BeInCrypto 100 Institutional Awards Nomination: Franklin Templeton for Best Digital Asset Manager
Digital asset administration is transferring past easy Bitcoin publicity. The first wave was about giving establishments regulated entry to crypto. The subsequent section is about constructing full digital asset platforms inside main asset managers.
Franklin Templeton has been constructing towards that shift for years. The agency is nominated for Best Digital Asset Manager on the BeInCrypto Institutional 100 Awards 2026.
| Founded | Firm AUM | Digital Assets AUM | Tokenized Funds AUM | Crypto ETFs AUM | Blockchains |
| 1947 | $1.7T+ | $2.1B | $1.4B | $0.7B | 9+ |
Franklin Templeton Digital Asset Management Snapshot
The nomination facilities on the launch of Franklin Crypto, a devoted cryptocurrency division introduced on April 1, 2026.
Franklin Templeton created the unit by means of its deliberate acquisition of 250 Digital, an energetic cryptocurrency funding administration agency spun out of CoinFund. The acquisition consists of the 250 Digital funding staff and liquid crypto methods beforehand run by CoinFund.
Franklin Crypto offers the agency a devoted energetic administration arm for digital belongings. It strikes the enterprise past passive ETF publicity and tokenized cash market merchandise into professionally managed liquid crypto methods.
Franklin Templeton mentioned its Digital Assets enterprise managed roughly $1.8 billion in international belongings as of December 31, 2025.
Its newest Q2 2026 investor update places digital belongings AUM at $2.1 billion, together with $1.4 billion in tokenized funds and $0.7 billion in crypto ETFs.
From Bitcoin ETFs to Active Crypto Management
Franklin Templeton was already a part of the primary US spot Bitcoin ETF cohort. It’s the Franklin Bitcoin ETF, EZBC, launched on January 11, 2024, and seeks to mirror the efficiency of Bitcoin earlier than fund bills. The ETF trades on Cboe and carries a 0.19% sponsor charge.
But the Franklin Crypto launch provides a unique layer. The firm is now not solely providing traders entry to Bitcoin by means of an ETF wrapper. It is including energetic liquid crypto methods, crypto-native portfolio expertise, and a devoted inside division.
That is the extra essential institutional shift. Pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and huge allocators typically want greater than spot publicity. They want portfolio building, threat administration, liquidity administration, and managers who can consider crypto markets with the identical self-discipline utilized in different asset courses.
Franklin Templeton has additionally been constructing inside crypto functionality since 2018. The firm says its digital asset work combines tokenomics analysis, information science, and technical experience. The agency has additionally constructed a staff that features blockchain-focused funding professionals, node operators, and digital asset specialists.
BENJI (*100*) Core Infrastructure
The second pillar of Franklin Templeton’s nomination is BENJI.
The Franklin OnChain US Government Money Fund, or FOBXX, launched in 2021. Each share is represented by one BENJI token, and the fund’s switch agent maintains the official share possession file by means of Franklin Templeton’s blockchain-integrated Benji platform.
FOBXX was the primary US-registered mutual fund to make use of blockchain-integrated expertise to course of transactions and file share possession. Franklin Templeton’s personal fund web page states that FOBXX invests not less than 99.5% of its belongings in US authorities securities, money, and repurchase agreements collateralized by US authorities securities or money. The fund reported $843.74 million in complete internet belongings as of March 31, 2026.
The platform has continued to develop throughout public chains. Franklin Templeton’s filings checklist assist throughout networks together with Stellar, Aptos, Base, Solana, Polygon, Arbitrum, Avalanche, and Ethereum. In September 2025, BNB Chain introduced that Franklin Templeton’s Benji Technology Platform had additionally built-in with BNB Chain.
Tokenized Funds Move Into Institutional Workflows
Franklin Templeton has additionally pushed BENJI into buying and selling and lending use instances.
In September 2025, DBS, Franklin Templeton, and Ripple introduced plans to launch buying and selling and lending options utilizing tokenized cash market funds and Ripple’s RLUSD stablecoin.
The association permits eligible traders to accumulate Franklin Templeton’s sgBENJI token on DBS Digital Exchange utilizing RLUSD. DBS additionally mentioned it will discover enabling sgBENJI tokens for use as collateral for credit score from the financial institution or third-party platforms.
That makes the Franklin Templeton story broader than asset gathering. The agency is constructing throughout a number of layers of digital asset administration: passive ETFs, tokenized funds, blockchain recordkeeping, collateral use instances, stablecoin-linked buying and selling, and now energetic crypto methods.
This is why Franklin Templeton stands out within the class. It has handled digital belongings as an working enterprise, not a slender product line.
The BeInCrypto Institutional 100 Awards acknowledge corporations constructing the methods that would outline the following section of finance. Franklin Templeton’s nomination displays its function in turning digital belongings right into a full asset administration platform, spanning ETFs, tokenized securities, blockchain infrastructure, and energetic crypto funding methods.
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