Executive highlights expanding investment opportunities and plans to bring Korean equities to global investors
As institutional investors increasingly look to tokenize their own assets while buying into blockchain-based financial products, Ondo Finance is positioning itself as a bridge between traditional finance and the onchain economy, according to an executive at the US-based fintech company.
According to Rania Rahardja, senior director of Asia-Pacific at the US-based fintech company specializing in real-world asset tokenization, said institutional investors are approaching the market from two distinct angles.
"First, they are looking to tokenize their own assets and find distribution partners, such as Ondo Finance, that can help bring those assets to a broader investor base. At the same time, they are also becoming buyers of tokenized assets themselves," she said in a morning fireside chat given during the World Digital Asset Forum 2026. Lee Jae-Hyuk, partner at PwC Korea, also moderated the talk.
Drawing on her previous experience as an assistant vice president at Barclays, Rahardja said institutional investors have become increasingly open to exploring opportunities in the onchain market.
"Historically, institutions tended to approach blockchain technology more cautiously, viewing it primarily as a way to explore applications such as interbank settlement or the movement of tokenized deposits and cash. But today, their interest in the space has expanded considerably," she said.
Against this backdrop, Ondo Finance sees itself as a bridge between traditional financial institutions and blockchain-based businesses.
"We are in a position to understand both groups, their respective needs and how they can work together more effectively," she said.
In its early days, Ondo Finance had focused primarily on tokenizing US Treasury bills, as investors were attracted to the yields they offered through products such as stablecoin-related offerings.
"We have recently diversified our offerings into broader onchain portfolios, including tokenized assets that we have developed and can distribute to local investors, subject to the eligibility requirements of the relevant jurisdictions. More recently, we have also introduced private market offerings," she said.
"This diversification across different types of financial assets helps us cater to investors with varying macroeconomic expectations and investment needs."
Rahardja further explained that Ondo Finance is actively exploring opportunities in other asset classes and markets. For instance, in September, the company announced a partnership with KakaoPay Securities to facilitate the international distribution of exposure to Korea-listed equities
"There is clearly a great deal that we are working to develop across Asia and other markets,” she said.
silverstar@heraldcorp.com
