Indian MP: Tokenization is the solution to owning too “expensive assets”

India’s Parliament listened to a crypto-focused appeal on Tuesday as Member of Parliament Raghav Chadha urged the government to bring forward a “Tokenization Bill.” The proposed legislation, Chadha said, would allow middle-class Indians to own fractions of expensive assets like office buildings, highways, and intellectual property, through digital tokens.

Speaking in the upper house of the Parliament of India, Chadha propounded that fractional ownership could democratize investment opportunities in India, enabling citizens to participate in markets that are only accessible to wealthy investors. 

“There is a need to bring a tokenization bill in India today, Sir, like the UPA. UPI has made digital payments inclusive in a way. Ready today? The street vendor, the vegetable vendor, the rickshaw puller, everyone takes and gives payments through UPI. We are here to make investing and asset ownership inclusive in the same way,” Chadha told policymakers.

Indian MP: Tokenization is the solution to owning too “expensive assets”

Chadha, who is the youngest member of parliament in the Rajya Sabha, reiterated that the current options for middle-class investors are limited to savings accounts, fixed deposits, and mutual funds. 

“Commercial buildings are very expensive. Infrastructure projects are beyond reach, and private asset classes are for niche investments. It is not made for them,” he continued.

The Aam Aadmi Party member called asset tokenization a way to divide high-value physical or intellectual assets into smaller, tradable digital units. “Just like a common man can buy shares of a company and have a stake in it, similarly, asset tokenization has made it possible to tokenize real-world assets. All of these will be divided into small digital tokens; anyone can buy and sell this tradable token, and share in its profits,” he explained.

He illustrated the concept with the example of gold, saying 10 grams of gold is available in India for approximately ₹135,000. He further stated that an investor might not have ₹135,000 to buy 10 grams of gold, but the presence of digital gold ETFs can help them buy gold worth ₹500 electronically.

“You don’t have to pay any broker fees, no registry hassles, no property dealer hassles. You can buy and sell comfortably, and the cost of intermediaries will reduce. The biggest benefit is easier investment and secure retirement,” Chadha stated.

India should follow the US, EU, and UAE in digital asset adoption

Chadha used examples from several economies that have embraced asset tokenization to double down on his financial agenda. In the United States, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has incorporated tokenization into its Securities Act. 

Crossing the Pacific, Singapore launched Project Guardian, the European Union introduced the Markets in Crypto Asset Regulation (MiCA), and the UAE established the Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority to oversee tokenized assets.

According to the MP, India has a cultural affinity toward real estate and precious metals, which is why it is well-positioned to benefit from such legislation. 

“70 to 80% of our household assets are stored in these asset classes. India needs its asset tokenization. Bespoke legislation is needed, and a regulatory sandbox is required for this. On-the-go investment and ownership for the common man, truly for the common man,” Chadha surmised.

Chadha concluded his address in Parliament by stressing the need for a legal framework to enable asset tokenization. He proposed a regulatory sandbox to facilitate innovation while providing clarity for investors and companies alike. “Asset tokenization will become inclusive if regulatory clarity comes in India through the law,” he said, closing his argument.

Tokenization in discussion, stablecoins in caution

While Chadha focused on the benefits of tokenization, India’s central banking authorities are warning policymakers against quickly adopting other forms of digital assets. Deputy Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, T. Rabi Sankar, said last Friday that stablecoins pose significant macroeconomic risks and serve no purpose that fiat money cannot.

Sankar believes India has diverged from other economies like Japan and the EU because of concerns that integrating digital assets into mainstream finance could create systemic risks.

“Beyond the facilitation of illicit payments and circumvention of capital measures, stablecoins raise significant concerns for monetary stability, fiscal policy, banking intermediation, and systemic resilience,” Sankar continued, “Stablecoins do not serve any purpose fiat money cannot.”

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