock perpetual futures had overtaken precious metals in both trading volume and open interest, driven by trader appetite for leverage. This preference for derivatives makes sense from the exchange's perspective: derivatives dominate because traders prefer leveraged products and exchanges can list perpetual contracts without issuing or custodying the underlying tokenized assets.
Competition Reshapes Exchange Strategy
Crypto exchanges are expanding into tokenized stocks, commodities and precious metals due to competition from traditional brokerages and decentralized exchanges. The pressure is real. Robinhood has significantly expanded its digital asset offerings, forcing crypto platforms to offer competitive products or risk losing users.
Partnerships are accelerating adoption. BitGo and OTC Markets Group partnered to expand access to tokenized securities for more than 150 broker-dealers. Similarly, Tradable teamed with the Stellar network to bring up to $1 billion in private credit assets onchain.
Tokenization's Longer Horizon
The current $6.6 billion market is just the beginning. A June report by Standard Chartered projected that tokenization could help expand decentralized finance into a $2.7 trillion market by 2030 through the adoption of real-world assets. Even more bullish, Bernstein analysts estimated the broader tokenization market could reach $4 trillion by the end of the decade as financial institutions move real-world assets onchain.
