BeInCrypto 100 Institutional Awards Nomination: Franklin Templeton for Best Digital Asset Manager

Franklin Templeton was nominated for Best Digital Asset Manager after launching Franklin Crypto on April 1, 2026, and integrating tokenization via its Benji platform. The firm’s digital-assets business has grown to $2.1B AUM (Q2 2026), including $1.4B in tokenized funds and $0.7B in crypto ETFs, and it operates a US spot Bitcoin ETF (EZBC). Franklin’s strategy shifts institutional exposure beyond passive spot ETFs toward active, liquid crypto strategies, on‑chain mutual funds (FOBXX/BENJI) and tokenized trading/lending use cases (partnerships with DBS and Ripple). Market impact: this accelerates institutional adoption by offering portfolio construction, liquidity and collateral utility for tokens, increasing demand for Bitcoin and broader crypto infrastructure, and signaling major asset managers will build integrated digital-asset platforms rather than simply offering ETF access.