19/05/26 11:37 UTC-04

Tokenised Stocks Surge to $1.5 Billion as Prediction Markets Expect an RWA Boom

The tokenised equities market has accelerated sharply. Over the past year, the value of digital versions of traditional securities on blockchain networks has grown from $37 million to $1.5 billion — an increase of more than 40 times. This surge highlights growing investor demand for access to US equities through crypto infrastructure, without traditional brokerage accounts or complex onboarding procedures.

Tokenised stocks allow users to buy fractional shares, trade them nearly around the clock, and access the US stock market directly from a crypto wallet. For investors already holding capital in BTC, ETH, $BNB, or stablecoins, this has become a simple way to diversify without leaving the crypto ecosystem.

Ethereum, Solana, and $BNB Chain Compete for the Blockchain Equity Market

The main competition is currently unfolding between three networks. Ethereum remains the leader with approximately $614.3 million in volume, controlling more than 40% of the tokenised equity market. Its advantage stems from reputation, liquidity, and institutional trust.

Solana ranks second with $442.6 million. Its appeal is clear: high speed, low fees, and a streamlined experience for active trading. $BNB Chain trails closely behind with $432.2 million, benefiting from a large retail audience and strong integration with exchange infrastructure.

The gap between Solana and $BNB Chain remains minimal. This means leadership in the sector could shift quickly, especially if a major tokenised equity provider chooses a specific network for large-scale deployment.

Ondo and xStocks Control Nearly the Entire Sector

Despite rapid growth, the market remains highly concentrated. The two largest players — Ondo Finance and xStocks — together control nearly 89% of the segment. This makes the market impressive in terms of growth, though still relatively uncompetitive in structure.

Ondo Finance holds roughly $963 million in assets, representing more than 63% of the total market. Within the tokenised equities segment, the company’s share exceeds 70%, while cumulative trading volume has already surpassed $18 billion. xStocks ranks second with approximately $402 million, or about 26% of the market.

Such concentration can be advantageous at an early stage. Large providers can deliver liquidity, accessibility, and recognisable products more quickly. However, as the market expands, competition is likely to intensify, particularly from exchanges, banks, and fintech firms.

Ondo Quickly Became the Leading Player

Ondo Global Markets launched in September 2025 and became the largest tokenised equities platform within just two days. Eight months later, the value of locked assets exceeded $1 billion. By comparison, stablecoins took roughly three years to reach a similar scale, while tokenised Treasury products required around two years.

Since January 2026, the platform’s asset volume has doubled. Users now have access to more than 260 tokenised US equities and ETFs operating across Solana, Ethereum, and $BNB Chain. Access is available through popular wallets and platforms, including Binance, MetaMask, and Phantom.

Each token represents real securities held by a US-registered broker-dealer. The instruments also reflect total returns, including dividends. Trading is available 24 hours a day, five days a week, making the product feel closer to crypto markets than to traditional equities.

Crypto Investors Have Gained a Simple Route to US Stocks

The main driver of demand is straightforward. Large amounts of capital have accumulated within the crypto ecosystem, but users have historically struggled to move those funds into traditional assets without relying on banks, brokers, and international financial infrastructure. Tokenised equities solve that problem.

Ondo Finance President Jan de Bode explained that many investors generated wealth through Bitcoin, Ethereum, and $BNB, yet their capital remained trapped within crypto exchanges. Now they can allocate funds into equities and ETFs more easily without leaving familiar infrastructure.

For the global market, this represents a significant shift. US equities are becoming more accessible to users in countries where opening international brokerage accounts is difficult, expensive, or time-consuming. In this context, blockchain acts not as a speculative layer, but as a new channel for accessing traditional assets.

European Approval Strengthened Ondo’s Position

Ondo has already received approval to offer tokenised stocks and ETFs across 30 European countries within the EU and the European Economic Area. This expands its potential audience and positions the company among the first major players attempting to bring such products into a regulated framework.

In addition, Ondo has confidentially submitted filings to the SEC. If approved, the company could become the first issuer of transferable tokenised equities reporting directly to the US regulator. For the broader sector, this would represent an important precedent.

Regulation is just as important here as asset growth. Without clear rules, tokenised equities will remain a niche product for crypto-native users. With regulatory approval, they could become a bridge between traditional brokerage markets and blockchain infrastructure.

Tokenised ETFs Are Also Expanding Rapidly

Growth has not been limited to individual stocks. According to Token Terminal, the value of tokenised ETFs on blockchain networks has reached $430 million. The leading product is Ondo’s IVVon — a digital version of the iShares Core S&P 500 ETF — which has risen by roughly 150% on Ethereum over the past month.

This demonstrates that demand is forming not only around individual equities, but also around broad market instruments. For many investors, a tokenised ETF may be more convenient than selecting individual shares, particularly when seeking exposure to the S&P 500 or other major indices.

As a result, tokenisation is beginning to mirror the logic of traditional financial markets. First come individual assets, then ETFs, followed by increasingly sophisticated products. The difference is that all of this is gradually moving into crypto wallets and operating with faster settlement speeds.

Prediction Markets Expect RWA Growth to Reach $50 Billion

The rise of tokenised equities has intensified interest in the broader real-world asset (RWA) market on blockchain networks. On Polymarket, traders estimate roughly a 75% probability that the RWA sector will reach $50 billion by 31 December 2026.

This is no longer merely a bet on a specific company or network. Prediction markets are effectively reflecting expectations that tokenisation will become one of the defining themes of the next phase of the crypto market. This includes equities, ETFs, bonds, money market funds, and other traditional financial instruments.

A separate prediction market on Binance launching tokenised stocks in 2026 currently shows approximately a 99% probability. If major exchanges begin aggressively expanding such products, the market could attract a substantial new wave of users and liquidity.

What Comes Next?

In just one year, tokenised equities have evolved from a small-scale experiment into a $1.5 billion market. While the sector remains concentrated around Ondo and xStocks, its growth rate is already attracting the attention of blockchain networks, exchanges, and regulators.

The key question now is whether tokenisation can move beyond the crypto-native audience. If investors begin widely using blockchain technology to buy equities, ETFs, and bonds, RWA could genuinely become one of the industry’s largest sectors.

For now, the market resembles an early-stage but rapidly expanding infrastructure layer. Ethereum, Solana, and $BNB Chain are already competing to become the primary blockchain layer for tokenised equities, while prediction markets are pricing in further growth of the sector into the tens of billions of dollars.

Editor: Alyona Nabok