The future of finance is on the blockchain, and tokenization is at the heart of it, according to OKX Chief Marketing Officer Haider Rafique.
Speaking with Roundtable host Rob Nelson, Rafique highlighted how blockchain is transforming financial markets, bringing transparency, 24/7 trading, and new opportunities for businesses and investors.
"Well, look, I think the first thing inherently blockchains bring to finance is the ultimate transparency," Rafique said. "If you look at traditional institutes, I think we have to wait for either a public company's earnings report to really see what's going on under the hood. With blockchains, we get to see everything in real-time on an explorer or transaction."
Tokenization of everything
One of the biggest shifts Rafique sees in the coming years is the tokenization of equities and other real-world assets. He pointed out that billionaire investor Bill Ackman has been vocal about this shift, which could revolutionize financial markets.
"When does tokenization of equities occur?" Rafique asked. "I'm a trader. I used to be a trader, and the idea that I can only trade between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM, and if I'm a sophisticated trader, I get access to early markets and aftermarkets—then on the weekend, I'm kind of just not doing much. I think it's a very sort of archaic way of thinking about open markets."
Rafique believes that blockchain will open markets to everyone, everywhere, at all times. "As an investor, I'm most interested in when we open the global markets to everyone, anyone, and all the time," he said.
A new internet of value
Rafique likened blockchain's evolution to the rise of the internet. The early internet allowed people to read published content. The next phase enabled users to write and contribute, giving rise to social media and blogs. Now, blockchain introduces a new dimension: programming value directly into the web.
"The part that crypto comes in and enhances the internet experience for any individual is the ability to program value," Rafique explained. "Whether you want to classify it as money, whether you want to classify it as some sort of utility, we were not historically able to program any type of incentive of value in such an easy way and then distribute it and build communities around it."
This programmable value isn't limited to Bitcoin and speculative meme coins—it extends to creators, businesses, and small entrepreneurs.
Empowering entrepreneurs
Rafique believes tokenization will allow small businesses to access capital in ways previously only available to large corporations.
"If I am a small business owner and I make one of the best coffees in Los Angeles, I have to eventually franchise it," he said. "I have to scale it to a point where the company can go public for me to get shareholder value. I think tokenization in itself allows business owners at any stage to create that value and have participants come in at a much earlier stage than waiting for large institutions to do it."
