Tokenization of Real-World Assets: Institutions, DTCC and Faster On‑Chain Settlement

MoonPay president Keith Grossman says tokenization of real‑world assets (RWA) is set to reshape finance faster than digital media did, driven by concrete institutional moves. Major players — BlackRock, Franklin Templeton and global banks including Citi, BofA and JPMorgan — are already offering or piloting tokenized funds, on‑chain settlement, tokenized deposits and real‑time asset flows. RWA market capitalization (excluding stablecoins) is near $19 billion per RWA.XYZ, with most tokenized RWA concentrated on Ethereum. Benefits for traders and institutions include 24/7 markets, global cross‑border access, lower transaction costs from disintermediation, and settlement times measured in minutes rather than days, which reduces counterparty risk and improves capital efficiency. Regulators are signaling support: the SEC and CFTC issued a joint statement endorsing a 24/7 capital markets regime, and the DTCC received SEC approval to offer tokenized instruments and plans to launch tokenized U.S. Treasuries and equity indices in H2 2026. Remaining challenges are legal clarity, cybersecurity and securities‑law compliance. Grossman’s message to incumbents: those that adapt early can gain advantage; laggards risk losing market share. For traders, the trend implies expanding institutional demand for on‑chain liquidity, growing tokenized RWA products to watch, and potential increased integration between traditional markets and crypto rails.