Ondo Finance Bridges Traditional and Onchain Finance
The US fintech firm says institutional investors increasingly want to tokenize their own assets and buy tokenized assets.
Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Investing
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Rania Rahardja, senior director of Asia-Pacific at Ondo Finance, described the company as a bridge between traditional finance and the onchain economy during a fireside chat at the World Digital Asset Forum 2026 on November 10. Ondo Finance, a US-based real-world asset tokenization firm, initially focused on tokenizing US Treasury bills before expanding into broader onchain portfolios, tokenized assets, and private market offerings.
Why it matters
Institutional investors have become more open to onchain opportunities as their interest in the space has expanded considerably. Distribution partnerships are one way tokenized assets can reach broader investor bases beyond the issuer's home market.
The source provides no market figures, yields, or trading volumes for Ondo's products or the KakaoPay partnership. Key data on tokenized asset flows remains unreported.
The players
Ondo Finance
A US-based fintech company focused on tokenizing real-world assets, which began with US Treasury bills and has expanded into private market offerings.
KakaoPay Securities
The South Korean securities arm of KakaoPay, the payments and financial services platform affiliated with Kakao Corporation.
PwC Korea
The South Korean member firm of the PricewaterhouseCoopers professional services network, which provided the moderator for the forum panel.
The details
Rahardja, a former assistant vice president at Barclays, spoke on a panel moderated by Lee Jae-Hyuk, partner at PwC Korea. Ondo can distribute tokenized assets to local investors where jurisdictional eligibility rules allow, and in September it announced a partnership with KakaoPay Securities to distribute exposure to Korea-listed equities internationally.
Timeline
September: Ondo Finance announced its partnership with KakaoPay Securities.
November 10: Rahardja spoke at the World Digital Asset Forum 2026.
Market Dynamics
Ondo's expansion from tokenized US Treasury bills into broader portfolios and private market offerings extends the Treasury-bill tokenization model that first defined the firm. Its cross-border distribution through KakaoPay Securities points to tokenized products reaching investors beyond their issuer's home market.
Investors in regions where tokenized products are distributed may gain access to foreign equity exposure through intermediaries, subject to local eligibility rules. Whether these products suit a given portfolio depends on the investor's jurisdiction and risk tolerance.
The takeaway
Tokenization is moving beyond Treasury bills toward broader asset classes and cross-border access. Investors should check eligibility in their own jurisdiction before pursuing any tokenized product.
Further reading
Explore more on Investing to see how tokenized assets are reshaping portfolio access.
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Would you trust your savings to tokenized investment products offered by fintech companies?
