Tokenized Asset Market Expands Despite Shallow DeFi Integration
The tokenized asset market has experienced significant growth in 2026, expanding by nearly 50% to reach $37 billion between January and July. Despite this growth, only 12% of tokenized assets meet Pantera Capital's bar for meaningful DeFi integration.
According to the 'Tokenization Snapshot 2026' report by Centrifuge, a dominant 77.6% of scored assets qualify as 'wrappers,' functioning mainly as digital representations of traditional instruments rather than tools that plug into lending, borrowing, or liquidity protocols.
RWA deposits in lending markets and decentralized exchanges have tripled over the past year to reach $7.4 billion, indicating appetite for tokenized products that function properly inside DeFi. Centrifuge's total value locked ranged between $1.6 billion and $1.8 billion in late August 2026.