Conference recap: a new chapter with Franklin Templeton begins in Bermuda

Kraken’s parent Payward announced a strategic collaboration with Franklin Templeton at the Digital Finance Forum (May 2026) to accelerate tokenized real-world assets. Key market impacts: Franklin Templeton’s BENJI tokenized money market funds will be integrated on Kraken for onchain collateral, settlement and institutional use, and co‑designed yield products will bring actively managed strategies onchain. Kraken delivered a tokenized Franklin Templeton Gold ETF share (≈$200 of gold exposure) to eligible attendees, settled onchain in seconds, demonstrating instant settlement and retail/institutional distribution mechanics. The xStocks framework — which launched in 2025 — has processed over $30 billion in volume and will underpin further tokenization of gold, treasuries, equities and credit, potentially expanding onchain liquidity and institutional participation.