Yat Siu: “Tokenize or Die”—Charting Web3’s Course for 2026 and Beyond

As we step into 2026, the crypto business stands at an inflection level. The regulatory fog that lengthy shrouded digital property is lastly lifting, institutional gamers are transferring from the sidelines onto the sector, and the very definition of what constitutes an “asset” is being rewritten.

Few individuals have a greater vantage level on these shifts than Yat Siu, co-founder and government chairman of Animoca Brands. We sat down with Siu to debate what the brand new yr holds for Web3—and why he believes corporations face a stark selection: tokenize or die.

A New Year, A New Era for Altcoins

Siu acknowledges that Bitcoin has earned its place as “digital gold,” however as 2026 begins, he sees the true motion taking place elsewhere. “Most individuals don’t enter crypto by shopping for Bitcoin,” he observes. “They are available in by tokens that supply some type of utility—whether or not that’s DeFi, gaming, NFTs, or one thing else fully.”

He attracts a parallel to conventional markets: no single firm comes near gold’s market cap, but the worldwide inventory market dwarfs it many instances over. “The similar dynamic is taking form in crypto. And what excites me about this yr is that the alternatives aren’t simply in new token launches anymore—they’re in tokens which have already confirmed themselves.”

It’s a sample Siu has seen earlier than. “Think about what occurred after the dotcom crash. Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, Netease—they didn’t disappear. They got here again stronger. I imagine 2026 will mark the start of the same resurgence for established Web3 gamers.”

The Year Regulatory Clarity Finally Arrives

If there’s one improvement Siu is watching intently this yr, it’s the destiny of the CLARITY Act within the US Congress. Building on the muse laid by the GENIUS Act for stablecoins, the CLARITY Act goals to determine clear jurisdictional boundaries between the SEC and CFTC over digital property.

“I’m assured the CLARITY Act will move in 2026,” Siu says. “And when it does, it’s going to set off a wave of tokenization we’ve by no means seen earlier than—from Fortune 500 corporations right down to small companies. The uncertainty that’s held so many gamers again will lastly be lifted.”

He sees this regulatory readability as the important thing that unlocks company adoption at scale. “Companies have been ready on the sidelines, not as a result of they don’t see the potential, however as a result of they couldn’t navigate the authorized ambiguity. This yr, that concern disappears.”

Institutions Move from Spectators to Participants

The introduction of crypto ETFs in recent times marked a turning level, however Siu believes 2026 might be remembered because the yr institutional adoption shifted from experiment to technique. “What we’re seeing now could be just the start. RWAs and stablecoins will lead the narrative for institutional gamers this yr.”

Real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, particularly, holds transformative potential. “RWAs provide one thing crypto has at all times promised however struggled to ship at scale: real monetary inclusion. We’re speaking about crypto wallets for the unbanked, entry to yield-generating merchandise that had been beforehand reserved for the rich. This is the yr these guarantees begin changing into actuality.”

Current estimates counsel tokenized RWAs may attain $30 trillion inside the coming decade. The adoption of institutional-grade frameworks, such because the EU’s MiCA regulation, is giving main banks and asset managers the boldness they should interact with public blockchains. “The infrastructure is prepared. The rules are coming into place. Now it’s about execution.”

The Post-Crash Playbook Repeats

Siu sees clear parallels between the present second and the years following the dotcom bust. “The funding cycle has basically advanced. In Web3’s early days, the largest alternatives had been in hotly anticipated token launches. That’s not the case.”

Today, investing in tokens with liquidity and market presence is changing into the norm. “After the dotcom crash, corporations like Amazon, Microsoft, Yahoo, and eBay didn’t simply survive—they turned vastly bigger. The similar sample will repeat in Web3, however with a twist: we’ll additionally see main tech gamers—the Googles and Metas of the world—coming into the area in significant methods.”

This shift calls for a unique talent set from buyers. “The state of affairs is much extra nuanced now. Succeeding on this setting requires better analytical capabilities. The simple cash from merely catching the following sizzling launch is basically gone.”

“Everything Will Become an Asset Class”

When requested about his boldest prediction for the years forward, Siu doesn’t hesitate: “Everything will turn out to be an asset class by tokenization. Intellectual property, royalties, promoting stock—if it has worth, it will likely be tokenized.”

He acknowledges that tokenized RWAs stay fragmented throughout chains and marketplaces at present, however sees consolidation and progress forward. “The know-how is prepared. What’s been lacking is regulatory readability and institutional confidence. Both of these items are falling into place.”

There’s additionally a generational dimension to this shift. “Crypto is changing into the asset class of youthful generations, simply because the web and social media outlined earlier generational divides. Any firm that desires to achieve that viewers successfully will want methods that incorporate tokenization. It’s not non-obligatory anymore.”

Blockchain Fades Into the Background

One of Siu’s extra counterintuitive predictions is that blockchain know-how will turn out to be invisible to most customers. “Think about digital music. We used to say ‘MP3’ or ‘digital obtain.’ Now we simply say ‘music.’ The know-how pale into the background. The similar factor is going on with blockchain.”

He factors to prediction markets for example. “They run on crypto rails, however customers don’t care in regards to the backend. They care in regards to the service. That’s the mannequin for mainstream adoption: ship worth, and let the blockchain do its work invisibly.”

This sensible strategy opens doorways throughout industries. “Gaming with in-game property as NFTs. Yield-generating merchandise accessible to on a regular basis customers. Faster funds. Digital possession. These use instances will carry conventional customers into crypto-based companies—not as a result of they’re enthusiastic about blockchain, however as a result of the companies are merely higher.”

From Crypto Natives to the Crypto Curious

Siu predicts a big shift in crypto’s audience this yr. “2026 will see the emphasis transfer from crypto natives to the crypto curious. And from leisure to utility and worth.”

Memecoins, he argues, had been a product of regulatory ambiguity. “Until now, memecoin launches have been focused squarely at crypto natives. They weren’t designed to enchantment to mainstream customers.” But as friendlier regulatory frameworks take form globally, that dynamic is altering.

“Under clearer rules, initiatives can focus on their worth proposition overtly. They don’t have to cover behind the memecoin label anymore. The CLARITY Act will speed up this pattern—tokens might be judged on their precise utility, and these with out actual worth will battle to outlive.”

Financial Literacy Becomes Essential

As we glance towards the remainder of 2026 and past, Siu sees monetary literacy rising as a important talent. “Crypto is already fixing actual issues—decreasing remittance prices, enhancing entry to yield era, enabling participation in alternatives that had been beforehand gated.”

He expects crypto to penetrate deeper into on a regular basis monetary infrastructure. “Student loans, shopper credit score, ultimately unsecured lending—crypto will turn out to be embedded within the monetary options that have an effect on atypical individuals’s lives.”

This mirrors the digital literacy revolution of the Nineties and 2000s. “Back then, companies needed to turn out to be digitally literate or threat irrelevance. Consumers adopted. The similar sample is taking part in out now with monetary literacy. Tokenization results in financialization, and individuals who develop monetary literacy could have entry to considerably better alternatives.”

Tokenize or Die

Siu closes with a message that doubles as each a warning and a rallying cry for the yr forward.

“Companies that don’t tokenize their property—making them accessible to AI methods and Web3 liquidity—will turn out to be much less related. We noticed this film earlier than: conventional companies that ignored the web misplaced to opponents like Amazon and Steam. The similar destiny awaits corporations that ignore tokenization.”

He pauses, then delivers the road that has turn out to be one thing of a private mantra: “Tokenize or die. That’s not a prediction for some distant future. That’s the truth of 2026.”

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