“Let’s tokenize everything,” Binance founder Changpeng Zhao (CZ) wrote on X on Aug. 21 — a concise pitch for turning national and corporate assets into blockchain-based tokens to attract capital and foreign direct investment. CZ argued that tokenized shares, bonds, property or other assets could be sold to global investors, broadening distribution and making it easier for countries and companies to raise money. He also urged supporting tokenization across all blockchains rather than picking a single network, saying parallel development would accelerate the sector even if it creates fragmented liquidity. CZ framed these remarks as a policy and industry position — not a formal initiative from Binance, BNB Chain or any government — and he offered no timeline or list of countries planning tokenized share offerings. What tokenization means and why it matters Tokenization converts ownership rights or economic claims into blockchain-based units. In theory, a token can make an asset accessible through digital platforms to a global pool of investors, potentially lowering barriers to cross-border capital flows. But access alone doesn’t guarantee new demand, liquidity or legal recognition across jurisdictions. Issuers still must navigate securities laws, custody, investor verification (KYC), disclosure requirements and enforceable ownership rights. CZ pointed to tokenization as a tool for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI). Under the OECD definition, FDI typically involves a foreign investor owning at least 10% of a company’s voting power and establishing a lasting interest; smaller token purchases may instead be treated as portfolio investment. Whether a token sale qualifies as FDI therefore depends on residence, voting rights, ownership share and the investor’s relationship to the issuer. The case for multi-chain tokenization — and the risks Issuing tokenized assets on multiple blockchains could let more teams build infrastructure and increase distribution, CZ said. The tradeoff: liquidity fragmentation. The same underlying asset traded across different networks can see divergent prices, wider spreads and thinner order books. Moving assets across chains via bridges or through separate issuers adds technical, custody and counterparty risk. CZ suggested high interchangeability between issuers — consistent redemption rights, backing arrangements, settlement processes and legal claims — could mitigate fragmentation, but he did not offer a specific technical standard or blueprint. Real-world activity and data Tokenized securities infrastructure is already evolving. Ondo, for example, has built systems to move tokenized stocks between supported blockchains while preserving asset backing. Tokenized U.S. stocks have also been extended into trading venues such as Hyperliquid’s blockchain environment as issuers chase liquidity across multiple ecosystems. BNB Chain said it reached roughly 776,000 holders of tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), a roughly 370% increase over 30 days. Independent tracker RWA.xyz recorded 776,428 RWA holders as of Aug. 19 — a 368.51% rise over the prior month — and listed $5.8 billion in distributed asset value across 1,284 assets. These figures reflect the data provider’s categories and should not be treated as proof of foreign investment or demand for tokenized national assets. A blockchain address does not necessarily represent a single individual. Institutional adoption is visible too: previously reported data showed BNB Chain secured 61.7% of assets on Franklin Templeton’s Benji platform, representing about $1.5 billion at the time. Regulatory reality and what’s next Tokenized shares remain subject to the legal regimes that govern underlying securities. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reiterated in January that stocks, bonds and other securities do not lose their legal status when tokenized on crypto networks. CZ did not announce any product, regulatory filing or launch deadline. For tokenized national assets to become mainstream, issuers, governments and regulators will need to establish transparent legal and operational frameworks that define ownership, transfers, disclosures and cross-border investor access. Until those structures exist, tokenization will be an accelerating but still experimental route to opening new pools of capital. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news