Tokenized Stocks Just Tripled Their Market Share. Almost No One Can Trade Them at Size

Tokenized equities have surged to represent approximately 15 percent of the total real-world asset market, reaching a combined market capitalization of nearly 2.8 billion dollars. Major players such as Ondo, Binance, and Kraken’s xStocks are currently leading this expansion, signaling a shift toward 24/7 on-chain access to U.S. stocks. Despite this growth in accessibility, the sector faces a significant hurdle regarding secondary market liquidity and the ability to execute large-scale institutional trades without excessive slippage. While minting tokens that reference share prices has been achieved, the industry now requires robust infrastructure to ensure tight spreads and deep order books. Bitget reports that prioritizing liquidity and settlement over mere ticker listings has resulted in an eighteenfold increase in trading activity for its rToken products. The long-term viability of the asset class depends on creating a unified settlement layer that integrates spot, derivatives, and collateral to maximize capital efficiency. Ultimately, the transition from a demonstration phase to a mature market will be defined by the ability to facilitate continuous, high-volume execution for both human and AI-driven traders.