GSR's Andy Baehr makes the case for tokenized fixed income as the collateral layer traditional finance actually needs

Institutional adoption of tokenized assets is currently concentrated in fixed income and repo markets rather than equities, driven by the superior valuation clarity of bonds. Andy Baehr, managing director of asset management at GSR, highlights that fixed income instruments are ideal for on-chain collateral due to their defined cash flows and credit ratings. Major financial institutions are already processing significant capital through live infrastructure, with HSBC’s Orion platform surpassing $3.5 billion in cumulative bond issuances. Goldman Sachs’ GS DAP platform has similarly exceeded $700 million in tokenized fixed income instruments. Research from the DTCC published on May 13, 2026, confirms that tokenization enhances collateral mobility and reduces capital requirements by enabling near-instant asset transfers. This operational efficiency provides a compelling bottom-line incentive for institutional CFOs to adopt blockchain-based settlement. As firms like GSR expand their asset management capabilities, the infrastructure built by these legacy institutions is laying the foundation for future hybrid portfolios that integrate digital-native and tokenized traditional assets.