[DigitalToday reporter Kim Ye-seul (김예슬)] Listing trends on centralised exchanges (CEX) in the first half of 2026 appear to have shifted quickly from memecoin-centred speculative themes to tokens based on real-world use.

Cryptopolitan, a blockchain outlet, reported on July 9 that an analysis of more than 10,000 listings across 10 major exchanges, including Binance, Bybit, OKX, Bitget, Gate, MEXC, KuCoin, HTX, Kraken and Crypto.com, found the centre of listings moved to blockchain infrastructure, DeFi and tokenised assets.

In the second quarter, exchanges newly listed 64 blockchain infrastructure tokens and 46 DeFi tokens. Tokenised assets ranked third with 42. The segment, which includes stocks, commodities and real-world assets, gained visibility as exchanges expanded exposure to traditional financial products. By contrast, memecoins and GameFi tokens that led the previous cycle saw their new listings fall each quarter.

The biggest change was the expanded share of tokenised assets. In the first half of 2026, nearly 1 out of every 5 listed tokens was a tokenised asset. That marked a sharp rise from less than 7 percent in 2025. The report said tokenised assets became the most-listed category in the first half of 2026.

The memecoin boom also cooled in the numbers. Memecoin listings fell for six consecutive quarters. New listings dropped to 41 in the second quarter of 2026 from 196 in the fourth quarter of 2024. That was down 79 percent from the peak. It was the lowest quarterly level since the third quarter of 2023, before the memecoin craze began.

GameFi showed a similar trend. GameFi was one of the key narratives in exchange listings in 2023 and 2024, but new listings totalled 15 in the second quarter of 2026. That was down 84 percent from the peak in the second quarter of 2024. The report said the figure, based on the exchanges analysed, suggests the lowest level of interest since the third quarter of 2023.

The number of exchange listings and category shares point in the same direction. Exchanges are giving higher priority to categories with external, real-world foundations than to tokens that rely on internal crypto narratives. It is still not settled whether the shift will harden into a repositioning of exchanges' risk appetite or remain a temporary lull until the next speculative cycle.

A key point to watch is whether tokenised assets can sustain their growth. The outlet said whether the listing surge seen in the first half of 2026 can continue even after other issuers join the market following xStocks, bStocks and Ondo is expected to determine whether the shift in the exchange-listing landscape lasts.