Finance
IMF warns tokenization could bring crypto risks into global financial markets
Tokenization, the representation of real-life assets on a blockchain, could reshape both crypto markets and traditional finance, while introducing new risks that regulators are not yet equipped to manage, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In a new report, the IMF described tokenization as more than a technical upgrade to markets. By moving assets like money, bonds and funds onto shared blockchains, transactions can settle instantly, cutting out intermediaries and reducing delays that define today’s markets.
The IMF says the “atomic settlement” that tokenization brings to the financial world could lower counterparty risk and force firms to manage liquidity in real time.
“Stress events are likely to unfold faster, leaving less time for discretionary intervention,” the report reads. “Therefore, ensuring stability requires that tokenized asset management remains anchored in safe settlement assets, legally recognized finality, and robust governance arrangements.”
The report points to stablecoins — tokens whose value is pegged to a fiat currency — as a key bridge between crypto and traditional finance. These could become widely used settlement assets across tokenized platforms, the report said.
Still, their reliability depends on reserves and redemption systems, leaving them exposed to runs under stress.
The IMF also warned that faster, automated markets could amplify volatility, while smart contracts that trigger margin calls or liquidations may accelerate selloffs during downturns. Such rapid declines have been seen in crypto markets,
Tokenized assets also can move instantly across jurisdictions, complicating oversight and raising concerns about capital flight and currency substitution in emerging markets, the IMF wrote.
The organization called for clearer legal frameworks and stronger global coordination, arguing that without them, tokenized finance could deepen fragmentation rather than improve efficiency.
Tokenization has been a growing theme in the crypto sector. Real-world assets added to blockchain rails have already topped $23.2 billion according to DeFiLlama data. Excluding stablecoins, the majority of that figure is in the form of tokenized gold or money market funds.
The Catalytic Climate Finance Facility (CC Facility), a program jointly managed by Climate Policy Initiative and Convergence, along with the Government of Canada, is hosting an event during London Climate Action Week focused on Scaling Climate Investments in Emerging Markets Using Blended Finance.
The event will explore opportunities and challenges in mobilizing private capital for climate action in emerging markets, including the role of catalytic capital instruments such as grants and technical assistance in scaling innovative blended climate finance solutions. Discussions will draw on practical insights from actual blended climate finance transactions and also highlight key lessons emerging from programs such as the CC Facility, which leverages these instruments to accelerate and scale such solutions. The event will bring together investors, government funders, DFIs and MDBs, philanthropies, climate finance practitioners, and ecosystem partners, and will provide an opportunity to network with key stakeholders across the blended and climate finance ecosystem over drinks.
Due to limited capacity, this is an invite-only event. If you are interested in attending, please register your interest here.
MAGNOLIA, Duplin County — The Town of Magnolia will hold a special meeting next week to swear in two town officials.
The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 26, at 5:45 p.m. at Magnolia Town Hall on East Carroll Street.
Town officials said the meeting will focus on the swearing-in of the town’s finance officer and town clerk.
According to the town’s website, the town clerk supports the mayor, town manager and Board of Commissioners by preparing meeting materials, keeping public records and helping with official town documents.
The finance officer is responsible for the town’s financial operations, including budget oversight, financial records, payroll, audits and regular reports to commissioners.
Magnolia Town Hall is located at 110 East Carroll Street.
OTTAWA — Large online streaming services must contribute 15 per cent of their Canadian revenues to Canadian content, the federal broadcast regulator said Thursday.
That’s three times the five-per-cent initial contribution requirement the CRTC set out in 2024, which is being challenged in court by major streamers, including Apple, Amazon and Spotify.
Contribution requirements for traditional broadcasters, which currently pay between 30 and 45 per cent, will be lowered to 25 per cent.
“The total contributions are expected to stabilize the funding at more than $2 billion in support of Canadian and Indigenous content, such as French-language content and news,” the regulator said in a press release.
The CRTC also set out rules on how the money must be spent for both streamers and broadcasters, including contributions toward production funds and direct spending on Canadian content.
Most of the streamers’ financial contribution can go toward content, though the CRTC is imposing rules on how that money must be spent for the largest streamers.
For instance, streamers with Canadian revenues of more than $100 million annually must direct 30 per cent of spending toward partnerships with Canadian broadcasters and independent producers.
The new financial contribution rules apply to streamers and broadcasters with at least $25 million in annual Canadian broadcasting revenues.
The CRTC made the decisions as part of its implementation of the Online Streaming Act, which the U.S. has identified as a trade irritant ahead of trade negotiations with Canada.
The regulator also said Thursday online streamers will have to take steps to ensure Canadian and Indigenous content is available and visible to audiences.
“This will make it easier for people to find this content on the platforms they use, while giving broadcasters flexibility in how they meet the new expectations,” the CRTC said in the release.
Details of those requirements will be determined at a later time, the CRTC said.
The CRTC is also establishing a new fund to support specific TV channels, including CPAC, the Canadian service that provides direct coverage of political events.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 21, 2026.
Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press
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