Tokenization Emerges as a Core Financial Strategy; 84% of Firms Adopt It as a Priority

As of July 18, 2026, asset tokenization is no longer a niche blockchain experiment. According to a recent survey by Broadridge, 84% of financial institutions have set tokenization as a core strategic priority, signaling that Wall Street is fully transitioning into a hybrid market where digital and traditional assets coexist.

At the Center of Strategic Transformation

The financial sector recognizes tokenization not merely as a technical endeavor, but as a structural evolution of financial market infrastructure. Broadridge's data shows that the majority of financial institutions are placing tokenization at the heart of their business models, accepting it as an essential change to maximize the efficiency of financial services.

Market Growth and Reality

The market for tokenized real-world assets (RWA) has grown rapidly from $7.9 billion in 2024 to approximately $29 billion in the first quarter of 2026. This represents a growth rate of about 30% in a single quarter, proving that the market is expanding quickly, centered around asset classes acceptable to institutional investors.

This explosive growth in the RWA tokenization market is due to institutions concentrating capital in proven areas such as on-chain credit and treasury tokenization. This is evidence that it is being recognized as a value-added real financial infrastructure, beyond simple speculative demand.

From Pilot to Production

Financial institutions are now moving beyond Innovation Lab-level testing and accelerating the construction of infrastructure applicable to actual production environments. According to a Fireblocks report, 2026 is becoming the inaugural year in which tokenization transitions from a strategic option to an actual operational capability.

Key Drivers of Adoption

• ['결제 효율성 제고를 통한 거래 비용 절감', '담보 관리의 자동화 및 실시간 정산', '펀드 관리 및 자산 운용의 투명성 확보', '자산 불가지론적(Asset-agnostic) 아키텍처로의 전환']

These use cases in the wholesale finance sector demonstrate that tokenization is a key driver reshaping the infrastructure layer of the financial market. In particular, efficiency in settlement and collateral management is solving chronic problems that traditional systems have failed to address.

However, structural obstacles to large-scale adoption still exist. According to analysis by Citi, the inefficiencies arising from the process of retrofitting legacy infrastructure into on-chain systems and the lack of industry-wide interoperability standards are identified as major hurdles.

In conclusion, the financial market after the second half of 2026 appears to be moving toward shared digital rails. The integration of tokenized assets will fundamentally change the structure of the financial system in the long term, and only institutions that prepare for this will be able to take the lead in the future market.