Sygnum report shows 66% of APAC investors favour tokenised equities, driven by diversification, new market access and fresh capital.
According to the Sygnum APAC Tokenization Report 2026, 66% of investors are keen to add tokenised equities to their portfolios, making them the most preferred real-world asset (RWA) class on-chain across key markets including Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea.
The findings point to a broader shift across Asia-Pacific, where tokenisation is moving beyond experimentation into active portfolio allocation. 68% of surveyed investors already hold tokenised RWAs, with a further 12% exploring exposure. Adoption also remains closely tied to crypto markets, with 97% of tokenised asset holders also invested in digital assets.
Portfolio construction is now the primary focus for investors. Diversification ranks as the leading investment driver (72%), followed by access to new markets (58%) and yield generation (57%), suggesting that tokenised assets are increasingly being integrated into multi-asset strategies rather than treated as a standalone theme.
Equities are also emerging as the leading entry point, thanks to the recent AI-driven rally in global technology stocks which reinforced demand for equity exposure. Government bonds (44%) and commodities (40%) follow as the next most favoured asset classes.
Capital flows also reinforce the following trends, with 82% of allocations into tokenised RWAs involving fresh capital or a mix of new funds and portfolio reallocation. This indicates that tokenisation is attracting new investment rather than simply redistributing existing holdings.
Interestingly, the behaviour of investors seems to diverge across segments. Professional investors show stronger interest in tokenised private equity and venture capital (48%), aiming to capture illiquidity premiums. Meanwhile, high-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) prioritise yield generation and tend to favour private credit strategies for idle capital.
Experienced investors with a strong understanding of tokenisation are also seeking to include tokenised assets in their portfolios, with 76% expecting to allocate at least 5% of their portfolios to tokenised assets within the next 12 to 18 months.
Structural constraints, however, continue to limit the rising momentum of tokenised assets. Secondary market liquidity remains the most cited barrier (43%), alongside legal uncertainty around token ownership (40%). For equities, unresolved questions around shareholder rights add further complexity for institutional investors.
Despite these challenges, long-term sentiment remains strong. A growing share of investors expect tokenised assets to capture between 15% and 30% of global capital markets over the next three to five years. Even at the lower end, this would represent roughly USD 40 trillion in value moving onto blockchain-based infrastructure.
Gerald Goh, Co-Founder and APAC CEO, said: “What stands out most is how adoption of tokenised real-world assets is already well underway and that today’s crypto investors are leading the way with capital and conviction. For institutions, the opportunity is clear: the infrastructure you build to enable crypto is the same that opens the door to facilitating tokenised RWAs and reaches the same investor base.”
Fabian Dori, Chief Investment Officer, added: “The investment case is increasingly clear, and the next phase is about maturation rather than proof. Deeper secondary liquidity and clearer ownership rights are what will turn initial positions into meaningful allocations — and that is where we expect the industry’s focus to move.”
For now, equities are leading the shift on-chain. The direction is increasingly clear, but the pace of adoption will depend on how quickly liquidity and regulatory clarity can evolve to meet rising demand.
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