Tokenised assets gain momentum in South Africa

Many institutions in South Africa are exploring how to put real-world assets on a blockchain due to its numerous benefits.

For instance, assets that were previously illiquid, expensive to trade and accessible only to large institutions can be bought and sold by a broader range of investors. They can also be settled almost instantly and held in digital wallets alongside other assets on the blockchain.

Tokenisation is the process of representing ownership of real assets as digital tokens on a blockchain.

Examples of real assets being tokenised are government bonds, properties, private equity stakes, and money market funds.

Tokenisation could have significant impacts for local asset managers.

A fund that takes weeks to settle and requires a minimum investment of millions of rand could, in tokenised form, settle in seconds and be accessible to a far wider pool of investors.

A government bond portfolio could be used as collateral in real time. Private credit could be fractionalised and traded on digital rails.

The efficiency gains are already being realised by global institutions and the infrastructure to replicate them locally is being built.

Luno has introduced over 60 tokenised US stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to South African investors, and over 50 000 customers have invested in tokenised stocks since launching in August 2025.

The stablecoin conversation must be tied directly to tokenisation because you need digital cash to settle tokenised asset transactions.

That is what South Africa’s own rand-backed stablecoin, ZARU, is designed to provide. ZARU was launched earlier this year through a consortium of Sanlam, Luno, EasyEquities and Lesaka.

The real-world asset tokenisation market reached $33.91 billion in 2025, representing 70% year-on-year growth.

Forecasts for the global market range from McKinsey’s conservative estimate of $4 trillion by 2030 to Standard Chartered’s bullish projection of $30 trillion by 2034.

BlackRock, Franklin Templeton, JPMorgan and Fidelity have all already tokenised US Treasuries.

In April 2026, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) published a note calling tokenisation a fundamental reconfiguration of financial architecture.

Conference

Tokenisation will be discussed among South Africa’s thought leaders and institutions at the Luno Institutional Digital Assets Conference (LIDAC26) on 11 June 2026 at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town.

Confirmed speakers include Luno CEO James Lanigan, Sanlam Financial Markets CEO Jacques le Roux, Deputy Minister of Finance Ashor Sarupen, economist Adrian Saville and independent economic strategist Refilwe Moloto.

Attendance is by application only, and places are limited.

If you want to understand how institutions can leverage tokenisation, apply here.

About Luno

Luno is a leading digital asset investment platform on a mission to upgrade the world to a better financial system. Founded in 2013 and trusted by over 16 million people across Africa, Asia and Europe. Luno has expanded beyond cryptocurrency to offer a full suite of digital asset investments, including tokenised assets and bundles that combine crypto with tokenised shares in leading global companies.

Luno provides individuals, professional traders, businesses and institutions with safe, accessible and innovative ways to invest in the digital economy.

Luno is certified ISO27001 compliant. The global certification confirms security controls are in place across all business areas.
Luno was rated the most secure crypto platform globally in 2025 by Upguard, a global third-party cyber risk platform.
Luno publishes an independently verified proof of reserve report monthly.
Luno was rated the top crypto exchange in the 2025 and 2026 MyBroadband survey, as well as the February 2025 Analytico survey of South Africa’s preferred technology brands.

www.luno.com

Investing in crypto assets may result in capital loss. Luno (Pty) Ltd is an authorised financial services provider (FSP No. 53314) and registered credit provider (NCRCP22123)

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