Tokenization of Real-World Assets and Financial Market Transformation: A Review of Literature (International Journal of Business Ecosystem and Strategy (2687-2293))

Summary

• The systematic literature review synthesized 25 peer-reviewed research works published between 2015 and 2026 to evaluate RWA tokenization.p.1
• Projections indicate that tokenized assets have surpassed $50 billion in total value locked across major blockchain platforms.p.1
• The review identifies 4 main research streams covering technical drivers, market transformation, governance, and adoption risks.p.1
• Tokenization enables small and medium-sized enterprises and sovereign issuers to access historically constrained liquidity pools.p.2
• Empirical research shows tokenization reduces trading process costs, improves settlement efficiency, and lowers carbon emissions in bond markets.p.5

Key insights

1. The study synthesizes 25 peer-reviewed research works published between 2015 and 2026 to evaluate RWA tokenization.p.1
2. Tokenized assets have reached over $50 billion in total value locked across major blockchain platforms.p.1
3. RWA tokenization enables fractional ownership, continuous trading, and improved transparency for illiquid physical and financial assets.p.1
4. Tokenization facilitates capital formation by allowing small and medium-sized enterprises to access previously constrained liquidity pools.p.2
5. Institutional adoption is expanding as leading asset managers introduce on-chain treasury instruments and real estate funds.p.1
6. A lack of interoperability across blockchain networks creates market fragmentation and limits overall efficiency.p.6
7. Regulatory fragmentation across jurisdictions restricts cross-border scalability and institutional market integration.p.3