As we step into 2026, the crypto industry stands at an inflection point. The regulatory fog that long shrouded digital assets is finally lifting, institutional players are moving from the sidelines onto the field, and the very definition of what constitutes an “asset” is being rewritten.
Few people have a better vantage point on these shifts than Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands. We sat down with Siu to discuss what the new year holds for Web3—and why he believes companies face a stark choice: tokenize or die.
A New Year, A New Era for Altcoins
Siu acknowledges that Bitcoin has earned its place as “digital gold,” but as 2026 begins, he sees the real action happening elsewhere. “Most people don’t enter crypto by buying Bitcoin,” he observes. “They come in through tokens that offer some kind of utility—whether that’s DeFi, gaming, NFTs, or something else entirely.”
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He draws a parallel to traditional markets: no single company comes close to gold’s market cap, yet the global stock market dwarfs it many times over. “The same dynamic is taking shape in crypto. And what excites me about this year is that the opportunities aren’t just in new token launches anymore—they’re in tokens that have already proven themselves.”
It’s a pattern Siu has seen before. “Think about what happened after the dotcom crash. Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Netease—they didn’t disappear. They came back stronger. I believe 2026 will mark the beginning of a similar resurgence for established Web3 players.”
The Year Regulatory Clarity Finally Arrives
If there’s one development Siu is watching closely this year, it’s the fate of the CLARITY Act in the US Congress. Building on the foundation laid by the GENIUS Act for stablecoins, the CLARITY Act aims to establish clear jurisdictional boundaries between the SEC and CFTC over digital assets.
“I’m confident the CLARITY Act will pass in 2026,” Siu says. “And when it does, it will trigger a wave of tokenization we’ve never seen before—from Fortune 500 companies down to small businesses. The uncertainty that’s held so many players back will finally be lifted.”
He sees this regulatory clarity as the key that unlocks corporate adoption at scale. “Companies have been waiting on the sidelines, not because they don’t see the potential, but because they couldn’t navigate the legal ambiguity. This year, that concern disappears.”
Institutions Move from Spectators to Participants
The introduction of crypto ETFs in recent years marked a turning point, but Siu believes 2026 will be remembered as the year institutional adoption shifted from experiment to strategy. “What we’re seeing now is just the beginning. RWAs and stablecoins will lead the narrative for institutional players this year.”
Real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, in particular, holds transformative potential. “RWAs offer something crypto has always promised but struggled to deliver at scale: genuine financial inclusion. We’re talking about crypto wallets for the unbanked, access to yield-generating products that were previously reserved for the wealthy. This is the year those promises start becoming reality.”
Current estimates suggest tokenized RWAs could reach $30 trillion within the coming decade. The adoption of institutional-grade frameworks, such as the EU’s MiCA regulation, is giving major banks and asset managers the confidence they need to engage with public blockchains. “The infrastructure is ready. The regulations are coming into place. Now it’s about execution.”
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The Post-Crash Playbook Repeats
Siu sees clear parallels between the current moment and the years following the dotcom bust. “The funding cycle has fundamentally evolved. In Web3’s early days, the biggest opportunities were in hotly anticipated token launches. That’s no longer the case.”
Today, investing in tokens with liquidity and market presence is becoming the norm. “After the dotcom crash, companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo, and eBay didn’t just survive—they became vastly larger. The same pattern will repeat in Web3, but with a twist: we’ll also see major tech players—the Googles and Metas of the world—entering the space in meaningful ways.”
This shift demands a different skill set from investors. “The situation is far more nuanced now. Succeeding in this environment requires greater analytical capabilities. The easy money from simply catching the next hot launch is largely gone.”
“Everything Will Become an Asset Class”
When asked about his boldest prediction for the years ahead, Siu doesn’t hesitate: “Everything will become an asset class through tokenization. Intellectual property, royalties, advertising inventory—if it has value, it will be tokenized.”
Yat Siu. Source: AnimocabrandsHe acknowledges that tokenized RWAs remain fragmented across chains and marketplaces today, but sees consolidation and growth ahead. “The technology is ready. What’s been missing is regulatory clarity and institutional confidence. Both of those pieces are falling into place.”
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There’s also a generational dimension to this shift. “Crypto is becoming the asset class of younger generations, just as the internet and social media defined previous generational divides. Any company that wants to reach that audience effectively will need strategies that incorporate tokenization. It’s not optional anymore.”
Blockchain Fades Into the Background
One of Siu’s more counterintuitive predictions is that blockchain technology will become invisible to most users. “Think about digital music. We used to say ‘MP3’ or ‘digital download.’ Now we just say ‘music.’ The technology faded into the background. The same thing is happening with blockchain.”
He points to prediction markets as an example. “They run on crypto rails, but users don’t care about the backend. They care about the service. That’s the model for mainstream adoption: deliver value, and let the blockchain do its work invisibly.”
This practical approach opens doors across industries. “Gaming with in-game assets as NFTs. Yield-generating products accessible to everyday users. Faster payments. Digital ownership. These use cases will bring traditional users into crypto-based services—not because they’re excited about blockchain, but because the services are simply better.”
From Crypto Natives to the Crypto Curious
Siu predicts a significant shift in crypto’s target audience this year. “2026 will see the emphasis move from crypto natives to the crypto curious. And from entertainment to utility and value.”
Memecoins, he argues, were a product of regulatory ambiguity. “Until now, memecoin launches have been targeted squarely at crypto natives. They weren’t designed to appeal to mainstream users.” But as friendlier regulatory frameworks take shape globally, that dynamic is changing.
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“Under clearer regulations, projects can discuss their value proposition openly. They don’t have to hide behind the memecoin label anymore. The CLARITY Act will accelerate this trend—tokens will be judged on their actual utility, and those without real value will struggle to survive.”
Financial Literacy Becomes Essential
As we look toward the rest of 2026 and beyond, Siu sees financial literacy emerging as a critical skill. “Crypto is already solving real problems—reducing remittance costs, improving access to yield generation, enabling participation in opportunities that were previously gated.”
He expects crypto to penetrate deeper into everyday financial infrastructure. “Student loans, consumer credit, eventually unsecured lending—crypto will become embedded in the financial solutions that affect ordinary people’s lives.”
This mirrors the digital literacy revolution of the 1990s and 2000s. “Back then, businesses had to become digitally literate or risk irrelevance. Consumers followed. The same pattern is playing out now with financial literacy. Tokenization leads to financialization, and people who develop financial literacy will have access to significantly greater opportunities.”
Tokenize or Die
Siu closes with a message that doubles as both a warning and a rallying cry for the year ahead.
“Companies that don’t tokenize their assets—making them accessible to AI systems and Web3 liquidity—will become less relevant. We saw this movie before: traditional businesses that ignored the internet lost to competitors like Amazon and Steam. The same fate awaits companies that ignore tokenization.”
He pauses, then delivers the line that has become something of a personal mantra: “Tokenize or die. That’s not a prediction for some distant future. That’s the reality of 2026.”
Source: https://beincrypto.com/yat-siu-tokenize-or-die/
