Crypto exchanges drive fivefold surge in tokenized asset trading

Tokenized traditional assets listed on cryptocurrency exchanges have expanded fivefold in the last 18 months, reaching a market size of US$ 6.6 billion in June 2026, according to data from CoinGecko. The growth was initially led by tokenized precious metals and later by US semiconductor equities and pre‑IPO contracts, with perpetual‑futures contracts accounting for the bulk of trading activity.

CoinGecko’s 2026 report shows that volume of TradFi perpetual contracts on crypto platforms exceeds spot real‑world‑asset (RWA) trading by more than eight times. Monthly perpetual volume rose 1,472‑fold from January 2025 to May 2026, processing over US$ 1.32 trillion in that period. Binance, MEXC and Hyperliquid emerged as the leading exchanges, while Robinhood expanded its digital‑asset offering to attract institutional and retail investors.

The trend reflects a broader shift as crypto exchanges export their native perpetual‑futures model to equities, commodities, foreign‑exchange and upcoming IPOs, creating a bridge between traditional finance and blockchain‑based markets.