Davos 2026 Sparks RWA Tokenization Boom: Market Size Surpasses $21 Billion, Traditional Finance Fully Enters

January 22 News, at the 2026 Davos World Economic Forum held in Switzerland, Real World Asset Tokenization (RWA) became the most discussed topic in the crypto and fintech sectors. Unlike previous debates about “whether to go on-chain,” this year’s discussions have shifted to “how to scale implementation.” Blockchain is now viewed as part of the financial infrastructure rather than an edge innovation.

Several high-level roundtables at the forum focused on tokenization and stablecoins, with participants including Ripple’s Brad Garlinghouse, Brian Armstrong from the largest compliant CEX in the US, and officials from the European Central Bank. Attendees generally believe that bringing stocks, bonds, funds, and real estate on-chain can enable partial ownership, improve liquidity, and reduce cross-border settlement costs, thereby driving the integration of traditional finance and decentralized finance. Major players such as BlackRock, BNY Mellon, and European clearinghouses have already deployed related products.

Latest data shows that the total locked value of globally tokenized RWA assets has surpassed $21 billion, indicating rapid capital and demand accumulation. Several consulting firms have provided more ambitious long-term forecasts, suggesting that by 2030, the market size could reach trillions of dollars. Stablecoins play a key role in this process, widely regarded as the foundational layer for payments and on-chain settlements. As US and European regulations become clearer, their compliance pathways are also becoming more defined.

During Davos, Brad Garlinghouse revealed that the tokenized trading volume on the XRP Ledger increased from $19 trillion to $33 trillion within a year. The core goal is to build tiered infrastructure for banks and institutions. The global financial messaging network SWIFT also pointed out that interoperable tokenized assets will unlock locked liquidity and accelerate global trade settlements. Brian Armstrong stated that tokenized stocks are a natural evolution of capital markets, not just a short-term experiment.

Traditional markets are also accelerating their efforts. The New York Stock Exchange is researching tokenized securities and 24/7 trading modes, aiming to upgrade technology within existing regulatory frameworks. Another set of data disclosed at the forum shows that over 65% of tokenized assets and stablecoins are currently deployed on the Ethereum network, highlighting its central role in new financial architectures.

From the signals released at Davos, tokenization has moved from the conceptual stage into an era of scalable financial infrastructure, quietly reshaping the operation of global capital markets.