Centrifuge: 2026, the RWA tokenization era of continuous progress or fall behind

Source: Centrifuge

Original Title: 2026: What to Expect from Real-World Asset Tokenization

Translation and Compilation: BitpushNews

Over the past year, real-world asset tokenization has moved from the experimental phase to infrastructure development. Treasury funds, private credit strategies, index products, and early equity issuances have migrated onto public blockchains, backed by real capital, regulated structures, and global distribution channels.

Initially launched as pilot projects, these efforts are now reshaping capital markets—not by replacing traditional finance, but by modernizing the issuance, settlement, and holding of financial instruments.

Below is a series of forward-looking predictions from the Centrifuge team regarding the future of the tokenization market, revealing expectations for 2026.

Tokenization becomes the default strategy for asset managers

By the end of 2026, tokenization will no longer be on the periphery of asset management strategies. It will increasingly be regarded as a core operational capability.

Asset managers are adjusting around their clear advantages: faster settlement, broader liquidity, programmable distribution, and direct access to global on-chain capital. The way institutional investors discuss tokenization has become noticeably more operational: no longer viewing it as an innovative project, but as a matter of product reach, efficiency, and investor access.

On the supply side, the market is ready. Tokenized government bonds, equities, and private credit are operating on-chain within regulated structures that meet institutional expectations. Frameworks, fund design patterns, and technical standards have matured to the point where launching on-chain products no longer requires rebuilding operational models from scratch.

Centrifuge has dedicated the past year to transforming tokenization into a repeatable operational model: providing audited components, compliance tools, and white-label platforms, enabling teams to launch regulated products with fewer steps and shorter onboarding times.

“2026 will be a turning point for tokenized assets: liquidity venues will mature, compliance will become programmable, and tokenized assets will benefit from the full potential of decentralized finance. Coupled with regulatory clarity, on-chain competition will accelerate, and by year-end, over 50% of the top 50 asset management firms will have developed tokenization strategies.”

— Bhaji Illuminati, CEO of Centrifuge Labs

This strategic shift is translating into top-level market commitments. In 2026, discussions will decisively shift from “Why tokenize” to “How quickly can we deploy.”

Utility-driven growth of tokenized assets

The next phase of tokenization development will be driven by stability and practical utility.

Stablecoins first validated this model. Originating from native crypto infrastructure modules, they are now embedded into mainstream financial infrastructure. They power cross-border payments and programmable cash flows, allowing institutions to manage them alongside traditional portfolios. Even amid broader market volatility, growth persists because their utility is real.

“Stablecoins will be integrated into an increasing number of applications, including banks, brokers, credit card companies, and online retailers.”

— Eli Cohen, Chief Legal Officer of Centrifuge Labs

Real-world assets follow a similar trajectory. Throughout 2025, tokenized government bonds, fixed income, and on-chain credit steadily expanded, boosting market confidence that tokenized assets can grow in line with genuine demand. Products historically requiring traditional packaging can now operate on-chain and achieve broader distribution.

“Driven by ongoing crypto market volatility, RWA tokens will thrive, pushing the total locked value of RWAs beyond $100 billion by the end of 2026.”

— Jürgen Blumberg, COO of Centrifuge Labs

As the market matures, attention naturally shifts to tokens with practical utility: assets that can be held, transferred, used as collateral, and integrated into decentralized finance and institutional workflows. Speculation has not disappeared, but it is no longer the main attraction.

This is precisely the domain Centrifuge is building: treating RWAs as functional financial instruments embedded in on-chain and institutional environments. Not just tokenized risk exposure, but infrastructure that truly operates where capital resides.

On-chain index products

Index products represent one of the largest and most conservative capital pools globally. By 2026, they will migrate onto the chain in a meaningful way.

The first licensed index fund on blockchain in 2025 marked an early inflection point: institutional benchmarks can operate natively on-chain. Centrifuge’s collaboration with S&P Dow Jones Indices and the “Index Proof” framework, built on their licensed data, demonstrates that index exposure can exist on public blockchains while maintaining licensing integrity, methodological rigor, and regulatory compliance.

Every day, index providers publish official component fingerprints. Funds tracking these indices generate their own fingerprints and can prove their consistency without disclosing underlying holdings. This technological breakthrough creates verifiable proofs: institutions can trust the replication of indices, while fund managers maintain confidentiality and competitive positioning.

“Index providers will go on-chain, with 80% of the top 10 global providers committing to adopt the on-chain index proof concept.”

— Jürgen Blumberg, COO of Centrifuge Labs

In the scale of the index market, even incremental adoption is significant. It brings tokenization closer to the core of portfolio construction, beyond just digital asset exposure.

Tokenized equity accelerates beyond price exposure

Equity is a natural extension, but it demands the highest thresholds: clear enforceability, shareholder rights, compliant transfer controls, and trusted market structures.

Progress accelerates in 2025 with native tokenized equity models: equity is issued directly on-chain, rather than represented through synthetic assets or wrappers. The key unlock is a regulated ownership model that maintains a single authoritative shareholder record, keeping on-chain records synchronized with traditional bookkeeping systems. Tokenized equity must behave like real equity, not just price exposure.

This structure relies on enforceable controls: identity verification, allowlists, transfer restrictions, custody options, and a token standard that regulated participants can build around. It also means accepting operational realities: private key management remains part of the security model for self-custody.

Centrifuge’s registered transfer agent with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission exemplifies this practice: equity remains within the scope of securities regulation while gaining the benefits of blockchain settlement and programmable compliance, gradually enabling broader global investor participation.

“More crypto project founders will achieve scale through tokenized equity (not just issuing tokens). This shift marks the industry’s move from experimental governance to enduring corporate structures. Caesar AI’s partnership with Centrifuge in 2025 set a precedent, and we expect more crypto-native founders to follow suit.”

— Anil Sood, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Growth Officer of Centrifuge Labs

Distribution channels become increasingly important

As tokenization matures, success depends less on issuance and more on where assets can flow.

On-chain issuance is no longer the main challenge. The question is whether assets can be integrated into existing fund pools, operate within environments where investors already hold positions, and maintain liquidity as scale increases. Cross-chain usability, composability, and reliable secondary markets are now baseline requirements, not differentiators.

The path is clear: bringing traditional assets into programmable markets. If the infrastructure can support compliant requirements, transfer rules, and reliable workflows tied to the underlying assets, reach can be expanded, and capital formation improved.

This is also an area of tokenization tech stack integration. Institutions do not want to build ten competing systems for identity, compliance, smart contracts, and settlement. They prefer to operate around standardized tracks. Moreover, they are increasingly inclined to buy rather than build.

“Institutions now see tokenization as a multi-trillion-dollar market, not just a pilot project. In 2026, cooperation will shift toward acquisitions, with banks, asset managers, and exchanges acting to own key DeFi-native tokenization infrastructure rather than building it internally.”

— Anil Sood, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Growth Officer of Centrifuge Labs

Centrifuge’s focus remains consistent: regulated issuance frameworks, audited components, and distribution models that place RWAs where there is existing demand.

Tokenization reaches critical mass

Over the past year, Centrifuge has bridged the gap between institutional demands and on-chain capabilities. By 2026 and beyond, asset managers will no longer ask whether to tokenize. They will decide which products to launch first, on which chains, and prioritize distribution channels. Infrastructure is ready. Regulatory clarity is increasing.

They embrace tokenization not because it’s innovative, but because market demand is real, competitors are already active, investors expect it, and the technical pathways are laid out—avoiding continued hesitation will hinder progress. The next wave of tokenization will require no further persuasion.