Thomas Sy, head of multi-asset solutions at New York Life Investment Management, said in a CoinDesk interview on July 4, 2026 that tokenization could enable personalized investment portfolios for individual investors, a capability beyond current financial systems.

Sy noted that the primary benefit of tokenization is the ability to customize portfolios at scale, combining ETFs, bonds, private credit and other assets while reducing back‑office costs. He said NYLIM, which oversees about $11 billion within New York Life’s $807 billion asset management arm, is partnering with Centrifuge to pilot a tokenized high‑yield corporate bond strategy.

He argued that embedding customization within the asset itself, rather than around operational layers, could lower costs for clients by 10% to 20%. Stablecoins, he added, serve as a gateway for institutions to access on‑chain assets that generate yield. Broader participation in decentralized finance will require mature infrastructure, including tokenized collateral, central clearing and prime brokerage services.

The outlook suggests increasing integration of tokenization into traditional asset management, though Sy cautioned that institutional adoption will depend on further infrastructure development.