Bitcoin News Today: From Experiments to Adoption: Tokenization's $30T Ascent

BlackRock's Larry Fink and Rob Goldstein have joined a chorus of industry leaders asserting that asset tokenization could fundamentally transform the plumbing of global financial markets, a shift underscored by the rapid growth of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. The market, which stood at $24 billion in June 2025, has surged 380% in three years, with projections suggesting it could balloon to $30 trillion by 2034, according to a report by RedStone, Gauntlet, and RWA.xyz. This growth reflects a broader institutional embrace of blockchain technology to streamline processes traditionally bogged down by legacy infrastructure. "Asset tokenization has decisively transitioned from experimental pilots to scaled institutional adoption in 2024-2025," the report noted, emphasizing its potential to rival stablecoins in reinforcing U.S. dollar dominance.

The momentum is not confined to speculation. Securitize, a tokenization firm backed by BlackRock and Ark Invest, recently secured EU regulatory approval to launch a digital trading and settlement platform on Avalanche, positioning itself as the only entity with licensed infrastructure in both the U.S. and EU. This move follows BlackRock's own foray into tokenization, though the firm faced short-term challenges with its spot Bitcoin ETF, IBIT, which saw $2.3 billion in outflows during November 2025. BlackRock's Cristiano Castro described the outflows as "perfectly normal," attributing them to the volatility inherent in retail-driven instruments. Despite the setbacks, IBIT briefly neared $100 billion in assets, illustrating the appetite for crypto-linked products.

Vanguard, the second-largest asset manager globally, has also shifted its stance, opening its brokerage platform to crypto ETFs in late 2025. This decision, which grants access to funds holding Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, and Solana, aligns with a broader industry pivot toward digital assets. The firm's CEO, Salim Ramji-previously of BlackRock-oversaw the logistics for IBIT and now faces the task of integrating crypto into Vanguard's non-core offerings, a category that already includes gold. The move comes as spot Bitcoin ETFs, led by BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust, have grown to $125 billion in assets under management since their January 2024 debut.

Regulatory developments further signal tokenization's ascendancy. HashKey, Hong Kong's leading crypto exchange, is advancing toward an IPO despite a challenging market, with tokenization and staking efforts still generating modest revenue. Meanwhile, Ripple's expanded license in Singapore allows it to offer XRP-based settlements and RLU$SD stablecoin services, even as the XRP token dipped 5% in late November. These developments highlight the dual pressures of innovation and regulation, with China's crackdown on Hong Kong's stablecoin ambitions underscoring the geopolitical complexities.

The confluence of institutional adoption, regulatory progress, and market growth suggests tokenization is no longer a fringe experiment. As Fink and Goldstein noted, the technology's ability to reduce costs, accelerate settlements, and enable cross-border liquidity could redefine financial infrastructure. Yet, as with any disruptive force, the path forward remains fraught with volatility and regulatory scrutiny.