FINANCE
Tokenized assets bridge capital markets and blockchain
Institutional funds move onto public blockchains in the global floating economy.
Tokenized Maritime Assets. Image by ShipFinex.
Tokenization is transforming traditional finance by putting real-world assets on blockchains. Institutions are leading with tokenized funds, paving the way for more liquidity, transparency, and global access. For The Floating Economy, tokenized assets could open fractional ownership of floating cities, ports, and offshore energy platforms.
BlackRock’s BUIDL Fund: BlackRock introduced its first tokenized money market fund, the USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL), on Ethereum. The fund invests in U.S. Treasuries, repurchase agreements, and cash.
BUIDL Surpasses $1 Billion AUM: Within a year, BUIDL crossed USD 1 billion in assets under management, making it the largest tokenized fund to date. The tokens are issued by Securitize and settle directly on blockchain.
Expanding Beyond Ethereum: In late 2024, BlackRock made BUIDL accessible across Aptos, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Optimism, and Polygon, showing cross-chain demand for tokenized real-world assets.
Tokenized assets remain a small market, but with BlackRock and major issuers backing growth, they are moving fast into the mainstream. As they scale, they could directly finance infrastructure within The Floating Economy.
—TFI
The Floating Institute is all about advancing knowledge of the global floating economy.