Ripple Highlights Custody as Core Infrastructure for $18.9T Tokenization Market

Ripple Maps the Future Where Custody Powers Stablecoins, Tokenized Assets, and Compliance

Ripple published insights on Aug. 18 emphasizing the strategic importance of digital asset custody for institutions navigating the transition to tokenized finance. In a workshop co-hosted with the Blockchain Association Singapore (BAS), the firm outlined how custody has evolved from a technical requirement into a cornerstone of financial infrastructure. The discussion, centered around “Custody & Cybersecurity,” reflected growing industry recognition that resilient custody systems are essential for scaling stablecoin applications, enhancing compliance, and supporting cross-border payment networks.

A key driver behind this shift is the expanding market for tokenized real-world assets, Ripple explained, noting:

Demand is rapidly increasing, driven by the projected growth of tokenized real-world assets, which are expected to reach nearly US$18.9 trillion by 2033, according to a recent report by Ripple and Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Ripple’s 2025 New Value Report also revealed that 71% of financial institutions in the Asia-Pacific region have gained confidence in digital assets over the past six months. Still, only 30% currently use custody platforms—though an additional 52% plan to adopt them within the next three years.

The workshop explored various custody configurations—from self-managed models to outsourced and hybrid solutions—designed to align with evolving regulatory demands, liquidity management, and risk tolerance.

Participants stressed that future custody systems must support not just asset protection but operational innovation:

Solutions that meet these needs, whether through self-custody, third-party providers or hybrid models, will enable the next phase of stablecoin adoption, tokenized finance and cross-border settlement.

Moreover, next-generation systems must go further: “In the next phase, custody infrastructure will also need to integrate more deeply with smart contracts and tokenized documents tied to offchain conditions. This will be important not only for programmable payments but also for enabling full onchain execution of trade flows, conditional settlement, and automated compliance processes.” With custody infrastructure becoming more integrated and programmable, industry leaders argue it will lay the groundwork for scalable and interoperable financial systems.