Real-World Asset Tokenization Sees 300% Growth as BlackRock Executives Champion Market Overhaul

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink and COO Rob Goldstein have declared tokenization as the "next major evolution" in global market infrastructure, anticipating it will significantly enhance efficiency, transparency, and access by connecting traditional and digital finance. Their comprehensive insights were shared in a column published in The Economist on December 1, 2025. BlackRock amplified this discussion on its social media, stating, "Tokenization is shaping the next evolution of global markets."

The executives articulated that tokenization, by recording asset ownership on digital ledgers, offers the potential for instantaneous transaction settlements, a substantial leap beyond current multi-day processes. They compared this impending shift to the transformative impact of SWIFT's electronic messaging in 1977, which cut transaction times from days to minutes. Fink and Goldstein also likened the current stage of tokenization to "the internet in 1996," suggesting its full potential is yet to be realized, moving beyond the initial speculation associated with the crypto boom.

Fink and Goldstein emphasized that this technology can greatly expand the world of investable assets, making previously illiquid holdings like real estate more accessible by turning them into smaller, tradeable units. They highlighted the rapid adoption of real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, noting a roughly 300% increase in the past 20 months. BlackRock itself is actively engaged in this space, with its USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) already growing to $2.3 billion, making it one of the largest tokenized assets globally.

Despite their optimism, the BlackRock leaders emphasized that tokenization represents "a bridge being built from both sides of a river," connecting traditional institutions with digital-first innovators, rather than an immediate replacement of existing systems. They advocated for updated regulatory frameworks, not entirely new ones, asserting that "a bond is still a bond, even if it lives on a blockchain." The executives stressed the importance of robust safeguards, including clear buyer protections and strong counterparty-risk standards, to foster trust and safe participation in this evolving financial landscape, ensuring it moves "faster and safely."