Investment firm Grayscale published a report that places chainlink (LINK), the cryptocurrency associated with the oracle network of the same name, at the center of the financial future.
Grayscale defines it bluntly: “The Chainlink network is the fundamental link between cryptocurrencies and traditional finance.” This phrase summarizes why they consider LINK to be the cryptocurrency that every portfolio needs.
“Public cryptocurrency networks promise to transform digital money and finance by reducing the role of centralized intermediaries,” explains the investigation.
However, That transformation will only be possible if cryptocurrency networks connect to the real world.. “Almost all financial assets are issued off-chain and, at least in the short and medium term, will need to be connected through the tokenization process,” the researchers detail. Chainlink solves that challenge with decentralized oracles and its Cross Interoperability Protocol (CCIP).
This is a programmable bridging and messaging layer: can send data, tokens, or both between supported blockchains.
Tokenization: a $35 billion market that’s just getting started
The tokenized asset market already reaches 35 billion dollars (excluding stablecoins). It is seven times more than the 5 billion recorded at the beginning of 2023. Even so, it represents only 0.01% – one basis point – of the global value of bonds and stocks, the research shows.
This chart compares the estimated total value of tokenized assets globally to the size of major traditional financial asset classes.
“The continued growth of this market could mean a significant increase in demand for Chainlink’s unique solutions,” Grayscale projects.
Chainlink generates income in two ways. Within the chain it collects commissions from the cross interoperability protocol (CCIP), which already transfers an average of 90 million dollars weekly between networks. Off-chain you receive payments from enterprise contracts with banks, data providers and large institutions.
The chart below shows the weekly total value (in millions of dollars) of token transfers made through Chainlink’s CCIP, illustrating the sustained growth in usage.
“The LINK cryptocurrency accumulates value through a buyback-like mechanism,” the report claims, referring to the recent LINK Reserve launched in August 2025, which converts income into tokens and removes them from circulation. This structure positions LINK not only as a speculative asset, but as one with solid fundamentals for sustained growth.
Chainlink has the essential Infrastructure for the next cycle
“Chainlink can already be considered an essential infrastructure in finance based on cryptocurrency networks,” they say from Grayscale. “It is difficult to imagine how cryptocurrencies could become popular without applying their suite of software technologies.”
Serving as a connecting layer between dozens of cryptocurrency networks, LINK is not dependent on the success of a single network. It offers broad exposure to the growth of the entire “crypto economy.”
In a hypothetical scenario where major institutions trade trillions of dollars in tokenized assets on decentralized platforms, “Chainlink is likely to be one of the key projects, orchestrating everything,” Grayscale anticipates.
For its part, Messari, a data analysis and research platform, agrees with Grayscale and ensures that Chainlink is positioned as “the reliable bridge between traditional finance and cryptocurrencies,” as reported by CriptoNoticias.
The CCIP supports today more than 200 tokens and has driven high-profile experiments with SWIFT, DTCC and global bankssays the research. Additionally, it supports assets such as Aave’s GHO stablecoin and Lido’s staked ETH. Chainlink’s development activity grew 2.3 times year-over-year, outperforming most top-20 protocols, he claims.
Grayscale reinforces its conviction with concrete actions. It filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to convert its Chainlink Trust into an ETF listed under the ticker GLNK. If approved, It would be the first Chainlink ETF in the US and one of the first with an active staking component.
While LINK is around $13 per unit at the time of writing and maintains a capitalization of $9.3 billion, Grayscale’s message is clear: “LINK is one of the most important assets to consider when building a diversified cryptocurrency portfolio.”
In an ecosystem that seeks to mature, Chainlink does not sell promises. It offers the infrastructure that is already working today and will be indispensable tomorrow, Grayscale adds.