Tokenized TradFi on Crypto Exchanges Hits $6.6B
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- CoinGecko study finds tokenized traditional assets on crypto exchanges grew from $1.4B in January 2025 to $6.6B in June 2026 — nearly fivefold in 18 months.
- Binance, OKX, Bybit, Bitget, Gate and MEXC expanded into tokenized precious metals, US stocks, commodities, global indexes and forex to retain users amid intensifying competition from traditional brokerages and DEXs.
- US stock perpetual futures overtook precious metals in both trading volume and open interest by mid-2026, fueled by investor interest in semiconductor stocks and anticipated IPOs.
- Perpetual futures dominate tokenized TradFi trading activity while spot markets remain comparatively small, because exchanges can list leveraged contracts without issuing or custodying the underlying tokenized assets.
- Standard Chartered projects tokenization could expand DeFi into a $2.7 trillion market by 2030, while Bernstein estimates the broader tokenization market could reach $4 trillion by the end of the decade.
Why it matters: Crypto exchanges like Binance and OKX are no longer just crypto venues — they now compete head-on with Robinhood for the same retail traders. With tokenized TradFi volume nearly fivefold-ing to $6.6B in 18 months and perpetual futures overtaking precious metals as the dominant product, the functional boundary between crypto platforms and traditional brokerages has collapsed, forcing each side to encroach on the other's turf to keep users.
