The total amount of locked-in value (TVL) in DeFi protocols could reach $2.7 trillion by the end of 2030, representing 37 times the current market growth. This was stated by Jeffrey Kendrick, the head of digital asset research at Standard Chartered. The main drivers of the expansion will be the tokenized real assets (RWA) and the development of oncheen infrastructure. He estimates that DeFi now has only 3% of stablcoins and 10% RWA, but by 2030 this figure could rise to 30%.

Scaling the market to $2.7 trillion would require a nine-fold increase in the tokenized cost share of DeFi. At the same time, experts warn of difficulties. Axis CEO Chris Kim pointed out the problem of fragmented liquidity in issuing assets across different networks, and Ondo Finance’s sales director Ōya Cheliktemur noted that tokenization does not guarantee instant liquidity for complex assets.

Standard Chartered also identified the decentralized exchange Uniswap as a potential RWA trading hub. Kendrick believes that the institutions will choose the platform because of its reputation and security, which will help Uniswap to reduce significantly the gap in capitalization with Coinbase. This forecast is correlated with a recent statement by CIO Bitwise Matt Hougan about the shift in interest from professional investors to steelbooks and RWA.