Wall Street Journal ad signals tokenization is game on
An anonymous full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal warning of unregulated tokenization has been interpreted as a sign that the sector is gaining momentum. Industry leaders view the high-cost advertisement as a fear-based tactic by vested interests resisting the shift to on-chain assets.
An anonymous party placed a full-page advertisement in the Wall Street Journal, estimated to cost $140,000, warning that crypto will tokenize shares on unregulated venues. Joseph Shalom, CEO of Sharplink, interpreted the ad as a signal that tokenization is “game on,” indicating that vested interests are reacting to the inevitability of the trend. He dismissed the ad’s claims of de-pegging and poor pricing, noting that oracles will ensure accurate pricing and that 24-7 trading allows consumers to express views during market closures.
Shalom views the advertisement as a fear-based tactic designed to slow down general counsels and issuers. He pointed to regulatory and institutional developments that support the legitimacy of tokenization, including the SEC’s grant of a five-year innovation exemption for tokenized products. Major institutions such as NASDAQ, the New York Stock Exchange, and DTCC are moving to tokenize assets in regulated manners. Additionally, Chainlink has announced plans to provide exchange-like real-time pricing for tokenized assets. Shalom argued that the existence of such a high-cost warning confirms the regulatory legitimacy and inevitability of tokenization, rather than its risks.