Odaily Planet Daily News: As AI has almost "dominated" the entire World Economic Forum 2026 Annual Meeting, virtual currencies—once a major hit at Davos—have returned to the spotlight. Representatives from traditional banks and regulatory bodies, as well as cryptocurrency industry leaders, engaged in a sharp and in-depth debate on whether tokenization is on the eve of an explosion, how digital currencies are reshaping sovereign boundaries, and the foundation of trust in the financial system.
1. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong pointed out that tokenization addresses efficiency issues in the financial system, enabling real-time settlement and reducing fees, but its most core power lies in the "democratization of investment access."
2. Euroclear CEO Valérie Urbain views tokenization as "the evolution of financial markets and securities," which could enable issuers to shorten issuance cycles and reduce issuance costs, and also help markets "reach a broader range of investors," playing a role in "financial inclusion."
3. François Villeroy de Galhau, Governor of the Bank of France, believes that increasing investment opportunities must go hand in hand with improved financial literacy; otherwise, tokenization could turn into a disaster.
4. Standard Chartered Group CEO Bill Winters stated bluntly that although tokenizing the majority of transactions by 2028 may be slightly optimistic, the direction toward "the majority of assets ultimately being settled in digital form" is irreversible.
5. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse cited former Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke, stating that governments will not relinquish control over the money supply. Currently, Ripple's strategy is more focused on building a bridge between traditional finance and decentralized finance, rather than challenging sovereignty itself. (Caixin)