Global investment giant BlackRock is making headlines with its ambition to bring up to $10 trillion worth of assets onto the blockchain. This bold move places the world’s largest asset manager at the centre of one of the most significant financial innovations of the decade: the tokenisation of real world assets (RWAs). Many analysts believe this shift could fundamentally reshape how global markets operate.

Asset tokenisation refers to the process of representing ownership of physical or financial assets as digital tokens recorded on a blockchain. These assets can include real estate, equities, bonds, commodities and private investments. By converting ownership into blockchain-based tokens, investors gain access to benefits such as fractional ownership, improved liquidity, enhanced transparency and significantly faster settlement times. Traditionally illiquid or exclusive assets become easier to trade, while blockchain’s immutable ledger reduces operational risk and fraud.

BlackRock’s involvement marks a major validation of tokenisation as a mainstream financial strategy. Managing more than $10 trillion in assets globally, the firm has been increasingly vocal about blockchain’s potential. Chief Executive Larry Fink has repeatedly stated that tokenisation represents the future of markets, enabling greater efficiency, accessibility and innovation across the financial system. In 2023, BlackRock launched its first tokenised asset fund on Ethereum, signalling a clear commitment to decentralised finance and digital infrastructure. This move is widely seen as the first step in a much larger transformation.

The tokenisation of real world assets is expected to have far-reaching implications across multiple industries. In real estate, investors could purchase fractional stakes in high-value commercial or luxury properties. Private equity opportunities, historically reserved for institutions and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, may become accessible to a broader investor base. Tokenised bonds and treasuries could benefit from faster trading and settlement, while commodities such as gold or oil could be traded fractionally with greater efficiency.

Industry forecasts underline the scale of this opportunity. A report by Boston Consulting Group estimates that the tokenised assets market could reach $16 trillion by 2030. Against this backdrop, BlackRock’s ambition to tokenise $10 trillion in assets positions it as a potential leader in shaping the next phase of global finance.

For investors, tokenisation is more than a passing trend. It represents a structural shift in how wealth is created, accessed and transferred. Lower barriers to entry, broader access to elite asset classes and increased efficiency across financial markets could redefine investing on a global scale.

BlackRock’s vision highlights a future in which real world assets become more liquid, transparent and borderless. As blockchain technology continues to mature and regulatory clarity improves, tokenisation is increasingly likely to form the backbone of a more inclusive and efficient financial system. For institutions and investors alike, the message is becoming hard to ignore: the future of finance will be tokenised.