Why BlackRock, KKR, and Apollo Are Moving On-Chain — with Securitize Leading the Way

By Alejandro Rodriguez, Managing Director

“Tokenization is unavoidable,” said Carlos Domingo, Securitize Founder and CEO, in a recent interview with Bloomberg. His message reflects a broader shift that is rapidly reshaping global finance. For decades, the way ownership was recorded, traded, and settled has changed only incrementally. Today, blockchain-enabled tokenization is rewiring the foundations of capital markets, much like the internet transformed communications and cloud redefined software.

The world’s largest asset managers have taken notice. BlackRock, KKR, and Apollo are no longer experimenting on the sidelines; they are building tokenized products that promise to make markets faster, more efficient, and more inclusive. Behind much of this momentum stands Securitize, one of the leaders bridging traditional finance and blockchain technology to bring institutional capital on-chain.

The Rise of Tokenization

Tokenization transforms ownership into programmable digital tokens that represent claims on real assets — stocks, bonds, real estate, private equity, or funds — recorded on a blockchain ledger. This technology makes it possible to fractionalize large assets and open access to investors worldwide. An apartment complex, a private credit fund, or a portfolio of treasuries can now be represented as tokens traded peer-to-peer, 24/7, across borders.

At its core, blockchain acts as a distributed ledger that ensures transactions are recorded immutably and transparently. This reduces the need for intermediaries, accelerates settlement times, and cuts costs dramatically. Studies published in Nature show blockchain implementations can reduce settlement times by up to 70% and lower transaction costs by 50–70%. The result is not only efficiency but also a more inclusive and transparent financial system.

Why Tokenization Matters Now

Tokenization is shifting from concept to infrastructure because three forces have converged:

1. Institutional adoption — BlackRock, JPMorgan, Citi, HSBC, Franklin Templeton, and Société Générale are all building tokenized funds, treasuries, and settlement systems
2. Regulatory momentum — Jurisdictions from the US to the EU to Brazil are formalizing tokenization and digital asset frameworks
3. Maturity of blockchain rails — Today’s networks support institutional-grade privacy, security, and scalability

The convergence of mature technology, evolving regulation, and institutional adoption has made tokenization a structural shift rather than an experiment. According to data from RWA.xyz, the market for tokenized U.S. Treasuries has surpassed $8.7 billion, while the broader tokenized real-world asset market now exceeds $20 billion. And the growth potential ahead is enormous: Citi projects that tokenization of financial and real-world assets could expand by a factor of 80x in private markets, reaching nearly $4 trillion in value by 2030 — a scale that positions it as the breakthrough use case for blockchain technology.

BlackRock’s entrance into the space with the launch of a tokenized institutional liquidity fund marked a turning point. KKR, Apollo Global Management, and VanEck have followed suit, structuring tokenized vehicles across asset classes from private credit to infrastructure. These moves represent a belief that tokenization will become core financial infrastructure.

Securitize: Building the On-Chain Infrastructure for Global Assets

Founded in 2017, Securitize has become the regulated bridge between blockchain and traditional finance, powering tokenized funds and securities for some of the world’s largest asset managers. From BlackRock’s institutional liquidity vehicles to KKR and Apollo’s tokenized private-market structures, Securitize provides the technology that allows institutions to issue, manage, and trade tokenized assets seamlessly and compliantly.

Its value proposition lies in efficiency and accessibility: smart contracts automate compliance and settlement; on-chain records enhance transparency; and a 24/7 digital infrastructure allows global access to institutional-grade products. In essence, Securitize is helping rebuild the rails of finance, making markets more open, fluid, and programmable.

A Defining Milestone

Recently, Securitize announced its planned merger with Cantor Equity Partners II, a SPAC sponsored by Cantor Fitzgerald. The transaction, which values Securitize at approximately $1.25 billion and is expected to provide up to ~$420 million in gross proceeds, would make it the first publicly traded company built entirely around the tokenization of real-world assets.

The pending Nasdaq listing under the ticker SECZ signals a broader inflection point for the industry. As tokenization enters public markets, the idea of “on-chain finance” moves from concept to reality.

As Domingo told CNBC, “There’s $400 trillion in assets that could potentially be tokenized. Within five to ten years, you will see everything on-chain, because it’s just a better ledger.”

What It Means for Investors

Tokenization redefines the mechanics of capital markets. Smart contracts automate everything from distributions to compliance checks. Blockchain allows for global access, 24/7 liquidity, and real-time settlement. Fractionalization democratizes ownership and increases liquidity. For investors, that means access to asset classes once reserved for institutions, and for asset managers, the ability to serve a wider and more diverse investor base with lower costs and higher transparency.

The same research published in Nature found that banks adopting blockchain-based systems experienced up to an 85% improvement in trust and auditability metrics, further proof that blockchain not only boosts efficiency but also strengthens transparency and confidence across financial institutions.

For IDC Ventures, an early investor in Securitize, this transformation represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity. As tokenization scales from niche to mainstream, the platforms enabling it will become the backbone of global financial markets. Investing in Securitize means backing the infrastructure that will carry trillions in tokenized value in the years ahead.

The Ledger Is Shifting

The momentum behind tokenization is no longer theoretical; it is visible, measurable, and accelerating. Securitize’s partnerships with elite asset managers and its forthcoming public listing embody the movement toward an on-chain financial architecture.

A decade from now, when investors buy, trade, or settle assets seamlessly across digital ledgers, they may look back at this moment as the beginning of a new era. The architecture of finance is being rewritten, and Securitize is helping draw the blueprint.