Tokenization Is the Next Internet Moment, Says Chainlink’s Nazarov — Here’s Why That’s Not Just Hype
At Consensus 2025 in Toronto, Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov didn’t mince words.
“More high-quality assets onchain. More frictionless payments. That’s what we need,” he said.
And while that might sound like typical crypto optimism, Nazarov is laying out something far more real: a roadmap for how money — and ownership — will move in the digital age. It’s not some pie-in-the-sky idea. It’s already underway.
Tokenization Isn’t Just a Trend
Tokenization, simply put, is the process of taking real-world assets — like government bonds, real estate, or even private company shares — and turning them into digital tokens that live on a blockchain. These tokens represent ownership and can be traded instantly, globally, and securely.
Think of it like the shift from snail mail to email. Or landlines to smartphones. Tokenization is doing to capital markets what the internet did to communication.
And as Nazarov puts it, it’s about speed.
Right now, capital flows — the movement of money between investments — are sluggish. If you want to move money from a bond to a new fund, or reinvest returns, it might take days. Between clearing, settlement, compliance, and intermediaries, the system is clunky and expensive.
But if you tokenize that asset? Suddenly you’ve got 24/7 markets, near-instant settlement, programmable ownership, and global access. That’s not just convenience. It’s a seismic shift in how financial systems operate.
Why It’s a Big Deal
Most people don’t think about how slow finance is until they’re hit with it. A wire transfer that takes five business days. A trade that settles in T+2 (or longer). Waiting for funds to be “available” in your account.
Tokenization flips that. Assets can settle instantly. Capital can be redeployed in seconds. Markets never close.
That kind of liquidity means faster economic growth, more efficient use of capital, and broader participation — especially for people or regions currently locked out of global finance.
As Nazarov said, “We want more assets onchain. We want more payment systems onchain.”
The Timing Is Right
This isn’t just happening because the tech is ready. The regulatory mood is changing.
In the U.S., regulators are starting to back off from their aggressive stance. Enforcement actions have been paused. Hester Peirce is floating sandbox models. The SEC is hosting a roundtable to understand how to treat tokenized securities.
That means institutions, startups, and developers can build without fear of being shut down.
It also means we’re finally moving from “if” to “how.”
As Nazarov sees it, what comes next isn’t just better tech — it’s better coordination.
It’s Not Just for Institutions
While institutional players are laying the groundwork, retail platforms are following close behind.
TokenFi RWA which went live on May 23 is making tokenization as easy as setting up an e-commerce store. No code. No guesswork. Just a simple interface for turning your asset into a compliant, tradable token.
Just like the internet digitized information, tokenization is digitizing ownership. And just like the internet changed everything from media to commerce, tokenization will transform everything from investing to lending to payments.
The infrastructure is here. The institutions are moving. The regulators are softening.
