Crypto exchanges are shifting their focus toward tokenized real-world assets (RWAs), with the sector emerging as the most frequently listed category on major centralized exchanges (CEXs) during the first half of 2026. Nearly 20% of all new token listings were in the tokenized asset segment, highlighting a notable shift in listing priorities.
Tokenized Assets Become the Fastest-Growing Category
According to CryptoRank’s latest market analysis, 2026 is the first year in which tokenized real-world assets have surpassed meme coins and GameFi projects as the dominant listing category on centralized exchanges.
The research covered 10 leading exchanges, recording 10,110 listings and 4,005 delistings. Despite the continued growth of decentralized trading, centralized exchanges still account for more than 88% of the crypto market’s trading volume.
During H1 2026, tokenized assets represented almost 19% of all new listings, a significant increase from less than 7% throughout 2025. Much of this expansion was fueled by issuers such as xStocks, bStocks, and Ondo, which have accelerated the adoption of tokenized financial products.
The broader tokenized asset market has also experienced strong momentum. On-chain tokenized stocks recently reached an estimated market value of $1.85 billion, reflecting a 28.6% increase over the previous month. Growth in this segment has dramatically outpaced tokenized U.S. Treasuries, expanding at nearly 40 times the rate.
Trading activity has followed the same trend. Monthly transfer volume for tokenized stocks surged 87% to $8.76 billion, while the number of holders climbed 24.5% to exceed 443,000.
Meme Coins and GameFi Continue to Lose Momentum
While tokenized assets gained popularity, speculative sectors continued to decline.
Meme coin listings have fallen for six consecutive quarters. Exchanges introduced 196 meme coins during the fourth quarter of 2024, but that figure dropped to just 41 by the second quarter of 2026—a decline of roughly 79% and the lowest quarterly total since Q3 2023.
GameFi projects have experienced a similar slowdown. New listings in the category fell by 84% from their Q2 2024 peak, ending at only 15 new listings in Q2 2026.
Exchanges Tighten Listing Standards
Delisting activity further illustrates the changing market landscape.
Gate led all exchanges by removing 573 tokens during the first half of 2026, accounting for nearly 60% of all recorded delistings. In Q2 alone, the exchange removed 221 tokens, more than the combined total of all other exchanges included in CryptoRank’s report.
🚀 Tokenized Assets became the most-listed category in H1 2026
Nearly 1 in 5 tokens listed on CEXs in H1 2026 was a tokenized asset. By contrast, in 2025, less than 7% of listings were tokenized assets.
The surge was driven primarily by tokenized stocks from issuers such as… https://t.co/QyNuvtNpLu pic.twitter.com/o7WS3OarRk
— CryptoRank.io (@CryptoRank_io) July 11, 2026
Meanwhile, OKX did not remove any tokens during the same period.
Among all delisted assets, DeFi projects accounted for the largest share with 207 removals, followed by GameFi tokens at 141 and meme coins at 98.
Overall, exchanges added only 351 new tokens during Q2 2026, marking the weakest quarter for listings since Q3 2023. Since the start of 2024, delistings have outnumbered new listings in only two quarters: Q2 2025 and Q2 2026.
The data suggests centralized exchanges are becoming increasingly selective, prioritizing projects with tangible utility and real-world applications over highly speculative narratives. Whether tokenized assets can maintain their leadership through the next market cycle remains one of the key trends to watch.
