- Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky said RWA tokenization could make ownership faster and cheaper.
- Chesky argued trust, not blockchain, will determine which tokenization platforms succeed.
- This follows Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev’s push to bring stocks and other assets on-chain.
Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky is simply bullish on real-world asset (RWA) tokenization, recently arguing that the technology could fundamentally change how people own assets by removing the friction that has long kept traditional markets limited to a smaller group of investors.
In a thread posted on X, Chesky said the real breakthrough is not the blockchain or the token itself, but the ability to make ownership faster, simpler, and more accessible. His comments come as tokenization gains momentum across traditional finance, with companies such as Robinhood pushing deeper into the sector.
Chesky Says Trust Will Decide the Winners
Chesky believes tokenization has the potential to make ownership as simple as sending a message. Instead of requiring investors to purchase an entire property, bond, or fund, tokenization could allow people to own small fractions of real-world assets, settle transactions within seconds, trade around the clock, and access investments regardless of where they live.
He argued that the biggest barrier to asset ownership has never been physical infrastructure but the friction built into traditional financial systems.
However, Chesky said technology alone will not determine which platforms succeed. According to him, trust remains the biggest challenge.
Drawing from Airbnb’s own experience, he said strangers were only willing to share homes after they trusted the system behind the platform. He believes the same principle applies to tokenized assets, where investors must believe the underlying asset is genuine and that the company issuing the token will continue honoring its obligations over the long term.
“The internet made information liquid. This makes ownership liquid,” Chesky wrote, adding that tokenization is still in its early stages.
Robinhood’s Push Adds Momentum
Chesky’s comments came in response to Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev describing real-world asset tokenization as an unstoppable “freight train” reshaping global finance.
Tenev has repeatedly argued that the future of crypto lies in bringing productive assets such as stocks, private equity, bonds, and other traditional financial instruments onto blockchain networks.
He has also said tokenization could eventually become the standard way international investors gain exposure to US equities, eliminating the distinction between crypto infrastructure and traditional financial markets.
Robinhood recently introduced the Robinhood Chain as part of that strategy. The company has also submitted proposals to the US Securities and Exchange Commission seeking a regulatory framework for tokenized real-world assets.
Tokenization Moves Beyond Crypto
Chesky did not announce any Airbnb products tied to blockchain or tokenized assets, nor did he mention any specific cryptocurrency, protocol, or blockchain network.
Still, his comments show growing interest in tokenization among leaders of major technology companies as traditional finance increasingly explores blockchain-based settlement and ownership models.
This is not Chesky’s first interaction with digital assets. In 2022, he revealed that support for cryptocurrency payments was the most requested feature after reviewing roughly 4,000 suggestions from Airbnb users. Despite the demand, Airbnb has yet to introduce native crypto payments.
Related: Crypto Valley Leaders Spotlight Tokenized Gold, RWAs, and AI as Industry’s Next Growth Drivers
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