Tokenization could propel DeFi to $2.7 trillion by 2030 according to Standard Chartered

Standard Chartered predicts that the total value locked in DeFi will reach $2.7 trillion by the end of 2030, a 37-fold increase from current levels. This forecast is based on two distinct drivers: the migration of tokenized real assets to the blockchain, and the rise of crypto protocols. But is such a trajectory realistic when only 3% of stablecoins still circulate in decentralized protocols?

Growth driven by tokenized assets and institutional flows

DeFi is entering a new cycle. Standard Chartered, in a note published on June 16, 2026, identifies two main drivers for this expansion: the tokenization of real assets, bonds, money market funds, stocks, real estate, and the growing migration of crypto-native capital to onchain protocols.

This data is part of a broader trend that RWA assets have already been documenting for several quarters, with a 600% increase confirmed by Binance Research.

Geoff Kendrick believes that the share of tokenized assets active in DeFi will increase from around 3.5% today to 30% by 2030. This figure implies not only a multiplication of onchain value, but also a structural transformation of uses.

Tokenized money market funds and tokenized stocks should capture the majority of inflows, he said, a dynamic consistent with Standard Chartered's previous forecast of non-stablecoin RWAs at $2 trillion by 2028.

Uniswap as an institutional DeFi hub, but obstacles persist

Kendrick positions Uniswap as a natural candidate to accommodate tokenized asset flows. It highlights the scale of the protocol, its notoriety and its experience through several crypto cycles.

For traditional financial institutions, reliability trumps short-term returns, and Uniswap meets this requirement better than newer protocols.

However, several experts temper this optimism. Chris Kim, CEO of Axis, raises the issue of fragmented liquidity. Issuing the same asset on multiple blockchains creates price gaps and increases transaction costs, even if the overall market value increases.

Oya Celiktemur, sales director of Ondo Finance for the EMEA region, recalled during Paris Blockchain Week in April that an illiquid asset does not become liquid simply by being tokenized. These structural limits of tokenization deserve to be considered in the same way as growth projections.

In short, Standard Chartered's projection sets an ambitious numerical framework for the DeFi decade that is opening. The convergence between institutional adoption, the rise of RWAs and the maturation of protocols like Uniswap creates favorable conditions.

But reaching $2.7 trillion will require concrete solutions on fragmented liquidity, regulatory framework and interoperability between blockchains. The potential is real, but so are the obstacles.