Blockchain and Tokenization Disrupt Traditional Banking Models

During a July 29 panel discussion on digital assets, Morgan Stanley Global Head of Banks and Diversified Finance Research Betsy Graseck argued that blockchain-based markets are making the batch-processing banking model outdated.

Graseck claimed 'this is the end of banker hours. Your batch processing mentality is going to be a thing of the past.'

However, the numbers tell a more complicated story. Tokenized real-world assets tripled year over year to roughly $36.7 billion by June 2026.

The majority of tokenized assets - around half the market value - have not been used in DeFi transactions, according to Standard Chartered research projecting that share reaching 30% by 2030.