
A CoinGecko study reveals that the market capitalization of tokenized traditional assets on centralized crypto exchanges surged from $1.4 billion in January 2025 to $6.6 billion by June 2026. This nearly fivefold growth highlights a strategic shift as exchanges like Binance, OKX, Bybit, Bitget, Gate, and MEXC diversify beyond native digital assets to include tokenized stocks, commodities, and precious metals. While tokenized precious metals initially fueled early market expansion, US equity perpetual futures have since become the dominant driver of trading volume and open interest. The report indicates that derivatives account for the vast majority of activity, as traders favor leveraged products and exchanges avoid the complexities of custodying underlying assets. This trend reflects intensifying competition from both decentralized exchanges and traditional brokerages like Robinhood that are increasingly integrating digital asset offerings. The convergence of these sectors underscores a broader institutional movement toward blockchain-based financial infrastructure. Ultimately, this growth signals a significant blurring of lines between traditional finance and crypto-native platforms as they compete for market share in the evolving RWA landscape.
CoinGecko is a leading independent cryptocurrency data aggregator that provides comprehensive market analysis and tracking for digital assets. Tokenized traditional assets refer to blockchain-based representations of real-world financial instruments, such as equities or commodities, which allow for 24/7 trading and fractional ownership. Perpetual futures are derivative contracts that allow traders to speculate on asset prices without an expiration date, often utilizing leverage to amplify market exposure.