Crypto09 June, 20262 min read
Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo Says Tokenized Stocks Could Drive RWA Market to $5 Trillion
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Tokenized stocks and ETFs could push the RWA market toward $5 trillion. 2-3% of the $150 trillion global stock/ETF market goes on-chain.
Tokenized stocks to drive RWA
Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo said tokenized equities and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), not private credit or Treasury products, will be the asset class that ultimately drives the real-world asset (RWA) market into the trillions. Speaking at an ETHConf panel in New York on Tuesday, Domingo argued that bringing stocks and ETFs onchain could unlock a market far larger than today's roughly $30 billion tokenized asset sector.
“Only if a small percentage of that, like 2% or 3%, moves onchain, it gets you very close to that $5 trillion.”
Domingo pointed to the global equities and ETF market as the foundation for growth, saying, "The entire equities and ETF market worldwide is probably like $150 trillion." He added, "Only if a small percentage of that, like 2% or 3%, moves onchain, it gets you very close to that $5 trillion."
NYSE platform and Ethereum
CoinMarketCap reported that the NYSE tapped Securitize to power its 24/7 tokenized stock platform, where Securitize will create and manage blockchain-native shares of stocks and exchange-traded funds. The platform, called the Digital Trading Platform, is designed to support 24/7 trading and instant settlement, with settlement handled on-chain and funding on the platform described as stablecoin-based.
NYSE Group president Lynn Martin said new infrastructure must preserve the trust and protections investors expect, while Securitize CEO Carlos Domingo said, "This is about building tokenization in a way that works within real market structure, with the protections, controls, and operational integrity." In the CoinDesk account of Domingo’s remarks, he maintained that public blockchains, particularly Ethereum, remain the preferred infrastructure for institutional tokenization despite concerns around transparency and compliance.
Regulatory pilots and investor rights
CoinDesk said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved a Nasdaq pilot program to trade tokenized versions of high-volume stocks, covering Russell 1000 stocks and select index ETFs.
“Tokenized stocks are currently the sixth-largest segment of the $26 billion locked in tokenized real-world assets.”
That pilot keeps trading and settlement within traditional market rails through coordination with a subsidiary of the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation, according to CoinMarketCap’s account of the program.
CoinDesk also reported that Domingo drew a distinction between what he considers "real" tokenized equities and blockchain-based stock products offered outside the U.S., saying, "A lot of people that today say that they tokenize equities, they're not tokenizing equity."
In the same CoinDesk coverage, Domingo said the long-term goal is for blockchain-based securities to offer the same investor rights as traditional shares while benefiting from instant settlement and 24/7 transferability.