Ethereum News Today: Tokenized Assets to Hit $2 Trillion as Ethereum and Stablecoins Drive DeFi Revolution

Standard Chartered has issued one of the most ambitious predictions yet for the future of digital finance, forecasting that tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) could reach a cumulative value of $2 trillion by 2028, according to Standard Chartered's report. This projection, outlined in the bank's latest report, marks a 57-fold increase from the current $35 billion market, according to Coinpaper's analysis. The growth is driven by expanding decentralized finance (DeFi) adoption, blockchain efficiency, stablecoin liquidity, and regulatory progress in key jurisdictions, the bank says.

The bank's analysis breaks down the $2 trillion market into distinct asset classes: $750 billion in tokenized money-market funds, $750 billion in tokenized U.S. equities, and $250 billion each in tokenized funds and less liquid assets like commodities, corporate debt, and real estate. This diversification underscores a shift toward tokenizing mainstream financial instruments, enabling 24/7 trading and greater liquidity. Standard Chartered emphasizes that Ethereum will likely dominate this growth due to its mature infrastructure and network effects, despite other blockchains offering faster transaction speeds.

Stablecoins are positioned as a critical catalyst for this expansion. The bank estimates stablecoin circulation could also hit $2 trillion by 2028, creating a "self-reinforcing cycle" of liquidity that fuels DeFi growth, the report says. Geoff Kendrick, Standard Chartered's global head of digital assets research, noted that stablecoins have already laid the groundwork by increasing public awareness and enabling on-chain lending and borrowing in a Yahoo Finance piece. Meanwhile, the stablecoin market has surged to $300 billion as of October 2025, up 47% year-to-date.

Regulatory clarity remains a key challenge. While the European Union's MiCA framework and Singapore's progressive policies provide a model for tokenization, the U.S. faces uncertainty ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, the bank says. Kendrick warned that a lack of regulatory progress could stall adoption but remains optimistic given the current momentum.

Beyond RWAs, blockchain infrastructure is evolving rapidly. BitGo has integrated Canton Coin into its custody platform, aligning with the Canton Network's institutional-grade blockchain designed for tokenized securities and loans, according to a Coindoo report. Meanwhile, Circle's Arc blockchain testnet—backed by over 100 institutions, including BlackRock and Goldman Sachs—aims to connect global markets with sub-second finality and USDC-based fees, as noted in Coinotag's report.

Standard Chartered's 2028 forecast builds on its earlier $30 trillion RWA projection for 2034, highlighting a near-term inflection point driven by stablecoin adoption and Ethereum's dominance. As traditional finance firms like BlackRock and JPMorgan deepen their DeFi engagement, the race to tokenize $100 trillion in global assets appears well underway.