Polygon Labs CEO Says Tokenization Will Drive Blockchain’s Next Big Wave — Here’s Why He’s Right
Polygon Labs CEO Marc Boiron believes the future of blockchain isn’t in gaming or entertainment but in payments and tokenization. While many see crypto as just speculative assets, Boiron argues that its real power is in transforming finance, making transactions faster, more transparent, and accessible to everyone.
Speaking on a podcast, he explained that blockchain solves problems traditional finance has struggled with for years. Payments are already proving this, and tokenized assets will be the next major step. He believes the shift is coming faster than most expect, as large institutions begin adopting blockchain technology to improve financial markets.
“At the core, blockchains are best for payments, just payments in general,” Boiron said. “There’s boring forms of this and non-boring, right? So there’s the boring of just a person who wants to send money to their family across the country. Super boring use case, but incredibly valuable use case.”
Why Blockchain Is Perfect for Payments
At its core, blockchain is built for payments. Today, sending money internationally is still slow and expensive. Banks take days to settle transactions, charge high fees, and only operate within certain hours.
Boiron pointed out that with blockchain, none of these issues exist. Transactions can happen instantly, at any time, without the need for intermediaries. If someone wants to send money to their family in another country, they don’t need to wait for banks to open or pay expensive transfer fees.
For businesses, the benefits are even bigger. Cross-border payments in traditional finance involve multiple banks and clearing systems, often leading to delays. Blockchain removes these middlemen, allowing companies to settle payments instantly, improving cash flow and reducing costs. This is why major financial players like Visa and Mastercard are integrating stablecoins into their networks — they recognize that blockchain payments are the future.
Tokenization: The Next Big Shift in Finance
While payments are already changing, Boiron sees tokenization as the real game-changer. This is the process of converting real-world assets — stocks, bonds, real estate — into digital tokens on a blockchain.
Tokenized assets can be traded more efficiently than traditional financial instruments. In today’s system, if someone wants to invest in a private fund or buy shares of a company, they have to go through brokers, paperwork, and long settlement times. With tokenization, these assets can be bought and sold instantly on the blockchain.
For example, imagine an investor wants to buy into a hedge fund. Normally, they would need to wait weeks for approval and settlement. But with tokenization, the fund’s shares could be issued as digital tokens, allowing investors to buy or sell them in real time. This brings new levels of efficiency to financial markets.
Boiron explained that tokenization doesn’t just make investing easier — it also allows for new financial products that didn’t exist before. If someone owns a tokenized share of a fund, they could lend it out on a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform, earning interest just like they would with a traditional loan.
Why Tokenization Is More Efficient Than Traditional Finance
The current financial system is full of inefficiencies. When someone buys a stock, it takes two days to officially settle the trade. Bonds and real estate transactions can take even longer. The reason is that financial markets rely on intermediaries — brokers, clearinghouses, and regulators — to process transactions.
Tokenization removes these barriers. Instead of relying on third parties, transactions happen instantly on the blockchain, with ownership recorded in real-time.
This brings several advantages like traditional stock trades take two days to finalize. Tokenized stocks settle instantly, trading fees, broker fees, and paperwork costs are eliminated and anyone with an internet connection can access tokenized markets without restrictions.
One of the biggest advantages of tokenization is its ability to create 24/7 financial markets. Today, stock markets operate within specific hours. If an investor wants to trade outside of these hours, they must rely on after-hours markets with limited liquidity. In contrast, tokenized assets can be traded anytime, just like Bitcoin or Ethereum.
Boiron sees this as a natural evolution of finance. He pointed out that in the past, securities lending — the process of borrowing and lending stocks or bonds — was difficult and required complex agreements. But with tokenization, these transactions can happen automatically through smart contracts, making lending markets more efficient.
Regulation Is Catching Up
For years, tokenization was held back by unclear regulations. Governments were unsure how to classify blockchain-based assets, making institutions hesitant to adopt them. But now, that’s changing.
The U.S. and other major economies are creating clearer rules around tokenized securities, making it easier for institutions to enter the market. BlackRock, one of the world’s largest asset managers, has already launched a tokenized fund on Ethereum, signaling that traditional finance is ready to embrace this shift.
TokenFi’s RWA Tokenization Module
TokenFi wants to make tokenization easy for everyone — not just large companies or tech experts. With its upcoming RWA Tokenization Module, TokenFi will allow anyone to turn real-world assets like property, businesses, or creative projects into digital tokens. No coding or blockchain knowledge is needed — just a few clicks, and the asset is tokenized.
