Professional investors are increasingly using tokenized equities, with most respondents to a new global survey expecting the market to reach at least $10 billion in on-chain trading volumes by June 2027.
Key findings
- 65% expect tokenized equity volumes to reach at least $10 billion by June 2027.
- 51% already trade tokenized equities regularly.
- 88% of existing users increased their trading over the past year.
- Continuous market access was the top cited benefit.
- $24.5 trillion is the projected size of the broader tokenized asset market by 2033.
The research, commissioned by ST0x Group and conducted among 200 institutional investors and wealth managers in August 2026, found that 65% expect the tokenized equities market to reach $10 billion or more. The figure compares with reported on-chain trading volumes of $3.86 billion in May 2026.
The survey covered professional investors across North America, the UK, continental Europe, the Middle East and Asia Pacific. Respondents included fund managers, pension funds, insurance asset managers, family offices, wealth managers, hedge funds, banks, broker-dealers and other financial market participants.
Investors are already increasing their use
The expectations for future growth come alongside increased activity among investors already trading tokenized equities.
More than half of respondents, 51%, said they regularly trade tokenized equities. Another 41% have traded them to experiment with the market. A further 6% plan to trade tokenized equities within the next 12 months, while 2% expect to do so within two years.
Among institutions that already trade tokenized equities, 26% said their use has increased significantly over the past year. Another 62% reported a smaller increase, while 12% said their trading volumes had remained unchanged.
Nick Magliocchetti, CEO of ST0x Technology, said:
“Tokenization is no longer a theoretical opportunity for institutional investors – it is becoming an investable market. With more than half of professional investors already trading tokenized equities regularly and many more preparing to enter the market, the foundations for rapid growth are being established. The real opportunity now is to make tokenized assets as accessible, liquid and straightforward to allocate to as their traditional counterparts.”
What are tokenized equities?
Tokenized equities are blockchain-based representations of shares or other equity-linked assets. Instead of trading only through traditional market infrastructure, the ownership or economic exposure is represented using digital tokens recorded on a blockchain.
The structure can vary depending on the issuer and jurisdiction. A token may represent direct ownership, a claim on an underlying asset, or another form of economic exposure. This means investors need to look at the legal and contractual structure behind a token rather than assuming that every tokenized share works in exactly the same way as a conventional share.
One potential difference is that blockchain-based infrastructure can support trading and settlement outside the traditional market timetable. This is one reason continuous market access was identified as the main benefit of tokenized equities in the ST0x survey.
Instant settlement was ranked second, followed by potentially lower transaction costs from reducing the role of intermediaries, clearing houses and traditional custodians.
Respondents also pointed to fractional ownership as another benefit. Tokenization can allow an expensive asset to be divided into smaller units, potentially lowering the amount of capital needed to gain exposure to it.
Continuous access is a key attraction
The ability to access markets outside traditional trading hours was the most frequently cited benefit in the survey.
Traditional stock markets operate according to specific trading hours and settlement processes. Tokenized markets can be designed to operate continuously, although actual trading availability still depends on the platform, asset structure, liquidity and applicable regulations.
For investors managing international portfolios, tokenized assets can also provide another way to access securities across different markets. The survey respondents highlighted global liquidity and easier access to international stocks as additional benefits.
It also found that professional investors are taking different approaches to incorporating tokenized securities into portfolios. Allocations were broadly split between mandates that treat tokenized assets in the same way as other listed holdings and mandates that allow them only with additional approval or under specific exceptions.
Broader tokenization market also expected to expand
The expectations extend beyond equities. The research cited a Grand View Research estimate that the broader asset tokenization market was worth $1.8 trillion in 2025 and could reach $24.5 trillion by 2033.
When asked about the size of the market in 2033, 29% of professional investors surveyed said they expected it to reach around $24.5 trillion. Another 41% placed it between $24.5 trillion and $25 trillion, while 18% expected between $25 trillion and $26 trillion. Around 10% predicted a market above $26 trillion.
These figures represent the expectations of the surveyed investors rather than an independently verified market forecast. At the same time, for tokenized equities, the survey points to a market where institutional interest is already moving beyond experimentation. The main factors cited by respondents, including continuous access, faster settlement, lower potential transaction costs and fractional ownership, show why financial institutions are exploring blockchain-based versions of traditional assets.
The extent to which these advantages translate into sustained trading activity will depend on factors including regulation, liquidity, market infrastructure and how tokenized securities are integrated with existing investment systems.
