For decades, investing in real estate, fine art, or precious metals was limited to the wealthy or institutional elite. Buying a building, a Picasso, or a kilogram of gold required not just capital but also access, intermediaries, and legal complexity. But that’s changing — fast. Welcome to the era of tokenized assets, where ownership of traditionally illiquid investments is being redefined through blockchain technology.
In 2025, tokenization is no longer a futuristic buzzword. It’s a rapidly expanding financial reality that’s transforming how investors access, trade, and manage tangible assets. According to a Boston Consulting Group report, the global market for tokenized assets could exceed $16 trillion by 2030, representing nearly 10% of global GDP. The movement isn’t just about digital innovation — it’s about democratizing wealth.
What Are Tokenized Assets, Exactly?
At its core, tokenization means converting the ownership rights of a physical or financial asset into a digital token stored on a blockchain. Each token represents a fractional share of the underlying asset — whether that’s a luxury apartment in Milan, a Renoir painting, or a bar of gold held in a vault.
Because these tokens exist on a decentralized ledger, they can be traded securely and transparently, without traditional intermediaries like brokers or banks. Smart contracts handle transactions automatically, verifying authenticity and enforcing ownership rights in real time.
In essence, tokenization breaks large, illiquid assets into smaller, tradeable units, allowing more investors to participate. You don’t need €1 million to own part of a high-end property — you might just need €100.
Real Estate on the Blockchain: From Buildings to Bytes
Real estate is one of the most active sectors in the tokenization wave. The property market has long been criticized for its illiquidity — assets are valuable, but selling them is slow and costly. Tokenization solves that by allowing investors to buy and sell digital fractions of properties.
For example, an apartment complex valued at €10 million could be divided into 100,000 tokens worth €100 each, with rental income distributed automatically through smart contracts. This model is already gaining traction in markets like Dubai, Singapore, and Switzerland.
According to CB Insights, real estate tokenization projects grew by over 35% in 2024, and secondary trading volumes reached $1.2 billion globally. By turning buildings into blockchain assets, investors can diversify geographically and sector-wise without the bureaucratic burden of traditional real estate deals.
Beyond individual investors, institutional players are starting to pay attention. In 2025, several major banks and asset managers began pilot programs exploring tokenized commercial property funds — signaling that tokenized real estate may soon move from the fringe to the mainstream.
Art Meets Blockchain: The Next Evolution of Collecting
Tokenization is also reshaping the art investment world, long known for its exclusivity and opacity. In traditional markets, investing in fine art requires not only substantial capital but also insider access. Blockchain technology is breaking down those barriers by fractionalizing ownership of physical masterpieces.
Platforms like Maecenas and Particle have already made headlines by offering fractional shares in artworks by Banksy and Warhol. Instead of one ultra-wealthy buyer acquiring a €10 million painting, thousands of investors can collectively own pieces of it through blockchain tokens.
This new model also adds transparency. Provenance — a critical issue in art authenticity — can be verified on-chain, creating a permanent, tamper-proof record of ownership history.
The result is a more liquid and accessible art market. According to Deloitte’s Art & Finance Report 2024, nearly 28% of collectors under 40 are interested in digital or tokenized art investments — a trend that bridges the gap between traditional art collectors and crypto-native investors.
Gold and Precious Metals: The Oldest Store of Value, Reimagined
While art and property are gaining ground, gold remains one of the most popular assets to tokenize. The logic is simple: gold’s value is timeless, but trading and storing it physically can be cumbersome. Tokenized gold combines the stability of a centuries-old asset with the efficiency of modern blockchain systems.
Companies like Paxos (PAXG) and Tether Gold (XAUT) issue tokens backed 1:1 by physical gold held in secure vaults. Each digital token represents a specific amount of gold, and holders can redeem it for the underlying metal if they choose.
Tokenized gold has seen strong adoption, particularly in emerging markets where digital access to hard assets is appealing. In 2025, the total market capitalization of gold-backed tokens surpassed $1.3 billion, up more than 40% year-over-year, according to CoinGecko data.
This digital format gives investors 24/7 trading access, lower storage costs, and improved transparency — all without compromising on security.
Why Tokenization Matters for Everyday Investors
The most exciting part of this revolution isn’t just efficiency — it’s accessibility. Tokenization opens up markets that were previously restricted to institutional or ultra-high-net-worth investors.
By fractionalizing ownership, retail investors can build more diversified portfolios — owning slices of global real estate, fine art, commodities, and even venture capital funds. This democratization aligns with broader trends in finance: open access, lower fees, and decentralized control.
Moreover, tokenized assets offer greater liquidity. Unlike traditional holdings that can take weeks or months to sell, tokenized assets can be traded in minutes on blockchain marketplaces. This liquidity helps investors respond faster to changing market conditions while maintaining exposure to real assets.
However, it’s not all risk-free. Regulation remains a challenge, with different jurisdictions treating digital ownership rights differently. Market infrastructure — including custody, taxation, and consumer protection — is still evolving. As such, diversification and due diligence remain essential.
A Glimpse Into the Future of Ownership
The rise of tokenized assets marks a turning point in how we think about ownership. It blurs the lines between physical and digital, between Wall Street and Main Street. Whether it’s a fraction of an apartment in Lisbon, a gram of Swiss gold, or a share in a Picasso painting, blockchain is making it possible for anyone, anywhere, to participate in global wealth creation.
As tokenization matures, it may do for real assets what ETFs did for stocks — unlock scale, efficiency, and access. For investors, that means more opportunity than ever to own meaningful pieces of the world’s most valuable assets.
In the end, tokenization isn’t just changing investment strategies — it’s changing the very concept of what it means to own something. The assets of the future will still be real, but their ownership will live on the blockchain.
