Tokenization Has Officially Hit Escape Velocity

In this episode, Lewis Jackson argues that tokenization has crossed its inflection point — what he calls the “escape velocity moment.” The combination of institutional readiness, regulatory alignment, and maturing tech stacks has pushed real-world asset (RWA) tokenization from niche pilot to structural trend.

Standard Chartered’s latest forecast estimates that tokenized assets, currently around $35 billion, are on course to reach nearly $2 trillion by 2028. Jackson notes that this growth is not being driven by speculation, but by market participants needing faster, safer, more programmable settlement infrastructure.

Tokenized bonds, private credit, treasuries, and digital securities are no longer hypothetical. They are being used, scaled, and integrated directly into banking networks — providing the backbone for the next era of institutional crypto adoption.

Why Wholesale CBDCs Are Becoming the Default Model

A major focus of Jackson’s analysis is the global pivot toward wholesale CBDCs. Hong Kong’s most recent e-HKD pilot clearly highlighted that banks prefer wholesale CBDCs and tokenized deposits over retail CBDCs — not for political reasons, but because these models work better with existing liquidity structures.

Jackson explains the reasoning:

• Retail CBDCs face political resistance and security questions.
• Stablecoins and tokenized deposits already solve retail payments.
• Wholesale CBDCs enable bank-to-bank settlement, the real backbone of the system.
• Interoperability frameworks such as Chainlink CCIP and Quant Overledger make cross-chain CBDC settlement viable.
• These models align directly with BIS PFMI, ISO 20022, and Project Guardian requirements.

Jackson argues that wholesale CBDCs, supported by tokenized commercial bank money, form the settlement spine of the programmable economy — a structure into which XRP, Ethereum, and future XRPL AMM-enhanced liquidity layers can slot.

Why Banks Are Targeting 2026 for Deployment

Jackson points to a key moment at the Cybos conference: several major banks declared 2026 as the year that tokenization, AI, and interoperability stop being experiments and become deployments.

This shift mirrors the broader regulatory and technological timeline. In this future architecture:

• AI handles regulatory logic, AML, and anomaly detection.
• Chainlink becomes a messaging and control plane for asset movement.
• Tokenized securities and tokenized deposits become standardized products.
• CBDC pilots move into production environments.
• Stablecoins operate within clearer regulatory frameworks.

Jackson describes this as entering the “banana zone” — the stage in an adoption curve where growth becomes non-linear.

The Quiet Integration: Swift + Chainlink CCIP

One of the most consequential confirmations in the episode is the deepening integration between SWIFT and Chainlink’s CCIP. Jackson emphasizes that this is not a marketing partnership — it is a real technical alignment between the world’s dominant financial messaging network and the leading cross-chain interoperability protocol.

This fusion enables:

• ISO 20022 messages to trigger on-chain instructions
• Bank systems to communicate with public and private blockchains
• Tokenized deposits, RWAs, and CBDCs to transfer across chains
• Neutral FX routing and settlement pathways
• An architecture where Chainlink acts as a universal “interpreter” between financial networks

This makes Chainlink one of the strongest structural components in the “Inevitable Portfolio.”

Stablecoins: The Primary Rail for Global Settlement

Jackson also highlights the rapid expansion of stablecoins as the retail and corporate settlement rail of choice. With increasing regulatory clarity emerging in Australia, Canada, and G20 jurisdictions, stablecoins are now moving from grey-area tools to fully recognized financial instruments.

This has profound implications:

• Stablecoins become the default option for cross-border retail settlement.
• XRP, USDT, USDC, XLM, and tokenized deposits coexist depending on corridor design.
• Global money flows begin to shift away from SWIFT toward stablecoin-centric rails.
• Stablecoin infrastructure supports tokenized assets, tokenized treasuries, and DeFi-style liquidity models.

Jackson argues that stablecoin rails are becoming more important than Bitcoin halving cycles or ETF narratives — and that the market has not fully priced this in.

Digital Identity: The Missing Layer That Is Now Being Filled

Jackson devotes a full segment to digital identity — positioned not as a surveillance topic, but as mission-critical infrastructure for programmable settlement.

Recent moves include:

• OECD’s endorsement of digital ID as core financial infrastructure
• EU Digital Identity Wallet launching in 2026
• UK progress toward mandatory digital ID for corporate compliance
• Hong Kong’s confirmation that digital ID is required for CBDC participation

Digital identity unlocks:

• automated AML/KYC
• programmable money
• tokenized asset onboarding
• compliant liquidity pools
• identity-linked settlement guarantees

This pushes companies like Okta, Thales, Polygon ID, Microsoft, and Worldcoin deeper into the “Inevitable Portfolio” framework.

AI Is Quietly Becoming the Brain of Financial Infrastructure

Jackson also notes the rapid rise of AI as a compliance, surveillance, and settlement-routing engine.

Examples from the episode include:

• RevoAI’s Bank 5.0 identifying risk across thousands of wallets
• HSBC and Standard Chartered piloting AI compliance for tokenized assets
• ECB and MAS releasing AI-supervision frameworks

Jackson calls this the early phase of AI-managed liquidity and AI-routed settlement — a foundational shift that benefits oracle networks, tokenized-collateral systems, and interoperability layers.

Key beneficiaries include Chainlink, TRAC, Quant, Palantir, NVIDIA, and XRP.

Portfolio Implications: The Inevitable Infrastructure Stack

Based on the evidence Jackson presents, the following ecosystems remain central to the “Inevitable Portfolio” framework:

Infrastructure & Tokenization

Ethereum • Avalanche • Polygon • Broadridge • Nasdaq • CME • Coinbase

Stablecoin & Payment Networks

XRP • Visa • Mastercard • PayPal • Western Union

AI & Compliance

Palantir • NVIDIA • IBM

Digital Identity

Okta • Thales • Microsoft • Polygon ID • Worldcoin

Interoperability & CBDC Architecture

Quant • R3 (through HSBC, Standard Chartered)

These assets collectively form the rails, logic, identity, and liquidity of the new financial system.

Watch the Full Episode

To understand the mechanics behind tokenized assets, wholesale CBDCs, XRPL AMMs, and emerging settlement architectures, watch the full episode of The Macro.
Follow Lewis Jackson Ventures for ongoing coverage of programmable finance, CBDC pilots, oracle networks, and tokenized-asset infrastructure.

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