Tokenised stocks are quietly entering a phase that feels familiar to anyone who watched stablecoins emerge earlier this decade.
What began as a niche experiment has now reached a combined market capitalisation of $1.2 billion, attracting attention not only from crypto native investors but also from some of the most established names in global finance.
The pace of growth has surprised many observers, particularly as institutional involvement has shifted from cautious pilots to production-level products.
With equities moving onchain, the discussion is no longer about whether tokenisation works, but about how quickly it can integrate into existing financial infrastructure.
Tokenised Stocks Reach $1.2 Billion Market Capitalisation
The numbers alone explain why tokenised stocks are gaining serious attention. According to data from Token Terminal, the market capitalisation of tokenised equities has climbed to $1.2 billion, with September and December marking the strongest periods of growth.
These were not random spikes. Both months coincided with the launch of new products, improved liquidity conditions across major blockchains, and broader distribution through established trading platforms.
This growth pattern closely mirrors what happened with stablecoins in 2020. At that time, stablecoins were still viewed primarily as tools for crypto traders looking to park value between trades. Today, they underpin global crypto markets and represent a sector worth roughly $300 billion.
The comparison is not about size, but about trajectory. Tokenised stocks appear to be following the same early adoption curve, where infrastructure is being built before mass demand fully arrives.
One of the most important drivers has been the way these products are being launched. In September, Backed Finance introduced its xStocks suite on Ethereum, offering around 60 tokenised public equities.
Instead of limiting access to closed platforms, distribution was coordinated with established exchanges such as Kraken and Bybit.
This approach allowed investors to trade familiar public companies in tokenised form without learning entirely new systems, which helped liquidity form quickly.
Momentum continued in December when Securitize announced plans to enable compliant onchain trading of public equities.
Unlike earlier models that relied heavily on synthetic exposure, this approach focuses on direct share ownership. That distinction matters, as regulatory clarity has long been one of the main concerns surrounding tokenised stocks.
Perhaps the strongest institutional signal came from Nasdaq, which confirmed it has filed documentation with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to launch tokenised stocks on its platform.
Rather than framing tokenisation as a disruptive force, Nasdaq has positioned it as a method of modernising markets while remaining aligned with regulators, issuers, and investors.
Real World Asset Tokenisation Gains Institutional Momentum
The rise of tokenised stocks is part of a much broader movement involving real-world assets moving onchain.
Bonds, treasuries, funds, and equities are increasingly being represented through blockchain based structures designed to improve efficiency without discarding regulatory oversight.
At its core, tokenisation aims to reduce friction. For equities, this includes faster settlement, fractional ownership, and the possibility of continuous trading.
While traditional markets operate within strict trading hours and multi day settlement cycles, tokenised assets introduce a model that is technically capable of near instant settlement.
Infrastructure choices are also evolving. Ethereum remains the primary launch venue for many tokenised equity products, but attention is shifting toward high-performance blockchains.
Ondo Finance has announced plans to bring tokenised US stocks and exchange-traded funds to Solana in early 2026, reflecting growing confidence that faster networks can support regulated financial products at scale.
What stands out is that compliance is no longer being treated as optional. Firms involved in tokenisation are increasingly working within existing legal frameworks instead of attempting to bypass them.
This mirrors the development path of stablecoins, which only achieved widespread acceptance once regulatory engagement became part of their design.
Another factor supporting adoption is familiarity. Tokenised stocks represent companies that investors already recognise.
This lowers the psychological and operational barrier to entry, allowing users to focus on the benefits of the new infrastructure rather than learning entirely new asset models.
Conclusion
Tokenised stocks reaching a $1.2 billion market capitalisation is less about absolute size and more about direction.
Institutional participation, regulatory engagement, and improving blockchain infrastructure suggest that this sector is moving beyond experimentation. Much like stablecoins in 2020, tokenised equities remain early, but the groundwork is being laid rapidly.
If current momentum continues, tokenised stocks could transition from a niche crypto product into a recognised component of global financial infrastructure.