NYLIM executive says tokenization could broaden access to personalized portfolios

New York Life Investment Management says blockchain can help scale tailored portfolios by streamlining back-office work, and Thomas Sy says the next phase of tokenization will center on personalized portfolio construction and on-chain yield demand.

Summary

Tokenization could evolve beyond faster settlement and extended trading hours into a tool for building personalized investment portfolios at scale, according to New York Life Investment Management. Thomas Sy, head of multi-asset solutions, said blockchain can simplify transfer agency, settlement and other back-office processes that have historically made customized portfolios more operationally difficult and expensive. He said tokenization’s next phase will be personalized portfolio construction, as institutional demand for on-chain yield assets rises alongside the growth of stablecoins, which he said now exceed $300 billion. NYLIM manages about $807 billion, with Sy’s team overseeing about $11 billion, and the firm has partnered with Centrifuge to bring a high-yield corporate bond strategy on-chain as an example of how tokenized infrastructure may broaden access to individualized investment offerings.

Terms & Concepts
  • Tokenization: The process of representing assets or strategies as digital tokens on blockchain-based infrastructure.
  • On-chain yield assets: Assets issued or represented on blockchain networks that are designed to generate returns such as interest or investment income.
  • Transfer agency: Administrative work related to maintaining investor records and processing ownership changes for investment products.