Tokenized assets market surges to $7.5B, tripling in a year

A year ago, the tokenized assets market was sitting at roughly $2 billion to $2.7 billion, a niche corner of crypto that drew polite nods at conferences but not much capital. Fast forward to July 2026, and that number has ballooned to $7.5 billion. The data, reported by CryptoRank, captures a market that has gone from proof-of-concept curiosity to a legitimate asset class. Gold is doing the heavy lifting Tokenized gold crossed the $6 billion market cap threshold back in February 2026. That single category now accounts for the vast majority of the $7.5 billion total. Gold prices have been climbing, and investors who want exposure without dealing with vaults, custody fees, or clunky ETF structures have found on-chain alternatives appealing. Buy a token, own fractional gold, trade it 24/7. Two tokens have captured the lion’s share of that demand. Tether Gold (XAUT) and Pax Gold (PAXG) remain the dominant players, each backed by physical gold reserves. Other tokens like PRIME, KAU, and KAG have carved out smaller positions, but the top two continue to set the pace. Diversification is finally showing up By June 2026, the near-total dominance of precious metals had begun giving way to a ...