Citi forecasts tokenized securities market growth from $17 billion to $5.5 trillion.
Stablecoins could generate nearly $1 trillion demand for U.S. Treasuries.
Tokenization could enable faster settlements, lower costs, and round-the-clock trading.
Tokenized stocks, bonds, and other real-world assets could become one of blockchain’s biggest growth opportunities this decade. Citi now expects the tokenized securities market to grow from just $17 billion today to $5.5 trillion by 2030.
As major financial institutions, stock exchanges, and regulators continue pushing real-world assets onto blockchain networks.
Wall Street Is Bringing Stocks and Bonds On-Chain
For years, tokenization was largely seen as a niche crypto idea with limited real-world use. But that perception is starting to change.
According to Citi’s latest forecast, the industry is moving beyond testing and into real-world financial markets. More importantly, the companies building this transition are not crypto startups but some of the largest institutions behind global capital markets.
One of the clearest examples is DTCC, which handles trillions of dollars in securities transactions every year. The company plans to start limited production trades of tokenized securities in July, with a broader rollout expected in October.
Meanwhile, Nasdaq is working on a framework for blockchain-based shares that could launch as early as 2027, and Intercontinental Exchange, the parent company of the New York Stock Exchange, is also exploring tokenized equities.
Wall Street is no longer asking whether blockchain can work with traditional assets. It is increasingly looking at how the technology can be integrated into the existing financial system.
Stablecoins Could Unlock Trillions in New Demand
Citi believes stablecoins will play a crucial role in the growth of tokenized markets.
The report forecasts that stablecoins could reach a market value of $1.9 trillion by 2030. Because many stablecoin issuers hold U.S. Treasury bills as reserves, Citi estimates this growth could generate nearly $1 trillion in additional demand for government bonds.
This could make stablecoins one of the biggest bridges between traditional finance and blockchain markets.
How Much of the Market Could Move to Blockchain?
Citi estimates that 10% of the U.S. Treasury bill market and 3% of the U.S. stock market could be tokenized by 2030.
The bank also projects that if only 10% of retail investors move to digital trading platforms, demand for tokenized stocks could reach $2.6 trillion.
The transition will not happen overnight. Traditional markets and blockchain-based systems are expected to operate side by side for years. However, the direction is becoming increasingly clear.
If Citi’s forecast proves correct, tokenized securities could become one of blockchain’s largest real-world use cases.