ARK Invest forecasts tokenized real-world assets will grow from approximately $19 billion currently to $11 trillion by 2030.
The projection from Cathie Wood's investment firm appears in its annual Big Ideas 2026 report released this week.
The $11 trillion estimate represents a roughly 58,000% increase from current levels. ARK cites regulatory clarity and institutional infrastructure development as primary catalysts for adoption across multiple asset classes.
Tokenization involves converting traditional assets like stocks, bonds, and real estate into digital representations on public blockchains. Wood specifically mentioned public equities, sovereign debt, and bank deposits as target categories for migration.
Current Market Growth
Tokenized assets grew 208% in 2025 to reach $18.9 billion according to ARK's research.
BlackRock's BUIDL fund accounts for approximately 20% of tokenized U.S. Treasuries at $1.7 billion in assets.
The current $19 billion market represents just 1.38% of global financial assets. Even at $11 trillion by 2030, tokenized assets would remain a small fraction of traditional finance infrastructure.
Major exchanges and financial institutions have initiated blockchain-based projects. The New York Stock Exchange announced plans for a blockchain trading venue supporting tokenized stocks and ETFs.
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Why Financial Institutions Are Moving Onchain
ARK argues tokenization reduces settlement times and transaction costs compared to traditional systems requiring days for clearance.
Blockchain-based settlement enables near-instant asset transfers with cryptographic verification replacing manual reconciliation processes.
Wood emphasized the technology will cause "dislocations in the financial sector" through wholesale shifts to new infrastructure. DeFi platforms generated $3.8 billion in revenue during 2025 according to ARK's data.
State Street launched a digital asset platform to support tokenized products while BlackRock develops proprietary tokenization technology. These implementations follow years of experimental pilots that failed to achieve commercial scale.
Market Outlook and Adoption Barriers
ARK's broader cryptocurrency market projection reaches $28 trillion by 2030 with Bitcoin (BTC) commanding approximately 70% at $16 trillion. The firm maintains tokenization growth depends on regulatory frameworks and institutional custody solutions.
Current tokenization activity concentrates in stablecoins exceeding $300 billion in global supply. Adoption of tokenized equities, bonds, and deposits remains limited outside pilot programs.
Industry analysts note regulatory uncertainty continues constraining institutional participation. Sudhakar Lakshmanaraja from Digital South Trust said cryptocurrency's future "will be decided more by regulation than innovation" regarding compliance and custody rules.
ARK invested approximately $10 million in Securitize, a tokenization platform handling over $4 billion in tokenized securities. The October 2025 investment through ARK Venture Fund represented 3.25% of fund assets.
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