Franklin Templeton is stepping up its crypto push with a new dedicated unit and the planned acquisition of boutique crypto manager 250 Digital.
The asset management giant said Wednesday it will fold the 250 Digital team and its liquid crypto strategies — previously overseen by CoinFund — into a new arm called Franklin Crypto. The move is designed to give institutional clients more active, professionally managed exposure to digital assets beyond the passive ETF-style products many big managers currently offer.
Leadership and structure
- Christopher Perkins, a former CoinFund executive, will head Franklin Crypto.
- Seth Ginns will serve as chief investment officer alongside Tony Pecore, Franklin Templeton’s existing digital assets executive.
- The team will report to Sandy Kaul, the firm’s head of innovation.
Why it matters
Franklin Templeton already manages roughly $1.8 billion in digital-asset products; creating Franklin Crypto signals a shift toward building in-house active crypto strategies to meet growing institutional demand. “This is an exciting addition for Franklin Templeton,” CEO Jenny Johnson said, adding that the acquisition boosts the firm’s ability to deliver dedicated crypto expertise globally. Perkins added: “Crypto’s institutional moment has arrived,” pointing to stronger interest from large investors for structured digital-asset exposure.
An experimental payment element — BENJI tokens
The deal contains an unusual, experimental component: part of the consideration will be paid in BENJI tokens, which are tied to Franklin Templeton’s on-chain U.S. Government Money Fund. That fund uses blockchain rails to process transactions and record ownership, and using BENJI as payment showcases early exploration of settling corporate transactions with tokenized assets. Franklin says this is an early step toward possibilities like M&A settlement on-chain, though the structure remains novel and will be subject to approvals and conditions.
Timing and terms
The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, pending regulatory approvals and other customary conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Bottom line
Franklin Crypto positions Franklin Templeton to compete more directly in the institutional crypto market by combining specialist talent and liquid strategies under one roof — and experiments with tokenized consideration hint at how traditional finance may increasingly use blockchain infrastructure for complex transactions.
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