Blockchain Too Slow for Tokenization: Financial Professor

As an experienced financial analyst, I have closely followed the developments in blockchain technology and its potential application to real-world assets (RWAs). The skepticism expressed by Professor Hilary Allen from American University regarding the efficiency of public blockchains for handling large transaction volumes seems contradictory to the current reality.


A university professor specialized in financial law argues against the efficiency of putting assets like shares and bonds on public blockchains due to their struggle with managing large transaction volumes. However, this perspective appears to clash with the reality that massive transactions, valued in billions, are currently being executed through blockchains.

At a hearing before the U.S House Financial Services Committee on Wednesday, Hilary Allen from American University expressed concerns over the riskiness of converting vast quantities of real-world assets (RWAs) into digital tokens using open-source blockchains such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. She pointed out that these platforms are incapable of handling massive transaction volumes, contradicting on-chain data indicating frequent one-billion-dollar transfers.

As a crypto investor, I’ve come to realize that blockchains, despite their revolutionary potential, aren’t without their challenges. They are prone to inefficiencies and operational fragilities that make them less than ideal for supporting real-world assets.

Each of these objections clashes with Larry Fink’s perspective as the CEO of BlackRock. He believes that eventually, all securities, including stocks and bonds, will be issued via blockchain technology. BlackRock has already tokenized a $462 million fund on Ethereum as evidence of this shift.

Over $1.5 billion in US Treasury bonds have already been converted into digital tokens. According to Citi Bank’s estimates, the value of assets that could be tokenized on blockchains may reach between $4 trillion and $5 trillion by 2030, despite ongoing efforts to address scaling challenges.

As an analyst, I would recommend exercising great care in deciding where to implement tokenization based on Allen’s advice. However, I must admit that I couldn’t find any specific public blockchains mentioned by Allen as viable options for global-scale asset tokenization with enhanced scalability.

As an analyst, I find it surprising that her skepticism remains unchanged in light of the significant advancements in speed and throughput we’ve seen in major blockchain networks recently. For example, Ethereum’s upcoming sharding upgrade is projected to increase its throughput by more than 60 times compared to current levels.

As a researcher studying the intersection of finance and technology, I can’t help but notice the rapid advancements in tech across various sectors. While some may express skepticism, the future of traditional finance seems increasingly tied to tokenization. This trend is unlikely to slow down anytime soon.

Read More

2024-06-06 06:46