Banks have started lending against tokens; a new trillion-dollar market sector is taking shape.

Recently, two noteworthy new signals have emerged in the AI ​​industry.

One is the rollout of "Token-based loans" across various regions in China.

Following Guangdong's lead in launching specialized financial products, Shanghai, Zhejiang, and other areas have followed suit; some banks have begun incorporating metrics such as a company's token generation and consumption volumes, computing power service contracts, and settlement transaction records into their credit assessment criteria, with maximum credit limits reaching 30 million yuan.

In other words, while corporate loans used to be secured against factory buildings and equipment, some AI companies are now obtaining financing based on "token data."

Another signal is even more striking.

A recent report by the China Telecom Research Institute projects that my country's annual token consumption will reach 1 quintillion (10¹⁸) by 2026 and exceed 35 quintillion (3.5 × 10¹⁹) by 2030.

Demand for tokens has entered a phase of explosive growth.

Many people may not yet realize that tokens are becoming the new "unit of measurement" for the AI ​​era.

Data from the National Data Bureau shows that my country's average daily token usage surged from approximately 100 billion in early 2024 to 100 trillion by the end of 2025, and then surpassed 140 trillion in March 2026—an increase of more than 1,000-fold in just two years.

In a mere three months, the figure grew by over another 40% compared to the end of 2025.

What does this figure actually represent?

Official estimates indicate that a daily volume of 140 trillion tokens is equivalent to roughly 1 quadrillion (10¹⁵) Chinese words—an amount of information equal to the holdings of the National Library of China 250 times over.

More importantly, token consumption is no longer limited to chatbots.

Applications such as AI search, AI programming, AI-powered office tools, AI video generation, and collaborative AI agents are rapidly gaining widespread adoption.

Public data reveals that generating a single minute of AI video can consume millions of tokens, while a complex AI agent executing a complete task often consumes tens or even hundreds of times more tokens than a traditional Q&A interaction.

This explains why telecom operators are establishing "Token Offices," banks are launching "Token Loans," and capital markets are beginning to study the "Token Economy."

For AI companies, tokens are increasingly resembling the electricity of the industrial age.

Just as electricity consumption reflects a factory's production capacity, token consumption is becoming a key metric for gauging an AI company's activity level, business scale, and commercial value.

Viewed from this perspective, "Token" is no longer merely a technical term; it has become a keyword for a rapidly expanding industry.

Every AI API call generates tokens, every AI agent consumes them, and every AI company is building its business model around them.

When a keyword begins to appear in industry reports, enter banking credit assessment systems, and become a national-level statistical indicator, it often signals the emergence of new industrial opportunities.

It is precisely for this reason that premium domain names related to "Token" are attracting increasing attention from startups and investors alike.

Currently, high-quality "Token"-related domains—such as Ytoken.com, Vtoken.com, AllToken.com, and GoodToken.com—are available for purchase.

As the "token economy" transitions from concept to reality, securing key industry domain names early could well position a player to capture greater attention in the next wave of AI industry competition.