TL;DR
- Tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) currently hold $26.5 billion in market value, up 70% in 2025, signaling strong momentum and growing institutional confidence.
- Ethereum dominates with 55% market share, while private credit and U.S. Treasurys account for nearly 90% of tokenized value.
- Animoca Brands highlights a $400 trillion total addressable market, with long-term growth dependent on multichain interoperability.
Animoca Brands’ latest research suggests that tokenization of real-world assets could significantly transform traditional finance, opening access to a $400 trillion market encompassing private credit, treasury debt, commodities, stocks, alternative funds, and global bonds.
Researchers Andrew Ho and Ming Ruan emphasized that despite the enormous potential, only $26.5 billion has been tokenized so far, highlighting early-stage growth with substantial upside. They noted that increasing institutional adoption is already shaping the market’s trajectory and attracting major financial players globally who are exploring multiple innovative investment opportunities.
Ethereum Leads But Multichain Future Emerges
Ethereum remains the market leader in RWA tokenization, holding 55% market share and $156 billion in onchain value. When Ethereum’s layer-2 networks like Polygon, Arbitrum, and ZKsync Era are included, its dominance rises to 76%. Animoca noted that Ethereum’s security, liquidity, and developer community contribute to this lead, though high-performance and purpose-built blockchains are emerging as competitive alternatives across multiple regions. Researchers stress that interoperability across chains will be essential for long-term success, especially as tokenization activity expands across public and private blockchain networks in multiple jurisdictions.
Institutional Momentum Drives Market Expansion
The RWA sector has experienced a 70% increase in value since the start of 2025, with private credit and U.S. Treasurys dominating nearly 90% of current holdings. Animoca emphasizes that large asset managers are racing to control the entire asset lifecycle, as long-term value will accrue to those able to integrate full-stack platforms efficiently. Projects like Ether and Chainlink have already benefited from this growth, outperforming broader crypto markets in recent weeks. Rising institutional participation is expected to drive more innovative financial products and expand the ecosystem even further into new emerging markets.
Earlier this month, Animoca launched NUVA, a tokenized RWA marketplace designed to capture a growing share of this emerging sector. Analysts forecast tokenized RWAs could reach $16 trillion by 2030, supported by increasing institutional adoption, improved regulatory frameworks, and robust multichain infrastructure.
Cybersecurity, legal consistency, and liquidity remain challenges, but with stronger infrastructure and careful development, the market is positioned for unprecedented growth and may become a cornerstone of the rapidly evolving Web3 financial landscape.
