Blockchain and AI technologies are still evolving and have the potential for mass adoption if they meet factors such as long-term demand, accessibility, functionality, public perception, environmental sustainability, cost, regulation, and support and development.
Tokenization of real-world assets on the blockchain is rapidly gaining momentum, offering benefits such as transaction speed, liquidity, cost-savings, and round-the-clock access, with experts predicting it to become a $16 trillion industry by 2030. Over 70% of financial leaders expect to use tokenization in their businesses, with potential impacts on asset trading, real estate transactions, derivatives, and carbon markets. Tokenization unlocks liquidity, enhances security and data protection, reduces transaction costs, and enables programmability and automation, making it a key driver of digital asset adoption and a fundamental shift in business operations.
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority released a report on its study of bond tokenization, highlighting the potential of distributed ledger technology (DLT) to enhance efficiency, liquidity, and transparency in bond markets, but also acknowledging the challenges and the need for fine-tuning existing legal and regulatory regimes.
The London Stock Exchange (LSE) Group is planning to create a blockchain-based platform for traditional financial assets, aiming to improve efficiency and transparency in trading, although it will not be involved with cryptocurrencies. If successful, LSE Group would be the first major stock exchange to offer a blockchain-powered ecosystem.
The lack of a fully regulated financial market in the US contradicts global economic interdependence, and as a result, the crypto industry is moving offshore rapidly; however, the US government is likely to eventually establish a clear regulatory framework and invest in blockchain R&D, thus strengthening the industry.
Applying blockchain technology to financial markets could help reduce costs for issuers of financial instruments like bonds, but it also poses risks such as challenging sovereign authority and fueling tax evasion, according to a report by Moody's Investors Service.
The concentration of assets in decentralized finance (DeFi) could pose a risk if stablecoins surpass the market capitalization of the native tokens of their underlying blockchains, creating a potential for double-spending and control by token holders, highlighting the need to rethink distributed ledger technology (DLT) architecture and explore alternatives to blockchain such as directed acyclic graphs (DAG).
Cryptocurrency faces regulatory challenges that could shape its future, but despite these challenges, the industry holds promise with developments such as increased institutional adoption, central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), DeFi innovation, interoperability, and expected regulatory clarity.
Despite the prevalence of private blockchains in the banking sector, the co-founder of Chainlink predicts that public blockchain protocols will ultimately become the biggest market for banks' tokenized real-world assets, as they offer diversified collateral and attractive yields. However, financial institutions in the US may proceed with caution due to regulatory uncertainty. On the other hand, European and Asian banks are progressing in this area, with companies such as Citi and JPMorgan exploring tokenization on public blockchains like Ethereum. Franklin Templeton has also embraced public blockchains, recognizing their cost efficiency and rate of innovation. Interoperability and cross-border liquidity are key considerations for banks as they adopt tokenization and explore ways to move assets across chains.
Blockchain plays a pivotal role in decentralized clouds by providing the foundation for decentralized governance and facilitating trust and incentives among diverse entities operating the network.
Blockchain technology is breathing new life into traditional assets as big finance firms invest in token trading and investment platforms, with more than a third of institutional investors in the U.S. and almost two-thirds of high-net-worth investors planning to invest in tokenized assets this year or next.
The global blockchain finance market is predicted to become a $79.3 billion industry by 2032, driven by the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the potential for reduced operational costs, with collaborations and acquisitions being heavily explored as a top strategy by market players.
