Why 84% of Financial Firms Prioritize Tokenization?

Why financial firms prioritize tokenization is no longer a hypothetical question. 

Broadridge Financial Solutions released its inaugural Tokenization Pulse Survey on 16 July 2026, revealing that 84% of financial institutions now consider tokenization strategically important to their business. 

The survey, which covered 200 senior decision makers across wealth management, asset management, capital markets, and digital asset firms in the United States and Canada, signals a shift from experimental pilots to concrete operating model changes. 

The industry is not asking whether tokenization will matter. It is asking how to build for it.

Key Takeaways

• 84% of financial firms surveyed by Broadridge say tokenization is a strategic priority, with nearly one third planning to increase tokenization investment by 26% to 50% or more over the next two years.
• 92% of respondents expect digital and traditional assets to coexist, with 69% planning to hybridize existing infrastructure rather than build entirely separate systems.
• Tokenized funds are expected to lead adoption. 80% of firms see tokenized mutual funds and money market funds playing a meaningful role within five years, compared to just 50% for equities.

What Did the Broadridge Survey Find?

The Broadridge Tokenization Pulse Survey, conducted by Phronesis Partners, polled 200 senior leaders across four segments: capital markets, asset management, wealth management, and digital asset firms. 

The results show that financial institutions are moving past the exploration phase. Tokenization is no longer treated as a side project. It is now part of strategic planning conversations about products, workflows, and market infrastructure.

Among the headline numbers, 68% of respondents believe tokenization will partially reshape financial markets within three to five years. That phrasing is important. 

Image Source: Broadridge

The survey does not suggest firms expect a complete overhaul. Instead, most anticipate a gradual integration where tokenized products sit alongside traditional instruments within existing market structures.

Capital markets firms are furthest along. Approximately 44% of capital markets respondents already have tokenization initiatives running at scale. 

Asset managers and wealth managers are earlier in the process, still building capabilities and evaluating operating models before committing to full deployment. 

The survey also found that market infrastructure developments and institutional demand are ranked equally (at 22% each) as the top sources of urgency among capital markets firms. For asset managers, infrastructure leads at 28%, followed by broader market momentum at 25%.

Read also: Trade Tokenized Stock, Earn an APR of up to 7%

Why Are Firms Choosing Hybrid Infrastructure?

One of the most telling findings is that 69% of firms plan to integrate tokenization into their existing infrastructure rather than building entirely separate blockchain native systems. 

This hybrid approach reflects a practical reality. Financial institutions have spent decades investing in post trade, settlement, and custody systems that handle trillions of dollars daily. Replacing that stack is neither feasible nor desirable for most organisations.

Instead, firms are looking for ways to connect blockchain based asset issuance and settlement with their current workflows. Broadridge itself is an example of this approach. 

Its Distributed Ledger Repo platform already processes approximately $365 billion per day in tokenized real assets, demonstrating that blockchain based settlement can operate at institutional scale within traditional market plumbing.

The coexistence expectation reinforces this. A full 92% of respondents expect digital and traditional assets to operate side by side for the foreseeable future. 

This is not a crypto versus TradFi narrative. It is about building bridges between the two, creating infrastructure that supports both asset types without forcing institutions to choose one system over the other.

For crypto traders, this hybrid model is already visible on platforms like Bitrue, where tokenized U.S. stock futures trade alongside digital assets through a single USDT settled account on its TradFi platform, offering the kind of cross asset access that the broader financial industry is now building toward.

Read also: Corporate Actions in Tokenized Stocks: A Complete Guide

Which Asset Classes Are Firms Tokenizing First?

The survey draws a clear distinction between tokenized funds and tokenized equities. 80% of respondents expect tokenized mutual funds and money market funds to play a meaningful role within the next five years. 

By contrast, only 50% see meaningful equity tokenization over the same period.

This gap reflects practical considerations. Money market funds and mutual funds are well suited to tokenization because they involve standardized units, predictable cash flows, and relatively straightforward corporate actions. 

Tokenizing them can reduce settlement times, lower distribution costs, and improve transparency for investors. 

The recent US-UK Transatlantic Taskforce roadmap even flagged tokenized money market funds as potential collateral at clearing houses, which would represent a major institutional use case.

Equities are more complex. They carry voting rights, dividends, corporate actions like stock splits and mergers, and regulatory requirements that vary across jurisdictions. Bringing all of those functions on chain while maintaining investor protections is a longer term project. 

The lower enthusiasm for equity tokenization does not mean it will not happen. It means the infrastructure is not ready yet, and firms recognise that.

What Barriers Still Stand in the Way?

Despite the enthusiasm, the survey highlights that demand for tokenization remains uneven. Regulatory uncertainty is consistently cited as the top barrier across all firm types. 

While policy frameworks are developing, including the US-UK roadmap and the GENIUS Act in the United States, neither has reached full implementation. Firms cannot commit to large scale buildouts when the rules they will operate under are still being written.

Interoperability is another challenge. Different blockchain networks, token standards, and custody models create fragmentation that makes cross platform settlement difficult. 

A tokenized fund issued on Ethereum may not interact seamlessly with a clearing system built on a permissioned ledger, for example. Until common standards emerge, scaling tokenized products across multiple market participants will remain complex.

There is also a talent and knowledge gap. Asset managers and wealth managers are less advanced in their tokenization readiness compared to capital markets firms. 

Building internal expertise, updating compliance processes, and educating distribution teams all take time and investment that not every firm has allocated yet.

Read alsp: How to Trade Tokenized Stocks with 0% Trading Fees

Conclusion

The Broadridge survey confirms that tokenization has crossed the threshold from experimental to strategic for the majority of financial firms. The 84% figure is not a projection. It reflects how firms are already thinking about their infrastructure, products, and investment priorities. 

The emphasis on hybrid systems and fund tokenization suggests a measured, practical approach rather than a rush to move everything on chain. For crypto traders, this institutional momentum creates real opportunities. 

As more traditional assets become tokenized and accessible through platforms like Bitrue's TradFi offering, the line between digital asset markets and traditional finance continues to narrow, benefiting anyone positioned on either side of that bridge.

FAQ

What is the Broadridge Tokenization Pulse Survey?

It is an inaugural survey released on 16 July 2026, polling 200 senior financial services executives in the U.S. and Canada about their tokenization priorities and plans.

What percentage of firms view tokenization as a strategic priority?

84% of respondents said tokenization is strategically important to their organisation.

Do firms expect to replace traditional infrastructure with blockchain?

No. 69% plan to hybridize existing infrastructure, and 92% expect digital and traditional assets to coexist rather than one replacing the other.

Which asset classes are most likely to be tokenized first?

Tokenized mutual funds and money market funds lead, with 80% of firms expecting them to matter within five years. Only 50% expect the same for equities.

What is the biggest barrier to tokenization adoption?

Regulatory uncertainty remains the most cited challenge, followed by interoperability issues and gaps in internal expertise across asset management and wealth management firms.

Disclaimer: The views expressed belong exclusively to the author and do not reflect the views of this platform. This platform and its affiliates disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy or suitability of the information provided. It is for informational purposes only and not intended as financial or investment advice.