The primary benefit of asset tokenization is to cut the number of financial intermediaries operating between transactions, according to a survey by SBI’s digital asset arm, rather than speed or liquidity.
In a survey of top financial institutions interested in digital assets by SBI Digital Asset Holdings (DAH), almost half of the respondents cited disintermediation – cutting out middlemen in transactions – as the main benefit for asset tokenization. The cost efficiencies realized from tokenization ranked behind disintermediation, as did other benefits like faster settlement and enhanced transparency.
Real estate was the top choice for asset tokenization. This was followed by funds, physical infrastructure, bonds and collectibles. Equities and precious metals lagged other asset classes.
Nonetheless, most respondents expect slow adoption of asset tokenization. By 2026, close to two-thirds expect less than 20 percent of the market to be in digital assets with less than a quarter expecting a 20-40 percent conversion.
Crypto Demand
Cryptocurrencies continue to be the key focus for digital asset investors, despite negative headlines in recent times. Of the respondents currently investing or transacting in digital assets, crypto was chosen by 70 percent as the top asset class of choice. It was also ranked as the top focus for investments.
«As the digital asset ecosystem continues to mature, institutional-grade infrastructure coupled with regulatory certainty will be pivotal to shaping the future of financial markets,» said SBI DAH CEO Fernando Luis Vázquez Cao.
SBI DAH is a digital asset business that operates under SBI Holdings, a Japanese internet-based financial giant previously spun off from SoftBank. Some of the key assets under SBI DAH include SBI Digital Markets, SBI Security Solutions as well as joint ventures AsiaNext and SBI Zodia Custody.
