Global fintech leader Broadridge Financial Solutions (NYSE: BR) has released a new whitepaper, Next-gen Markets: The Rise and Reality of Tokenization, revealing that the tokenization of financial assets is rapidly shifting from concept to commercial reality. The report, based on the 2025 Broadridge Tokenization Survey of 300 financial institutions across North America and Europe, highlights how tokenization is reshaping capital markets, improving operational efficiency, and enhancing transparency.

Custodians are leading this transformation — with 63% already offering tokenized assets and another 30% planning to launch such services within two years. By contrast, only 15% of asset managers and 10% of wealth managers currently offer tokenized products, underscoring a widening adoption gap within the financial services ecosystem.

Takeaway

Tokenization has moved from buzzword to business model — with custodians setting the pace as asset and wealth managers rush to catch up.

Custodians Lead, Asset Managers Accelerate

Broadridge’s findings show custodians are reaping the earliest benefits, with 91% citing gains in efficiency, security, and innovation from tokenization initiatives. Asset managers are expected to follow quickly, with 41% planning to introduce tokenized offerings soon, driven by investor demand for digital assets and faster market infrastructure.

Germán Soto Sanchez, Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Broadridge, noted: “Institutions that commit to trusted client experiences, strong governance, and scalable infrastructure for tokenization can lead a transformation that will redefine global markets for the next generation of investors.”

Takeaway

Early adopters of tokenization are already gaining measurable operational and client advantages — setting the stage for a new competitive hierarchy in finance.

Wealth Managers Lag Behind — For Now

While custodians and asset managers advance, wealth managers remain cautious. Only one in ten currently offers tokenized assets, though a third plan to adopt within two years. Regulatory complexity, data security concerns, and potential disintermediation from direct-to-investor models are the biggest factors behind their slower pace.

However, recent activity in tokenized equities and real-world assets (RWAs) may signal shifting sentiment. As tokenization proves its ability to increase liquidity, reduce settlement times, and lower costs, wealth managers risk losing relevance if they delay too long.

Takeaway

Wealth managers’ hesitation could turn into opportunity loss — as tokenization begins to define the next generation of investment products and client engagement models.

Barriers To Broader Adoption

Despite strong momentum, adoption challenges persist. Regulatory uncertainty remains the biggest barrier, cited by 73% of respondents. Other key obstacles include fragmented infrastructure, security concerns, and the lack of common standards across jurisdictions.

The survey also found that institutions already using tokenization report four to five tangible benefits — such as improved liquidity, better data transparency, and reduced costs — compared to fewer than three perceived benefits among non-adopters. The data underscores the widening gap between early movers and late entrants.

Takeaway

Firms waiting for perfect regulation risk falling behind — as first movers leverage tokenization to improve cost structures and client transparency today.

Broadridge’s Role In Tokenized Markets

Broadridge is emerging as a leading infrastructure provider in tokenized finance. Its Distributed Ledger Repo (DLR) platform now processes an average of $339 billion in daily tokenized trade volumes, making it the largest institutional platform for tokenized real-asset settlement. The company has also pledged to expand digital asset capabilities across its existing technology stack, reinforcing its leadership in post-trade automation and blockchain-enabled settlement.

Takeaway

Broadridge’s scale and regulated infrastructure give it a first-mover advantage in institutional tokenization — turning theory into high-volume execution.

The Road Ahead For Tokenized Finance

The report concludes that the next phase of tokenization will require unified standards, regulatory clarity, and cultural alignment across the financial industry. For tokenization to reach scale, institutions must move beyond pilot programs to deliver tokenized products at volume, across multiple asset classes, with the same reliability as traditional securities.

As tokenization shifts from hype to infrastructure, the firms that embrace it early are likely to define how the next generation of global markets operates — blending blockchain efficiency with the regulatory rigor of traditional finance.

Takeaway

The tokenization era is no longer speculative — it’s operational. The winners will be those who industrialize digital assets, not just experiment with them.