Demand for tokenised assets could reach US$30.1 trillion by 2034, according to a report.
The paper published by banking group Standard Chartered and professional services firm Synpulse also predicts that trade finance assets could become one of the top three tokenised assets globally, at 16% of the total.
According to the paper, Real-World Asset Tokenisation: A Game Changer for Global Trade, global trade will reach $32.6 trillion globally by 2030 and this, “combined with growing industry digitisation and the specific features of real-world trade finance assets, make it an ideal category to originate tokens”.
Currently, the tokenised assets sector mainly comprises traditional assets like US treasuries and money market funds. However, the supply side is still in its infancy, with the total value of tokenised assets (excluding stablecoins) standing at around $5 billion in early 2024.
“We see the next three years as a critical junction for tokenisation, with trade finance assets coming to the fore as a new asset class,” said Kai Fehr, global head of trade at Standard Chartered.
“To unlock this trillion-dollar opportunity, industry-wide collaboration among all stakeholders, from investors and financial institutions to governments and regulators is critical.”
