Key Takeaways
- • Tokenized securities globally amount to approximately $30 billion in assets as of 2026, with projections to reach $4–$16 trillion by 2030, according to Valeria Zafar, Director of Market Development for Kinexys at J.P. Morgan APAC, presenting at the APAC Investor Services Forum in Tokyo.
- • Digital assets and tokenization are transitioning from theoretical concepts to institutional reality, though regulatory clarity and operational readiness remain critical prerequisites for accelerated adoption across Asia Pacific markets.
- • Institutional use cases for tokenized assets are expanding rapidly, with documented efficiency gains in custody, settlement, programmability, distribution channels, and new investor access models driving adoption among pension funds, central banks, insurers, and asset managers.
- • Private markets infrastructure is being fundamentally reshaped through new fund structures, enhanced data transparency, and strategic focus on diversification and resilience to meet evolving institutional investor needs.
- • Data governance, analytics, and AI-driven capabilities have become foundational infrastructure for institutional investors, directly impacting risk management, operational efficiency, and client experience delivery.
Summary
JPMorgan's APAC Investor Services Forum, convened in Tokyo, brought together leading institutional investors including pension funds, central banks, insurers, asset managers, and public sector clients to assess transformative trends reshaping institutional investing across Asia Pacific. The two-day forum examined five core themes: digital assets and tokenization, private markets evolution, data governance, operating models, and AI-driven innovation.
The most significant market development centers on tokenized securities and digital assets infrastructure. Valeria Zafar, Director of Market Development for Kinexys at J.P. Morgan APAC, highlighted that tokenized securities globally currently represent approximately $30 billion in assets under management. The growth trajectory is substantial: industry projections indicate tokenized asset volumes could expand to between $4 trillion and $16 trillion by 2030—a 133x to 533x increase from current levels. Zafar emphasized that financial institutions must prepare operational, custody, and settlement frameworks to accommodate this anticipated scale shift.
Institutional participants identified concrete use cases driving tokenization adoption. Key benefits include efficiency improvements in custody operations, accelerated settlement timelines, enhanced programmability of financial instruments, creation of new distribution channels, and expanded investor access models previously unavailable through traditional market infrastructure. These operational advantages are moving tokenization from experimental pilots toward mainstream institutional deployment.
Beyond digital assets, institutional investors identified private markets restructuring and data-driven decision-making as equally transformative. New private market fund structures are emerging with improved data transparency and explicit focus on portfolio diversification and resilience. Simultaneously, data governance, advanced analytics capabilities, and AI integration have evolved into foundational infrastructure rather than optional tools, directly supporting risk management, operational efficiency, and enhanced client experience across the institutional asset management industry.
The most significant market development centers on tokenized securities and digital assets infrastructure. Valeria Zafar, Director of Market Development for Kinexys at J.P. Morgan APAC, highlighted that tokenized securities globally currently represent approximately $30 billion in assets under management. The growth trajectory is substantial: industry projections indicate tokenized asset volumes could expand to between $4 trillion and $16 trillion by 2030—a 133x to 533x increase from current levels. Zafar emphasized that financial institutions must prepare operational, custody, and settlement frameworks to accommodate this anticipated scale shift.
Institutional participants identified concrete use cases driving tokenization adoption. Key benefits include efficiency improvements in custody operations, accelerated settlement timelines, enhanced programmability of financial instruments, creation of new distribution channels, and expanded investor access models previously unavailable through traditional market infrastructure. These operational advantages are moving tokenization from experimental pilots toward mainstream institutional deployment.
Beyond digital assets, institutional investors identified private markets restructuring and data-driven decision-making as equally transformative. New private market fund structures are emerging with improved data transparency and explicit focus on portfolio diversification and resilience. Simultaneously, data governance, advanced analytics capabilities, and AI integration have evolved into foundational infrastructure rather than optional tools, directly supporting risk management, operational efficiency, and enhanced client experience across the institutional asset management industry.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.