IMF promotes tokenization benefits in new video, raising concerns about government control of digital currencies

POLITICS

IMF promotes tokenization benefits in new video, raising concerns about government control of digital currencies

The institution that once dismissed crypto now wants to help governments harness the same technology, and the crypto community has questions.

by
Editorial Team

Jun. 29, 2026

Share

Add us on Google

The IMF released a video titled “Tokenization and the Financial System: Adapting to the New Landscape” on April 23, 2025, marking one of its most visible public-facing efforts to explain the benefits of tokenized finance.

From skeptic to strategist

The IMF’s April 2026 note, titled “Tokenized Finance” and authored by researcher Tobias Adrian, laid out a vision where asset settlement happens instantly on shared ledgers. The core pitch: fewer intermediaries, lower counterparty risk, and faster transactions across borders.

Advertisement

On June 17, 2026, IMF First Deputy Managing Director Dan Katz took the stage at the Atlantic Council to discuss how tokenization intersects with stablecoins and cross-border payments. His message reinforced the need for regulatory clarity.

The control question

Multiple IMF publications from 2025 and 2026 have discussed how programmability and shared ledgers can reduce costs and risk in financial markets. But woven through every paper and presentation is a consistent call for stronger central bank interventions and tighter regulatory frameworks.

Risks the IMF itself acknowledges

The same publications that tout faster settlement times also carry explicit warnings about the risks of automation in financial markets. When everything settles instantly and liquidations happen automatically, there’s no human in the loop to pump the brakes during a panic.

The IMF has acknowledged that the speed and automation features of tokenization could outpace existing regulatory frameworks and could accelerate market crisis events.

Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our Editorial Policy.