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Tokenisation will disrupt finance faster than digital media did

Written by Isaac FrancisPublished Dec. 22 2025Last Updated Dec. 22 2025

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Tokenisation is poised to disrupt global finance more rapidly than digital technology reshaped legacy media, according to MoonPay president Keith Grossman.

Grossman said the shift mirrors how newspapers, music and other analogue formats were forced to evolve rather than disappear during the digital transition.

While many feared digitization would destroy media, what it actually did was force its evolution.

Grossman added.

He argued that real-world asset tokenisation, which brings traditional assets onchain, will similarly compel financial institutions to adapt.

Grossman said tokenisation has moved beyond theory and is already being adopted by some of the world’s largest financial players.

This is no longer hypothetical. BlackRock is offering tokenized funds. Franklin Templeton is running tokenized money market funds on public blockchains. Major global banks are piloting onchain settlement, tokenized deposits and real-time asset movement.

Said Grossman.

He added that established financial institutions such as Citi, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase are unlikely to disappear but will operate in altered forms.

Grossman compared this evolution to media companies that survived the late 1990s and early 2000s by adapting to digital distribution models.

He said the firms best positioned to succeed will be those that embrace blockchain-based finance rather than resist structural change.

According to Grossman, attempts to slow or block tokenisation will prove ineffective against the momentum of global financial innovation.

Tokenised assets offer several advantages, including continuous market access without traditional trading hour restrictions.

Onchain representation of assets also allows markets to operate on a global scale with reduced reliance on intermediaries.

Lower transaction costs and settlement times measured in minutes instead of days were highlighted as key benefits.

Regulators have begun to acknowledge the shift, with US authorities exploring frameworks for round-the-clock capital markets.

In September, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission issued a joint statement on enabling 24/7 trading.

Such a move would represent a major departure from traditional financial markets that close on weekends and holidays.

Institutional infrastructure is also adapting, with settlement providers preparing to support tokenised instruments.

In December, the Depository Trust and Clearing Corporation received regulatory approval to begin offering tokenised financial products.

The DTCC plans to introduce tokenised assets in the second half of 2026, starting with US Treasuries and stock indexes.

Observers say these developments underline how tokenisation is becoming embedded within mainstream financial systems.