Tokenized Real-World Assets and Institutional Blockchain Adoption: What Changed This Week — 1-6 Jan 2026

The rapid evolution of blockchain as institutional infrastructure continued this week with major developments in tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), stablecoins, and programmable settlement rails. From Visa's USDC settlement on Solana to the DTCC's tokenized Treasuries initiative, the shift from speculative crypto use cases to foundational settlement infrastructure is gaining undeniable momentum. Here's what you need to know.

Key Developments

1. DTCC tokenizes US Treasuries: $9B market signals institutional settlement shift

The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC)—custodian of $100 trillion in securities—announced plans to tokenize US Treasuries on the Canton Network, with a minimum viable product (MVP) expected in H1 2026. The tokenized Treasuries market surged from under $100M in early 2023 to $8.86B today, led by BlackRock's BUIDL ($1.7B). This initiative offers 24/7 trading, instant collateralisation for DeFi protocols, and significant operational efficiencies for institutional participants. DTCC

2. Visa launches USDC settlement for US banks on Solana blockchain

Visa launched a stablecoin settlement programme in the US, allowing financial institutions to settle obligations using Circle’s USDC on Solana. With annualised stablecoin settlement volume already at $3.5B, this move modernises payment infrastructure with 7-day-a-week availability and programmable logic. Visa also plans to operate a validator node on Circle’s Arc blockchain. Visa

3. Solana RWA ecosystem hits $873M ATH with 325% annual growth

Solana's real-world asset ecosystem reached $873.3M in January 2026, reflecting 325% growth throughout 2025. Solana now holds 4.57% of the global RWA market, with $600M in net inflows in 2025. The network’s technical advantages—sub-second transaction finality, low fees, and 99.9% uptime—are driving institutional adoption. RWA.xyz

4. Stablecoin settlement volumes surpass Visa and Mastercard combined

Stablecoins settled $52.9T in 2025, nearly doubling from $27T in 2024 and exceeding Visa and Mastercard combined. The stablecoin market cap grew 50% to $307B, with projections of $500-750B by year-end 2026. Regulatory clarity from the GENIUS Act in the US and MiCA in the EU is accelerating institutional adoption. DL News

5. Alchemy Pay launches the first fiat-to-RWA investment platform

Alchemy Pay unveiled a fiat-to-RWA platform enabling direct investment in tokenized US equities and ETFs (e.g., Apple, Tesla, SPY) across 173 countries. By removing the need for crypto wallets or assets, this development opens tokenized products to traditional retail and institutional investors. Alchemy Pay

6. GENIUS Act establishes federal stablecoin framework with 1:1 backing mandate

Signed into law in July 2025, the GENIUS Act created the first comprehensive federal framework for dollar-backed stablecoins in the US. The mandate for 1:1 reserve backing and federal oversight reduces compliance risks for banks and asset managers, accelerating stablecoin integration into mainstream finance. QuickNode

Why This Matters

The convergence of tokenized assets, stablecoins, and blockchain infrastructure this week underscores a structural shift in how financial markets operate. The DTCC's tokenized Treasuries initiative isn't an experiment—it's a signal that blockchain is becoming the default settlement layer for institutional finance. With a $9B tokenized Treasuries market already operational, the potential for $300-500B by year-end 2026 could reshape capital markets by enabling 24/7 global trading and instant collateralisation.

Visa’s integration of USDC settlement further validates stablecoins as payment infrastructure rather than speculative assets. By enabling 7-day liquidity for $14T in annual payment volume, Visa’s move shifts stablecoins from crypto-native tools to programmable financial primitives. The $52.9T in stablecoin settlement volume last year reflects their growing role as the monetary layer for internet-scale finance.

Meanwhile, Solana’s 325% growth in RWAs highlights the importance of high-performance infrastructure in capturing institutional flows. Sub-second finality and low transaction costs make Solana a viable alternative to Ethereum, which still dominates with 65.26% ($12.3B) of the $19B RWA market. The emergence of fiat-to-RWA platforms like Alchemy Pay’s product removes the complexity of crypto-native barriers, expanding the addressable market for tokenized products to traditional investors.

Regulatory clarity is the accelerant. The GENIUS Act and MiCA frameworks provide the legal certainty institutions need to allocate capital confidently. With 86% of institutional investors already exposed to digital assets or planning allocations, the shift from pilot programmes to production-scale deployments is inevitable.

Picking Take

The $52.9T in stablecoin settlement volume and $9B in tokenized Treasuries aren't just milestones—they're inflection points. When DTCC and Visa embrace blockchain settlement, it's not about if but how fast. The winners in 2026 won't be which tokens pump but which protocols solve cross-chain settlement and turn tokenized assets into interoperable APIs. This isn't crypto adoption—it’s financial infrastructure being rewritten for the programmable era.