The Tokenization Revolution in Finance
Tokenization is the next evolution of financial and digital infrastructure. As Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, stated in his annual letter to investors: “Every stock, every bond, every fund—every asset—can be tokenized.”
Today, tokenization is transforming how assets are issued, traded, and settled. In the U.S., banks, tech firms, and industry leaders are already deploying real solutions that generate value. Here are seven highlighted cases:
Highlighted Use Cases of Tokenization
- Citigroup: Tokenized Deposits for Trade Finance
In 2023, Citi Treasury and Trade Solutions launched tokenized deposits for 24/7 cross-border payments. In a pilot with Maersk, smart contracts automated shipping payments and digitized letters of credit. By 2024, the service went live, processing millions daily and reducing settlement times from days to minutes. - Goldman Sachs: Digital Bond Issuance
GS DAP was used in 2022 to issue a €100 million digital bond with the European Investment Bank. Issued and settled on the same day (T+0), in under 60 seconds, it was the first fully digital bond listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange. - Franklin Templeton: Tokenized Money Market Fund
The Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund (FOBXX) records ownership and transfers on a public blockchain. In 2024, peer-to-peer transfers enabled secondary trading, DeFi collateralization, and deeper onchain integration. In 2025, the fund surpassed $760M in assets. - State Farm & USAA: Blockchain for Insurance Claims
These insurers built a blockchain solution to automate subrogation (inter-company fund recovery). It replaced 75,000 annual checks with a shared blockchain platform, speeding up settlements and reducing paper use. - IBM & IPwe: Patent Tokenization
In 2021, IBM and IPwe launched a platform to represent patents as NFTs on enterprise blockchain. This enables verifiable transfers, faster licensing, and greater liquidity. Tokenization makes it easier to value, share, and use patents as collateral.
The Future of Tokenization
The wave of tokenization is accelerating. What was once vision is now reality, with institutional-grade products in action. As U.S. regulations evolve and global adoption grows, institutions leading this transition will capture value in a market potentially worth hundreds of trillions of dollars.
