By Julia Galina,
Chief Growth Officer at ATME
A year ago, I didn’t know much about blockchain. In fact, I thought tokenization was something for crypto enthusiasts and techies. Definitely not something I expected to get excited about.
Fast forward to today, and I’m knee-deep in the tokenization of aircraft, ships, art, and other high-end assets, basically helping make the kinds of investments that used to be totally out of reach more accessible to more people.
In this piece, I reflect on what changed for me, and why I’m greatly enthusiastic about the work we’re doing at ATME .
It’s Not Really About Tech
When I joined ATME, I assumed tokenization was mostly a technical thing. But what I’ve come to realize is that tokenization is more about access than about technology.
It’s about opening up asset classes that were once reserved for the ultra-wealthy (think aircrafts, luxury real estate, rare collectibles), and allowing more people to tap into them, even with smaller investments.
Democratized access to such exclusive assets? That’s the part that hooked me, because I’ve always believed finance should be more inclusive. And tokenization is one real, practical way to make that happen.
Real Progress, Not Just Hype
Tokenization has been a buzzword for a while, but we’re finally seeing real movement. Case in point: the value of real-world assets (RWAs) on-chain has grown from about $5 billion in 2022 to over $25 billion now.
What that means in practice: people can now own a slice of a real asset like a plane or a building by buying a digital token that represents economic rights to it. That opens up new opportunities for investors and adds liquidity to markets that used to be locked up.
A Few Cool Examples
Here are some areas where tokenization is really making waves. I might be biased, but we’re working on some of this at ATME too:
- Real Estate & Luxury Assets In the GCC, platforms like SmartCrowd and Aqarchain are letting people invest in real estate fractionally. At ATME, we’re going beyond real estate to tokenize aircraft, ships, and other high-end assets that used to be the domain of the 1% of investors.
- Art & Collectibles This one’s close to my heart. I love art, and I’ve collected a few pieces myself. Companies like Masterworks and Maecenas let people invest in art fractionally, and ATME is moving in that direction too. I genuinely believe more enthusiasts should have access to collecting, not just those with deep pockets.
- Funds & Private Markets Platforms like Securitize and Tokeny are making it easier to invest in venture capital and private equity funds, with lower minimums. This space has always felt very closed-off, so it’s great to see it opening up.
Why This Work Feels Meaningful
Many might still consider tokenization to be a fintech trend, but it is part of a bigger shift toward financial systems that are more flexible, transparent, and inclusive.
How ATME fits into the bigger picture is this: we’re not trying to reinvent investing; we’re trying to make it fairer. More people should be able to invest in meaningful, high-value assets, not just those with millions in the bank.
And for me, being part of that shift feels genuinely exciting.