According to Cryptopolitan, on June 23, Franklin Templeton completed its acquisition of crypto investment firm 250 Digital and launched its Franklin Crypto division, offering actively managed digital asset strategies for retirement funds, sovereign wealth funds, and large asset allocators, using BENJI tokens as a settlement tool for part of the acquisition of large financial institutions.
Franklin Crypto Leadership Structure and 250 Digital Origins
Franklin Crypto Core Management Team: Christopher Perkins (co-founder of 250 Digital) serves as the division head; Seth Ginns (former CIO of 250 Digital) continues as Franklin Crypto CIO; Tony Pecoraro, a senior digital assets professional at Franklin Templeton, co-manages the division; Franklin Crypto reports to Sandy Kaul, Franklin Templeton’s Head of Innovation.
Historical Context of 250 Digital: 250 Digital was spun out in January 2026 from CoinFund’s liquidity strategies division; Perkins and Ginns had both worked at CoinFund for many years. Franklin Templeton’s acquisition this time brings in 250 Digital’s entire investment team and its predecessor, the liquidity crypto strategies under CoinFund, and said it will inject capital into these strategies through the new division.
CEO Jenny Johnson said: “Their investment talent and differentiated strategies will enhance our capabilities in digital assets and place us among the few global asset management companies that have professional, institutional-grade crypto investment management teams.”
Franklin Templeton Digital Asset Roadmap: Tokenization Scale and Two Partnerships in 2026
Franklin Templeton has built digital asset infrastructure since 2018, previously focusing mainly on tokenization and passive products. According to data from RWA.xyz, Franklin Templeton’s tokenized assets increased from about $768 million in June 2025 to over $2.5 billion one year later; during the same period, the overall on-chain RWA market grew from about $11.8 billion to $32.2 billion.
The two announced partnerships in 2026 complement its infrastructure capabilities beyond active management: in February 2026, it reached an agreement with Binance to allow institutional clients to use tokenized money market fund shares as trading collateral; in March 2026, it partnered with Ondo Finance to bring tokenized ETFs on-chain. Franklin Templeton said that what the acquisition of 250 Digital brings is different capabilities—an actively traded crypto market with strong liquidity, rather than a passive fund structure.
BENJI Token Settlement Details: An Industry First Using Tokenized Fund Shares to Complete an Acquisition
BENJI tokens represent shares of the Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund (Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund), a regulated, dollar-denominated money market product whose share records are maintained on a public blockchain. In its statement, Franklin Templeton characterized the acquisition as one of the first large financial services acquisitions to be settled “partly using tokenized fund shares, rather than only cash or traditional securities.” The specific settlement ratios between cash and BENJI tokens were not disclosed in existing public reports.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the differences between Franklin Crypto and Franklin Templeton’s existing digital asset division?
Based on Franklin Templeton’s description, its existing digital asset infrastructure is mainly used for tokenized and passive products; while Franklin Crypto’s core capability is an actively traded, liquidity-rich crypto market, executed by the original 250 Digital investment team (the former CoinFund liquidity strategies division), which distinguishes between active management and passive/tokenized management capabilities.
What is the significance of using BENJI tokens as an acquisition settlement tool?
BENJI tokens represent regulated money market fund shares, with ownership recorded on a public blockchain. Franklin Templeton characterized this acquisition settled in part with BENJI tokens as one of the first large financial services acquisitions settled using tokenized fund shares (rather than pure cash or traditional securities), serving as a concrete example of how tokenized financial products are applied in traditional institutional trading.
How do RWA.xyz’s data reflect Franklin Templeton’s position in the tokenization market?
Based on RWA.xyz data, Franklin Templeton’s tokenized assets exceed $2.5 billion, accounting for about 7–8% of the overall on-chain RWA market ($32.2 billion). During the same period, the overall market’s growth exceeded 170%. These figures come from RWA.xyz’s on-chain tracking data and are not Franklin Templeton’s official financial reports.
