Tokenizing TradFi’s $1.7 Trillion Private Credit Empire

Private credit has exploded into a $1.7–3.5 trillion market offering 8–12%+ yields, but suffers from opacity, illiquidity, and exclusivity. Blockchain tokenization (now >$25B in tokenized credit) adds real-time transparency, near-instant settlement, fractional ownership, and DeFi composability. Leaders like Figure ($17B+ HELOCs), Maple, and Centrifuge are scaling fast with institutional backing (BlackRock, Apollo, KKR). It doesn’t eliminate credit risk or bad underwriting — it just makes the same economics faster, more visible, and accessible to more investors. The trap evolves rather than disappears.