MoonPay President: Tokenization Will Disrupt Finance Faster Than Digital Media Ever Did

Forget streaming wars and social media takeovers. The real disruption is happening in the ledger.

Tokenization isn't just coming for finance—it's sprinting. According to MoonPay's president, this tech will reshape global markets faster than digital media transformed how we consume content. Think years, not decades.

Why the breakneck pace? The infrastructure already exists. Blockchain networks operate 24/7, cutting out traditional market hours and settlement delays. Smart contracts bypass layers of intermediaries—lawyers, custodians, entire back-office divisions. Assets from real estate to royalty streams get sliced into digital shares, traded globally in minutes.

It's a direct challenge to the old guard. Wall Street's fee-heavy model looks increasingly like a relic when code automates compliance and execution. One cynical observer might note that tokenization does what financiers have long promised but rarely delivered: it actually democratizes access. (The irony of using a technology born from distrust to rebuild trust isn't lost on anyone.)

The result? A market that's more liquid, more transparent, and infinitely more accessible. The revolution won't be televised. It will be tokenized—and it's already on a faster track than your Netflix subscription.

Tokenization cuts costs and accelerates settlements

Tokenization for real assets offers several advantages, including 24/7 access to markets beyond local borders, a wide-ranging scale of exchange, lower transaction costs resulting from disintermediation, and settlement times of minutes instead of days.

Tokenized assets enable the markets not only to remain agnostic and continue ongoing operations, but they also reduce the number of intermediaries and the complexity of those intermediaries necessary, thereby lowering transaction costs and settlement times from days to mere minutes. For institutional investors, this effectively decreases counterparty risk and improves capital efficiency.

In September, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) released a joint statement providing support for a regulatory regime of 24/7 capital markets.

Tokenization transforms markets amid regulatory challenges

While regulatory support is growing, tokenized finance must navigate complex legal frameworks to ensure its success. Firms will need robust cybersecurity measures to protect assets and ensure compliance with global securities laws.

The majority of the tokenized RWA value is currently floating on Ethereum, according to RWA.XYZ. The MOVE to 24/7 trading is a stark contrast to conventional markets, which close on nights, weekends, and holidays. 

The Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation (DTCC), which processed approximately $3.7 quadrillion in settlements in 2024, received SEC approval to begin offering tokenized financial instruments in December. It’s also expected that in the second half of 2026, DTCC will begin trading tokenized assets such as US Treasuries and stock indexes.

Ultimately, tokenization could create a more efficient, inclusive, and transparent financial system. Institutions that embrace these changes early may gain a competitive advantage, while those resistant to blockchain innovation risk falling behind.

Sign up to Bybit and start trading with $30,050 in welcome gifts