Tokenization is gaining momentum as industry insiders predict it will soon become the standard way assets are issued, traded, and held. According to Evernorth CEO Asheesh Birla, the shift towards tokenization is similar to the early days of the internet, where people eventually stopped asking if they were online.
Birla made these comments at the $XRP Las Vegas event in May 2026, where he emphasized that XRP's ecosystem has been built around financial use cases, giving it a natural edge as traditional finance merges with blockchain technology. He believes XRP will be a leader in this future, citing its potential for decentralized finance (DeFi) applications and native developments.
The biggest shift towards tokenization is coming from institutions, with major players like JPMorgan and BlackRock actively building dedicated divisions around it. Birla noted that 'it isn't a matter of pilots anymore... we are starting entire divisions,' indicating a significant turning point for the industry. This could lead to trillions of dollars entering the space as traditional finance embraces blockchain-based assets.