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JD Supra has published an overview of real-world asset tokenization that says the market could hit $30 trillion within this decade, up from about $24 billion today. The note explains how tokens that mirror real property, commodities or bonds are let into wider trading thanks to fractional sales and faster settlement. It also shows why banks and asset managers are moving from pilots to live deals as legal clarity improves.
The paper stresses that structure matters. A token may sit fully on-chain, stay off-chain with a digital wrapper, or use a hybrid model. Lawyers warn that each route faces different rules on custody, tax and property transfer. JD Supra highlights cases such as BlackRock’s plan with Securitize to tokenize up to $10 trillion of assets and APS Fund’s recent purchase of Italian apartment tokens — early signals that big institutions now back the model.
For real estate, the report points to Europe where regulators permit security tokens under the EU DLT Pilot Regime. It cites the February 2025 sale of HK$800 million in tokenized green bonds by Hong Kong and Dubai’s approval of AED11 billion worth of property tokens last spring as signs of a global race. JD Supra adds that clear land-title linkage and investor-protection rules remain vital before retail buyers can safely trade property tokens at scale.
Tokenization turns ownership rights into blockchain tokens that can travel 24/7 across markets. Advocates say this cuts settlement from days to seconds and opens pricey assets to small investors. Analysts at Katten estimate RWA value could reach $30 trillion by 2030 if standards, like those now drafted by the UK Investment Association and FCA, roll out smoothly.
Past moves include the World Economic Forum’s 2023 call for a common token framework and JPMorgan’s first on-chain collateral swap in 2024, both of which laid ground for today’s surge. With regulators now setting rulebooks and heavyweight funds entering the ring, JD Supra argues the shift from test labs to mainstream finance “is well under way.”
