Forget Meme Coins: Tokenized Stocks and RWAs Are Becoming Fastest-Growing Categories

Cryptopotato2026/06/19 03:45

By:Cryptopotato

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Tokenized stocks emerged as the fastest-growing crypto coin category between January 2024 and May 2026, according to a new CoinGecko report tracking the number of coins listed across major sectors.

The category expanded by a whopping 3,314.3% during the period, after rising from just 14 listed coins to 478.

Crypto’s Fastest-Growing Category

Real World Assets (RWA) followed closely as another major growth area, as it increased by 1,903.1% from 64 coins to 1,282. The sharp rise in both categories highlights growing interest in bringing traditional financial assets onto blockchain networks. CoinGecko said that the shift toward real-world asset tokenization accelerated significantly from late 2024 onward.

Despite these emerging trends, Decentralized Finance (DeFi) remained the largest non-meme crypto category by the end of the study period. The number of DeFi-related coins climbed from 549 in January 2024 to 2,328 by May 2026, which represented growth of 324.0%.

Another major theme during the period was the rapid expansion of AI-related coin listings. CoinGecko found that AI became the second-largest listed category on its platform after surging from 145 coins at the start of 2024 to 1,798 by May 2026, a rise of 1,140.0%.

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In the process, AI overtook Gaming (GameFi), which had occupied the second spot for much of 2024. GameFi grew by almost 263% and ended the period with 1,379 listed coins. CoinGecko said the AI category gained momentum in October 2024 alongside the launch of the AI-themed meme coin Goatseus Maximus (GOAT).

Growth continued as artificial intelligence became a mainstream topic, further fueled by the rapid expansion of companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Nvidia. Within crypto, the trend was driven by two key developments: a growing number of AI-branded meme coins and the emergence of on-chain AI agents, which attracted significant speculative attention and developer activity toward the end of 2024.

Due to rising interest rates and oil prices causing the stock market rally to stall, investors are divided—some worry about a rapid sell-off, while others are concerned about a slow market decline. Some traders have become more creative with bearish strategies, such as buying put options on the Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index or the S&P 500, or using double binary options to bet on a gradual price drop.

智通财经•2026/09/13 23:41