The RWA Foundation reports that tokenized real-world asset value grew from approximately $21.5 billion at the start of 2026 to about $39 billion as of October 9. The increase represents roughly 81% growth this year. The figures measure comparable distributed asset value and exclude stablecoins. Stellar accounted for approximately 38% of the increase. BNB Chain accounted for another 24%. The two networks together captured approximately 62% of the tracked growth.
The concentration of growth suggests investors who believe in real-world asset tokenization may be able to invest through XLM and BNB tokens. Tokenizing conventional financial assets is becoming a competitive business for blockchain networks, and investors in market leaders may benefit. Stellar's ecosystem includes financial institutions such as Franklin Templeton, WisdomTree and Ondo Finance. However, growth in tokenized assets on Stellar does not automatically mean XLM appreciates. Investors will need to distinguish growth in a blockchain's financial activity from the investment case for the blockchain's token.
The RWA Foundation is a nonprofit industry organization established in November 2024 to promote tokenized financial assets and blockchain-based financial infrastructure. Stellar is a member of the RWA Foundation. Real-world assets are traditional investments, such as securities, real estate and gold, that can be represented digitally on a blockchain. Tokenization creates a digital token linked to an underlying asset, potentially allowing investors to buy, sell or transfer holdings more efficiently. Most investors hold real-world assets for yield. Trading volume for gold, stock tokenization and even real estate remains around $1 billion.
BNC Research reported on May 15 that the growth curve for real-world assets was steepening. BNC Research put distributed real-world asset value at $31.4 billion, up from $21.5 billion at the start of 2026. BNC Research said the value was roughly five times higher than at the start of 2025. Token Terminal puts the market capitalization of real-world assets at around $46.8 billion. Token Terminal estimates roughly 6.1 million holders of real-world assets, up 42% between the first weeks of September and October.
Traditional finance firms such as BlackRock are promoting real-world assets, and BlackRock has tokenized U.S. Treasury products. A tokenized bond is represented by a digital token on a blockchain rather than recorded solely through a conventional brokerage or financial institution. The investor owns the underlying security and receives interest payments. The difference is the technology used to record and transfer the investment.
The longer-term growth trajectory suggests tokenization is moving beyond its experimental stage. The RWA Foundation and Token Terminal data sets show ongoing growth in this segment of financial technology and crypto. Traditional financial institutions are driving growth by expanding blockchain use to build on what Bitcoin and stablecoins have created. However, Token Terminal reports that decentralized-exchange trading volume for tokenized assets fell roughly 50% over the past 30 days. RWA.xyz's dashboard shows that BlackRock's BUIDL Institutional Digital Dollar Liquidity Fund had over $600 million in outflows over the same 30-day period. Overall adoption is broadening even as trading activity fluctuates. The longer-term question is how much of the traditional financial system will eventually adopt tokenization, rather than simply whether tokenization can attract investors.
Tokenized Real-World Assets Reach $39B, Stellar and BNB Chain Dominate Growth
BenzingaShare
Summary
The fear and greed index shows growing confidence as tokenized real-world assets hit $39 billion, up 81% from $21.5 billion at the start of 2026. On-chain data reveals Stellar and BNB Chain led the surge, contributing 38% and 24% of the growth. BlackRock and others are pushing tokenized U.S. Treasuries. Token Terminal puts the market cap at $46.8 billion, with 6.1 million holders as of early October.
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