Centrifuge Issues ‘Tokenization Outlook 2026’: Scaling Tokenized Assets Hinges On Distribution And Composability, Not New Issuance

DeFi protocol, which focuses on real-world assets, Centrifuge announced that it has released the “Tokenization Outlook 2026” survey. The study suggests that the tokenized-asset market has moved past the question of whether assets can be brought onchain and toward what actually makes them useful, scalable, and investable.

The company surveyed operators across issuance, distribution, liquidity, and infrastructure and found that the next phase of growth will depend less on launching new products than on getting existing ones into circulation. According to the collected data, more than four in five respondents, or 86%, said scaling distribution is more important than increasing issuance, underscoring a broad shift away from the supply side and toward the rails that connect tokenized products to investors, venues, and workflows.

That finding reflects a wider change in market thinking: issuance is increasingly viewed as a solved problem, while the harder challenge is integration. Respondents said tokenized assets need to move more easily across institutional platforms, DeFi lending markets, trading venues, and other channels without requiring a new build each time. Institutional distribution platforms were seen as the most important channel for adoption over the next 12 to 18 months, followed by DeFi lending, trading venues, and payments rails.

Tokenized Assets Evolve Beyond Treasuries: Composability, Programmability, And Investor Trust Drive Next Phase

The report also points to a more sophisticated end state for tokenized assets. While tokenized Treasuries and T-bills dominate much of today’s conversation, operators say the bigger opportunity lies in composable products and active market use. 

Across the survey, respondents identified product building blocks, balance-sheet collateral, and liquidity and trading as the leading long-term use cases. Among issuers, collateral use and trading tied for first place, while none selected treasury management as the primary use case. The message is that tokenized assets are increasingly seen as tools that can be borrowed against, reused, or integrated into structured strategies rather than simply held for yield.

On that front, programmability stood out as the clearest differentiator. Respondents ranked it as the biggest current benefit of onchain finance, ahead of instant settlement, and expected it to become even more important over the next two years. By contrast, settlement speed was seen as a temporary edge that may become standard as the market matures.

But the survey also makes clear that technology alone is not the limiting factor. Only 8% of respondents cited technology and security as the biggest bottleneck to scaling tokenized assets. Instead, regulation and compliance were the top concern at 44%, followed by liquidity at 32%. Together, those two issues accounted for 76% of the main bottlenecks, suggesting the real challenge is not whether the infrastructure works, but whether rules and market depth can catch up.

Investor confidence appears to be the missing layer. Respondents said end investors and holders matter most to whether tokenized assets reach real scale, ahead of regulators, issuers, and distribution venues. The strongest confidence signals were reliable liquidity and redemption, clear investor rights, and competitive yield.

Taken together, the survey points to a market that has matured beyond issuance. The next phase, Centrifuge argues, will be shaped by distribution, composability, and trust — not tokenization alone.

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