Standard Chartered Predicts Tokenized Asset Market to Reach $4 Trillion by 2028

Standard Chartered, a British banking giant, predicts the tokenized asset market will soar to an impressive $4 trillion by the end of 2028. This significant expansion is expected to be equally split between stablecoins and real-world assets, such as equities and fixed-income securities. The bank's Head of Digital Assets Research, Geoffrey Kendrick, champions this optimistic outlook, emphasizing the increasing appeal of tokenized assets for their convenience and attractive yields. He points to BlackRock's successful tokenized U.S. Treasury money-market fund as a testament to this rapidly developing financial landscape.

Standard Chartered Projects Massive Growth in Tokenized Assets by 2028

On Monday, May 18, 2026, Standard Chartered, a leading British bank, announced a bold prediction for the future of digital finance. According to a report from London-based CryptoProwl, the institution forecasts that the market for tokenized assets will achieve an astounding valuation of $4 trillion by the close of 2028. This projection, put forth by Geoffrey Kendrick, the bank's global head of digital assets research, suggests an equal division of this value, with $2 trillion allocated to stablecoins and another $2 trillion to the tokenization of real-world assets, including stocks and bonds.

Kendrick highlighted the compelling benefits driving this anticipated growth: the inherent convenience and yield-generating potential of tokenized assets. He referenced BlackRock's highly successful "BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund" (BUIDL) as a tangible illustration of these advantages. Since its launch earlier this year, the BUIDL fund has attracted $2.85 billion in capital, offering investors an attractive 4% yield, coupled with the flexibility of round-the-clock trading and exceptional liquidity. Kendrick believes these characteristics will continue to draw a substantial influx of investors in the coming years. He also noted the vast disparity between on-chain and off-chain assets, estimating that currently, off-chain assets outnumber their tokenized counterparts by a factor of 1,000, underscoring the immense untapped potential within the tokenization space. Concurrently, Standard Chartered's stock (STAN) has seen a robust performance, increasing by 66% over the past year, trading at 1,918.50 British pounds.

The burgeoning interest in tokenized assets, exemplified by the success of BlackRock's BUIDL fund, signals a transformative shift in global finance. This trend underscores the increasing demand for accessible, liquid, and yield-bearing investment opportunities in the digital realm. As traditional financial institutions like Standard Chartered continue to embrace and actively participate in this evolution, the convergence of conventional and decentralized finance is set to redefine investment strategies and market structures on a global scale. Investors and market observers should keenly watch this space, as it promises not only new avenues for capital deployment but also a fundamental re-evaluation of asset ownership and transaction efficiency.