Tokenization of real-world assets is set to reshape global finance at a pace even faster than digital technology transformed traditional media, according to Keith Grossman, president of crypto payments firm MoonPay. As blockchain adoption accelerates, financial institutions are being pushed into a rapid evolution similar to what newspapers, music labels and broadcasters experienced during the digital revolution.
From print to blockchain: a familiar disruption
Grossman compares today’s shift toward tokenized finance to the late 1990s and early 2000s, when digitization upended legacy media models. While many feared that digital distribution would destroy traditional media, it instead forced innovation and adaptation.
The same dynamic is now playing out in financial markets. Real-world asset tokenization, which brings traditional assets like stocks, bonds and funds onchain, is no longer a theoretical concept. Major institutions are already moving.
BlackRock has launched tokenized investment products. Franklin Templeton operates tokenized money market funds on public blockchains. At the same time, global banks are piloting onchain settlement, tokenized deposits and real-time asset transfers.
According to Grossman, incumbents such as JPMorgan Chase, Citi and Bank of America are unlikely to disappear. Instead, they will continue operating in new forms, reshaped by blockchain infrastructure and digital finance rails.
Adapting beats resisting the shift
Grossman argues that the winners of the tokenized finance era will be companies that embrace change early, not those attempting to slow or block it. As blockchain-based financial systems mature, the global economy is steadily moving toward faster, more open and more efficient capital markets.
The transition mirrors what happened in media: companies that adapted to streaming, online distribution and digital advertising survived, while those that resisted struggled to remain relevant.
Why real-world asset tokenization matters
Tokenizing real-world assets brings several structural advantages to the financial system. It enables 24/7 market access, removes geographic barriers, and makes traditionally illiquid asset classes globally available. By reducing intermediaries, blockchain-based systems can also lower transaction costs and shorten settlement times from days to minutes.
This shift toward always-on markets represents a fundamental break from traditional finance, where trading halts overnight, on weekends and during holidays.
Regulators and institutions prepare for 24/7 markets
In September, the US Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission released a joint statement supporting the development of a regulatory framework for 24/7 capital markets. This move signals growing regulatory recognition of tokenized assets and continuous trading models.
Institutional momentum continued in December, when the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation received SEC approval to begin offering tokenized financial instruments. The DTCC, which processed roughly $3.7 quadrillion in settlement volume in 2024, plans to launch tokenized assets in the second half of 2026, starting with US Treasuries and major stock indexes.
A faster transformation than media digitization
As blockchain adoption accelerates across traditional finance, tokenization is increasingly viewed as the next foundational upgrade to the global financial system. With major asset managers, banks and regulators already involved, the shift to tokenized markets may unfold faster than the digital media revolution that once reshaped how the world consumes information.
For finance, the message is clear: adapt to tokenization or risk being left behind.
