Pokémon Cards: The Next Big RWA Tokenization Trend?
Pokémon Cards Eye Blockchain Integration
Pokémon trading cards might be the next real-world asset (RWA) poised for large-scale blockchain adoption, potentially bringing a $21.4 billion market on-chain.
Bitwise research analyst Danny Nelson suggests that Pokémon and other trading card games are on the verge of their "Polymarket moment." He anticipates that tokenization could bring much-needed efficiency to this market.
"I expect the Pokémon boom will be sticky — one of those moments where an 'only in crypto' innovation breaks into the mainstream, kinda like what Polymarket did for prediction markets," Nelson stated.
RWA Tokenization Expanding Beyond TradFi
RWA crypto tokenization has surged to a $28.2 billion market in 2025. However, it primarily focuses on traditional finance (TradFi) assets such as stocks, treasuries, commodities, private credit, and real estate.
Nelson argues that while tokenization offers benefits like 24/7 trading and potential cost reductions for TradFi assets, the impact isn't transformative. He believes that Pokémon card trading could see more significant advantages from blockchain technology, as sellers currently face the cumbersome process of physically shipping cards.
Potential for Pokémon ETFs?
Nelson highlighted the inefficiencies in the current system, even with market leader Whatnot facilitating $3 billion in sales last year. He suggests that Pokémon ETFs or investment funds could emerge in the future.
Collector Crypt Leading the Charge
Collector Crypt has recently emerged as a tokenization platform on Solana, enabling faster trading and exits for Pokémon cards. The platform's token, CARDS, has reportedly increased tenfold to a $450 million fully diluted valuation since its launch.
"Traders are rushing to price in revenue-generating potential," Nelson said, estimating an annualized revenue of $38 million. He added that much of the early hype rests on those yields potentially flowing back to token buybacks.
The demand for tokenized Pokémon cards has also driven revenue for Collector Crypt’s Gacha Machine project, which has generated $16.6 million in the last week.
NFT Market Sees Volume Spike
NFT trading volumes saw a 9% month-on-month increase to $578 million in August, the highest since January, according to DappRadar. While trading volume increased, the number of sales decreased 4%, indicating collectors are paying more per asset.