Ark Invest projects crypto market value reaching $28 trillion by 2030, led by bitcoin, smart contracts, and rapid expansion of tokenized real-world assets.
Ark Invest expects tokenization to reshape global crypto markets over the next five years significantly. Accordingly, the company projects that the cryptocurrency market capitalisation will hit 28 trillion by the year 2030. Notably, Bitcoin alone could account for nearly $16 trillion of that projected value.
Tokenization Emerges as Core Driver of Crypto Growth
According to Ark Invest’s Big Ideas 2026 report, smart contract platforms will drive non-bitcoin growth. In addition, onchain financial flow, tokenized securities, and decentralized applications will be used to facilitate growth. Therefore, Ark anticipates that only 2 to 3 powerful Layer 1 networks will concentrate on market share.
Ark Invest said in its Big Ideas 2026 report that the total cryptocurrency market capitalization could reach approximately $28 trillion by 2030, with bitcoin accounting for around $16 trillion. Beyond bitcoin, Ark expects the remaining market value to be driven primarily by smart…
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Nowadays, the market of the real-world asset tokenization is also quite small in comparison. In the modern times, it is estimated that the RWA market stands at between 19 and 22 billion worldwide. Hence, the growth forecast of Ark suggests that it will need to grow by approximately 50,000 per cent to 58,000 per cent by 2030.
Moreover, Ark relates this growth to regulatory and infrastructure growth. In particular, the company claimed that tokenization usage must be preceded by more transparent rules and institutional grade infrastructure. The report was released on Wednesday and it stressed on gradual yet structural transformation of the market.
Tokenized assets are those that are documented and traded directly on blockchains. Consequently, they circumvent conventional brokerage, clearing and settlement systems. This, according to supporters, makes this model less expensive, more liquid, and allows 24/7 trading.
Moreover, tokenization enables an asset, which was hard to divide, to have a fractional ownership. This characteristic may have the potential of expanding the access to treasury bills, commodities, and other regulated instruments. As a result, institutional capital can join the onchain markets more effectively.
This trend is already being manifested in a number of initiatives in the traditional finance. As an illustration, the projects funded by Circle and BlackRock have introduced tokenized treasury products. These initiatives underscore the growing move of the regulated assets to blockchain networks.
Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Institutions Shape Long-Term Outlook
In addition to tokenization, Ark also provided ambitious long-term price objectives of major cryptocurrencies. Previously, the firm suggested bitcoin could reach $1.5 million per coin by 2030. This forecast reflects institutional adoption, supply scarcity, and bitcoin’s decentralized security properties.
Similarly, Ark has highlighted Ethereum’s potential role in tokenized finance infrastructure. The firm estimated Ethereum’s market capitalization could exceed $20 trillion by 2030. In that case individual ether prices would go to between 170,000 and 180,000.
The institutional participation continues to lie in the center of the crypto thesis of Ark. Large financial institutions are constructing, experimenting, and launching blockchain financial products in greater numbers. Such involvement assists in the expansion of liquidity and stability in the long-term valuation.
Ark Invest itself has an exposure in the form of crypto-linked equities and infrastructure companies. These consist of trading-related holdings and tokenization-based financial platforms. These investments indicate the trust in the development of the crypto market under regulation.
By early 2026, Ark said that the market is maturing and not collapsing. Importantly, the volatility has decreased with the increased institutional involvement as compared to the earlier cycles. Hence long-term valuation goals are dependent on adoption patterns as opposed to speculative trading.
On the whole, the perspective of Ark makes tokenization the core of the interconnection between crypto and conventional finance. In case regulatory clarity keeps on improving, the projected growth paths can be feasible.