XRP Could Lead the Tokenization Boom, Says Evernorth CEO

Tokenization is moving from a niche concept to a mainstream financial trend, and industry leaders believe the shift could happen faster than expected.

Speaking at the XRP Las Vegas event, Evernorth CEO Asheesh Birla said tokenization is no longer just an emerging idea, it is becoming the future standard for how assets are issued, traded, and managed.

He compared the current stage of tokenization to the early internet era, when people used to ask whether businesses were online. Eventually, being on the internet became normal. Birla believes the same transformation is coming for tokenized assets.

“Within the next two years, people won’t ask if assets are tokenized—they will simply expect it,” he said.

Why Tokenization Could Become the Default

Today, asset tokenization remains limited, with adoption still in the early stages. However, better blockchain infrastructure, rising institutional participation, and growing investor awareness are accelerating the shift.

Tokenization allows traditional assets such as stocks, bonds, real estate, and gold to be represented on blockchain networks. This improves settlement speed, liquidity, transparency, and accessibility for both retail and institutional investors.

According to Birla, this transition is happening quickly as major financial firms increase their focus on blockchain-based finance.

Is XRP a Good Investment?

Birla said XRP is well-positioned to benefit because its ecosystem was built for financial use cases from the start.

He explained that XRP has always focused on payments, cross-border settlements, and liquidity management, key areas that directly connect with tokenized finance.

“I do believe that XRP is going to be a leader there,” Birla said.

He added that the market is now beginning to recognize the original purpose behind XRP and its role in institutional finance.

XRP DeFi Growth Could Expand Utility

Birla also highlighted growing opportunities in XRP-based decentralized finance (DeFi).

He pointed to projects like Flare and Axelar, along with native developments on the XRP Ledger, as major growth drivers.

These projects could create new yield opportunities, improve interoperability, and bring more builders into the XRP ecosystem.

He stressed that long-term success depends on stronger developer activity and more on-chain financial products.

JPMorgan, BlackRock, and Franklin Templeton Expand Tokenization Push

The strongest signal, according to Birla, is coming from major institutions.

He said financial giants such as JPMorgan Chase, BlackRock, and Franklin Templeton are no longer testing tokenization through small pilot programs.

Instead, they are creating dedicated divisions focused entirely on tokenized assets and blockchain finance.

“It is not a matter of pilots anymore. We are starting entire divisions,” he said.

This suggests that traditional finance is preparing for large-scale adoption, with trillions of dollars potentially moving into tokenized markets.

Crypto Exposure in Portfolios Expected to Rise

Birla also expects crypto allocations in investment portfolios to grow significantly over time.

Currently, many portfolios maintain around 1% exposure to crypto assets. He believes this will increase through two major paths:

• More investors directly holding crypto assets
• Greater adoption of tokenized traditional assets like equities and gold

This would create a blended financial system where digital assets and traditional investments exist side by side.

“More and more people are going to want exposure,” he said.

XRP and Tokenized Finance

As tokenization moves from theory to real-world implementation, XRP could become one of the biggest beneficiaries.

With institutional adoption rising, blockchain infrastructure improving, and traditional finance entering the market at scale, the shift toward tokenized assets is accelerating.

If Birla’s outlook proves correct, XRP may not just participate in that future, it could help define it.