As digital assets become more deeply integrated into traditional finance, they may change how money and securities are issued, traded and managed — but not the need to understand risk. For Moody's Ratings, that means preparing for a market in which tokenized assets become increasingly common while ensuring that investors can assess them on a basis comparable with traditional securities. "We do think that there's going to be increasing investor interest in digital assets, and investors still need an assessment for risk," said Gene Fang, executive director in Moody’s Ratings' sovereign and sub-sovereign ratings group in Asia. Gene also leads the company's digital economy strategy in Asia. He recently sat down with The Korea Times on the sidelines of Korea Blockchain Week 2026. From January 2018 to Feb. 2, Moody's Ratings has already rated more than 45 digital issuances globally, including digital bonds and tokenized funds, worth over $6.9 billion. While early transactions were still experimental pilot stages, momentum has accelerated particularly over the past two years, Fang said, with