Key Takeaways
- Carlos Domingo, CEO of Securitize, projects the RWA market could expand from its current $30 billion valuation to $5 trillion through tokenized equities
- The forecast hinges on capturing just 2–3% of the worldwide $150 trillion stock and ETF market for blockchain-based trading
- Domingo distinguishes authentic tokenized shares from synthetic derivatives that don’t provide genuine equity ownership
- Strategic alliances with NYSE and Computershare position Securitize to facilitate blockchain-based stock transactions
- Ethereum represents Domingo’s blockchain platform of choice for institutional asset tokenization
The tokenized real-world asset sector stands on the brink of explosive growth, with potential to balloon from approximately $30 billion to a staggering $5 trillion, according to Carlos Domingo, chief executive of Securitize. The catalyst for this transformation? Tokenized stocks and exchange-traded funds rather than Treasury instruments.
Domingo shared this ambitious outlook during a panel discussion at ETHConf held in New York City this Tuesday, where industry leaders debated the trajectory of blockchain-based financial systems.
His analysis centers on the massive global stock and ETF marketplace, currently valued at approximately $150 trillion. According to Domingo, even modest blockchain adoption within this sector would be sufficient to achieve the projected $5 trillion milestone.
“Only if a small percentage of that, like 2% or 3%, moves onchain, it gets you very close to that $5 trillion,” Domingo said.
Current State of the Tokenized Asset Sector
Tokenized United States Treasury instruments have dominated the RWA sector throughout the previous two years. However, Domingo contends this growth trajectory is reaching maturity, with equities positioned to drive the next expansion cycle.
According to his assessment, blockchain-based stocks deliver advantages that Treasury tokenization cannot match — including democratized investor participation, enhanced market liquidity, and superior compatibility with decentralized financial protocols.
Securitize has already positioned itself strategically for this transition. The firm has established collaborative agreements with the New York Stock Exchange and Computershare, a major transfer agent, to facilitate on-chain stock trading and clearing operations.
The organization is simultaneously pursuing plans for a public listing and maintains BlackRock among its prominent institutional clientele.
Defining Authentic Tokenized Equity Products
Domingo established firm boundaries between legitimate tokenized equities and offerings he categorizes as synthetic constructs.
“A lot of people that today say that they tokenize equities, they’re not tokenizing equity,” he said.
He maintained that numerous blockchain-based stock products available internationally operate through derivative instruments or synthetic frameworks. Authentic tokenized shares, in his view, must provide investors with direct share ownership alongside accompanying shareholder voting privileges and dividend distributions.
His infrastructure platform of preference remains Ethereum. Securitize deploys smart contract technology to restrict ownership to vetted participants while maintaining assets on permissionless public blockchain networks.
Future Market Dynamics
Domingo does not anticipate blockchain-based markets completely displacing conventional financial systems. His expectation is for both ecosystems to operate concurrently for an extended period.
“The traditional markets are going to stay,” he said. “We’re going to see a new market emerge in parallel that will run on blockchain rails and be much more efficient.”
He emphasized that blockchain-based securities would deliver immediate settlement finalization and round-the-clock transfer capabilities — functionalities that traditional financial markets presently cannot provide.
While the RWA sector remains in its developmental phase, Domingo’s perspective aligns with increasing consensus among financial technology leaders that tokenized equity products represent the critical next phase in bridging legacy finance with cryptocurrency infrastructure.
