Giant companies enter the on-chain space: State Street Bank leads the wave of tokenized assets, how should investors position themselves?

In early 2026, a milestone news has emerged from Wall Street. The global custody giant State Street announced the launch of a digital asset platform, planning to issue a series of tokenized products. This financial institution, managing over $51.7 trillion in assets, is shifting from a back-end service provider role to directly participating in asset issuance.

Tokenized money market funds, ETFs, stablecoins, and deposit products—these core assets of the traditional financial world—are gaining new vitality through blockchain technology. For ordinary investors, a bridge connecting the traditional financial world and the new blockchain frontier is being built by the most solid financial institutions.

01 Trend: The Tokenization Wave Sweeps Global Financial Markets

Blockchain technology is moving from the experimental stage to enterprise-level deployment. As the World Bank report states, 2026 is becoming a decisive moment for digital asset development.

The traditional financial world’s enthusiasm for tokenization is unprecedented. Goldman Sachs is also researching and predicting market opportunities, with CEO Solomon calling prediction markets “very interesting,” and personally meeting with the heads of the two largest prediction market companies in the field. The latest trend forecast from well-known venture capital firm a16z indicates that stablecoins handled about $46 trillion in transactions last year, over 20 times PayPal’s volume and close to three times Visa’s.

Tokenization of traditional assets is not simply copying and pasting. According to a16z analysis, synthetic representations (such as perpetual contracts) can provide deeper liquidity and are easier to implement. Tokenized assets like stocks are actively being participated in by Wall Street giants such as BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, and Fidelity.

02 Strategy: State Street’s On-Chain Strategic Blueprint

State Street’s digital asset platform is a key step in its strategic layout. The platform plans to issue tokenized money market funds, ETFs, as well as tokenized deposits and stablecoins.

This banking giant has already partnered with Galaxy Digital to launch a tokenized fund. It currently manages $51.7 trillion in assets and has previously provided management and accounting services for cryptocurrency ETFs.

State Street’s plan also includes considering providing cryptocurrency custody services based on regulatory developments. The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC) in the US has also announced plans to digitize approximately 1.4 million securities under its custody.

This layout is far more than a technical experiment; it aims to build a complete on-chain asset ecosystem. Tokenization allows investors to quickly switch between traditional and tokenized forms, with the fastest possible transfer within 15 minutes.

03 Integration: The Bidirectional Convergence of Traditional Finance and the Crypto World

By 2026, the integration between traditional finance and decentralized finance (DeFi) is accelerating. This bidirectional convergence is not only on the technological level but also gradually merging in business models and regulatory frameworks.

The regulatory environment is becoming clearer. Goldman Sachs analysts point out that improvements in regulation are a key driver for institutions to continue adopting cryptocurrencies, especially for buy-side and sell-side financial institutions. The US “Clear Act” is currently under review in Congress and may serve as a key catalyst.

Asset tokenization can bring tangible benefits. The a16z report states that issuing assets on-chain can reduce lending service costs, backend structuring costs, and improve accessibility. This is significant for expanding the reach of financial services.

Institutional investors benefit from tokenization with lower transaction costs, higher liquidity, and faster settlement speeds. These advantages are especially evident in cross-border transactions and complex financial products.

04 Trading: Practical Guide to Seizing Tokenization Opportunities

How can ordinary investors respond to the accelerating tokenization trend among traditional financial institutions? As one of the world’s leading digital asset trading platforms, Gate offers some practical tools and perspectives.

Investors can use GateAI, an AI market analysis tool, to obtain automated summaries and interpretations of market data. This feature consolidates market information based on existing data and actively marks uncertainty when conclusions cannot be verified.

In the field of tokenized assets, focus can be placed on several aspects: first, the progress of tokenization products from traditional financial giants (such as State Street and Goldman Sachs); second, changes in regulatory policies; third, technological developments in cross-chain interoperability.

Special attention should be paid to the regulatory dynamics of tokenized stocks, bonds, and other traditional assets. These assets are likely to be classified as securities and incorporated into existing regulatory frameworks, but this does not mean prohibition; rather, it clarifies their legal status.

05 Outlook: The Future of Blockchain as a New Financial Infrastructure

Blockchain technology is no longer just a financial experiment; it is becoming the foundation of a new digital financial infrastructure. As the trend of asset tokenization intensifies, the entire financial ecosystem will undergo profound changes.

The tokenization trend is reshaping capital flows and the global financial system. As stablecoin use cases expand, they are transforming from niche financial tools into the underlying settlement layer of the internet.

2026 may become the year when “wealth accumulation” platforms rise, not just “wealth preservation” platforms. Fintech companies like Revolut, Robinhood, and centralized exchanges like Coinbase are leveraging their technological advantages to capture this market.

The entire industry is moving toward a more interoperable multi-chain ecosystem, where different blockchains (public, private, permissioned) can work together to realize a truly global distributed system.

Future Outlook

From State Street to Goldman Sachs, from the US Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation to Interactive Brokers, global financial giants are embracing the tokenization trend at an unprecedented speed.

Interactive Brokers now supports 24/7 account deposits using USDC and plans to add more stablecoin options. Ripple announced a $150 million financing to LMAX Group, making its stablecoin RLUSD a core collateral asset for global institutional trading infrastructure.

This transformation is not about destroying the traditional financial system but about empowering it with greater efficiency, transparency, and inclusiveness through blockchain technology. As regulatory frameworks become clearer and institutional participation increases, the digital asset and tokenization markets are entering an unprecedented development phase.