Chainlink Set to Ride $4T Tokenization Boom

Standard Chartered has initiated coverage of Chainlink (LINK) and expects it to be a key beneficiary of the growing institutional tokenization market. The bank believes that more real-world assets will move on-chain, driving demand for secure data, interoperability, and compliance infrastructure.

The research note, titled 'Chainlink, Owning the rails,' argues that tokenized assets cannot scale solely through issuance. They need external support systems to be widely used in DeFi and traditional finance workflows.

Standard Chartered points out that Chainlink already provides secure on-chain connections for about 70% of DeFi markets globally, with more than $32 trillion in transaction value enabled to date. The bank also notes that Chainlink has expanded beyond oracles into interoperability, compliance, and privacy, making it the only end-to-end platform currently supporting tokenized assets across both DeFi and TradFi.

Standard Chartered expects LINK to rise to $13 in 2026, $41 in 2027, $82 in 2028, $133 in 2029, and $200 in 2030. Key risks include slower institutional tokenization, delayed production workflows, competition from specialist providers, and technical setbacks.