Bitwise CEO Says Tokenized Equities Could Become Major Development in Two to Three Years

Bitwise Asset Management CEO and co-founder Hunter Horsley said tokenized equities could become one of the most important developments in financial markets over the next two to three years.

Putting equities and other financial assets onchain could enable 24/7 trading, fractional ownership and broader access to markets that are difficult to reach in some jurisdictions, Horsley said. He described tokenization as a potential transformation comparable to the shift from manual to electronic equity-market infrastructure.

Tokenization represents financial assets on a blockchain. Horsley placed tokenized equities within a broader expansion of onchain finance that includes credit, investment vaults and other capital-market products.

The trend is also reflected in plans by Robinhood to expand its tokenized stock offerings from about 200 equities to several thousand and add tokens representing shares in private companies. Robinhood’s planned expansion of tokenized stock offerings was announced by CEO Vlad Tenev.

Horsley also pointed to increased institutional participation, stronger usage and revenue across crypto platforms, and broader investor access through exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded products. He presented those developments as signs that participation in crypto markets is widening beyond earlier cycles of retail-driven activity.