A few months ago, tokenisation quietly began making its way into mainstream financial markets, and it’s already changing how people invest across Africa, America, Europe, Dubai, and beyond.
What once seemed like a niche experiment in the blockchain space is now being adopted by both fast-growing markets and established financial powerhouses, creating a bridge between local investors and the global digital economy.
Africa’s journey into tokenised finance
The shift became clear in Africa when Luno, a popular digital investment platform on the continent, rolled out tokenised U.S. stocks and exchange-traded funds.
The product first launched in South Africa last month, where over 10,000 people signed up in its first month. The company then expanded the service to Nigeria this month.
With just a few naira, anyone can own a share of global giants like Apple, Tesla, and Microsoft. Each token is fully backed by real shares, held securely by regulated partners to ensure compliance and protect investors.
This setup allows everyday savers to tap into international opportunities without the stress of forex restrictions or costly brokerage fees.
The attraction of tokenised stocks in these markets lies in their ability to break down investment barriers. In Nigeria, for example, fewer than 5 per cent of adults participate in the capital market, even though financial inclusion is relatively high.
Tokenisation is changing that, giving more people access to opportunities that were once out of reach.
People can invest in some of the world’s biggest companies for the first time without needing huge sums of money or complicated offshore setups.
This isn’t just widening participation, it’s reshaping what investing looks like in today’s digital, connected world.
Tokenisation grows in advanced economies
At the same time, big institutions in advanced markets are turning to tokenisation to update old systems. In the U.S., Fidelity Investments launched a tokenised version of its Treasury fund on Ethereum, moving more than $200 million worth of assets onto the blockchain.
With this step, Fidelity joined a fast-growing market led by giants like BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, and Circle.
It shows that the world’s most prominent asset managers no longer see blockchain as a threat but a powerful tool for making markets more efficient.
The tokenisation of treasuries, in particular, is driven by both inefficiencies and opportunities. Traditional Treasury markets, despite their scale and central role in global finance, are constrained by settlement delays, multiple intermediaries, and limited retail access.
Tokenised versions solve these challenges by offering faster settlement, reducing counterparty risk, and enabling 24/7 global trading.
Beyond efficiency, they integrate seamlessly with decentralised finance protocols, where tokenised treasuries can act as yield-generating instruments and programmable collateral.
Stablecoins and tokenisation growth
The rise of tokenisation is also fueled by the success of stablecoins, which have proved that traditional assets on the blockchain can handle billions in transactions.
Tokenised assets take this further by adding ownership and returns, moving beyond payments to real investment opportunities.
This shift is no longer just an idea; it’s already happening across different asset classes and markets, showing that tokenisation isn’t a passing trend but a significant change in how finance works.
Of course, regulation plays a pivotal role in this transition. In Nigeria, tokenised assets are covered under the Securities and Exchange Commission’s framework, with platforms like Luno seeking provisional licences to operate within established rules.
In the United States, firms launching tokenised treasuries ensure compliance through regulated custodians and transfer agents, bridging traditional finance and blockchain-based systems.
Such regulatory clarity is vital in transforming tokenisation from a promising experiment into a mainstream reality.
More to look forward to…
Tokenisation is set to grow fastest in places where traditional finance has left gaps and in global markets hungry for more efficiency.
It could open up wealth-building opportunities for millions of first-time investors in Africa. In developed economies, it gives institutions more innovative ways to manage trillions of dollars in assets.
The direction is clear: tokenisation has moved beyond experiments. It’s now about scaling solutions and reshaping global finance.
The rise of tokenisation shows how technology is meeting the needs of both everyday investors and big institutions. From fractional shares in top tech companies to blockchain-based access to government securities, it’s making markets more open, affordable, and dynamic.
As momentum builds, tokenisation is on track to become one of the most important financial innovations of the 21st century.