Blab Crypto
Edwin Mata Forecasts Wall Streets Full Blockchain Adoption by 2030, AI-Driven Tokenization, and EU Regulation Hurdles
On June 9 2026, Edwin Mata, the CEO and founder of Barcelona‑based tokenization platform Brickken, announced that Wall Street will operate entirely on blockchain technology by 2030. Speaking to CoinDesk, Mata explained that the buzzword “Web3” is fading as major banks move blockchain into routine financial plumbing—settlements and payments—so that the line between Wall Street and technology will blur.
Mata’s remarks arrive amid a steady rise in institutional interest in tokenizing real‑world assets. BlackRock’s BUIDL fund exemplifies a large asset manager shifting toward tokenized holdings, and the distinction between traditional finance (TradFi) and crypto is increasingly porous, with tokenization emerging as a dominant narrative in the digital‑asset industry for several years.
A key development highlighted by Mata is Bullish’s (ticker BLSH) $4.2 billion acquisition of transfer agent Equiniti. The deal targets corporate shareholder record‑keeping, ensuring that shares are issued and recorded directly on‑chain from the outset rather than through synthetic digital wrappers. Bullish is also the parent company of CoinDesk, underscoring the growing integration of traditional financial infrastructure with blockchain‑native systems.
According to Mata, the next wave of tokenization will be driven by software, not human operators. Brickken has already facilitated the on‑chain representation of $500 million of real‑world assets and serves 200 clients. The platform is integrating AI agents to automate asset onboarding and liquidity sourcing. “The decision‑maker is not going to be us anymore. It’s going to be AI,” Mata said, noting that traditional software dashboards will give way to simple chat prompts that let AI agents handle backend tasks such as finding the best financial yields.
Mata also criticized the European Union’s Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework. He said the rules protect legacy banks by imposing expensive, slow‑moving compliance requirements on small startups. “Smaller players cannot access the market, which creates a moat for the bigger players,” he explained. “It can take you nine months to get a license, and if you’re a startup, nine months without monetizing, you’re dead.” France‑based Ledger CTO Charles Guillemet echoed this view, telling CoinDesk that MiCA has unintentionally reshaped the competitive landscape of Web3, benefiting legacy institutions at the expense of new entrants.
In light of these regulatory challenges, startups may look to the United Arab Emirates or Southeast Asia for a more favorable environment. Mata believes the United States will remain the main powerhouse for crypto innovation because it controls the world’s largest capital market, rendering current regulatory disputes in Washington “temporary noise.”
The broader industry trend is a growing partnership between traditional asset managers and decentralized finance (DeFi) infrastructure. BlackRock’s investments in Uniswap and Apollo’s Morpho illustrate this shift. Asset‑management firm Janus Henderson recently made a strategic investment in Ethena’s governance token, ENA, and plans to allocate treasury cash into USDe while exploring distribution of the yield token through exchange‑traded products. The move follows Coinbase Ventures’ investment in Ethena and a partnership announcement.
In summary, the crypto‑finance landscape is moving toward full blockchain integration on Wall Street, AI‑driven tokenization, and a regulatory environment that favors established institutions. Upcoming developments include the continued expansion of Brickken’s AI platform, the impact of MiCA on European startups, and further institutional investments in DeFi protocols. Unresolved questions remain about how quickly the EU will adapt its regulatory framework and whether the U.S. will maintain its lead in crypto innovation.
Mata’s remarks arrive amid a steady rise in institutional interest in tokenizing real‑world assets. BlackRock’s BUIDL fund exemplifies a large asset manager shifting toward tokenized holdings, and the distinction between traditional finance (TradFi) and crypto is increasingly porous, with tokenization emerging as a dominant narrative in the digital‑asset industry for several years.
A key development highlighted by Mata is Bullish’s (ticker BLSH) $4.2 billion acquisition of transfer agent Equiniti. The deal targets corporate shareholder record‑keeping, ensuring that shares are issued and recorded directly on‑chain from the outset rather than through synthetic digital wrappers. Bullish is also the parent company of CoinDesk, underscoring the growing integration of traditional financial infrastructure with blockchain‑native systems.
According to Mata, the next wave of tokenization will be driven by software, not human operators. Brickken has already facilitated the on‑chain representation of $500 million of real‑world assets and serves 200 clients. The platform is integrating AI agents to automate asset onboarding and liquidity sourcing. “The decision‑maker is not going to be us anymore. It’s going to be AI,” Mata said, noting that traditional software dashboards will give way to simple chat prompts that let AI agents handle backend tasks such as finding the best financial yields.
Mata also criticized the European Union’s Markets in Crypto‑Assets (MiCA) regulatory framework. He said the rules protect legacy banks by imposing expensive, slow‑moving compliance requirements on small startups. “Smaller players cannot access the market, which creates a moat for the bigger players,” he explained. “It can take you nine months to get a license, and if you’re a startup, nine months without monetizing, you’re dead.” France‑based Ledger CTO Charles Guillemet echoed this view, telling CoinDesk that MiCA has unintentionally reshaped the competitive landscape of Web3, benefiting legacy institutions at the expense of new entrants.
In light of these regulatory challenges, startups may look to the United Arab Emirates or Southeast Asia for a more favorable environment. Mata believes the United States will remain the main powerhouse for crypto innovation because it controls the world’s largest capital market, rendering current regulatory disputes in Washington “temporary noise.”
The broader industry trend is a growing partnership between traditional asset managers and decentralized finance (DeFi) infrastructure. BlackRock’s investments in Uniswap and Apollo’s Morpho illustrate this shift. Asset‑management firm Janus Henderson recently made a strategic investment in Ethena’s governance token, ENA, and plans to allocate treasury cash into USDe while exploring distribution of the yield token through exchange‑traded products. The move follows Coinbase Ventures’ investment in Ethena and a partnership announcement.
In summary, the crypto‑finance landscape is moving toward full blockchain integration on Wall Street, AI‑driven tokenization, and a regulatory environment that favors established institutions. Upcoming developments include the continued expansion of Brickken’s AI platform, the impact of MiCA on European startups, and further institutional investments in DeFi protocols. Unresolved questions remain about how quickly the EU will adapt its regulatory framework and whether the U.S. will maintain its lead in crypto innovation.
