What is Franklin Crypto? Franklin Templeton New Division After 250 Digital Deal

Franklin Crypto is the new institutional digital asset division launched by Franklin Templeton, one of the world's largest asset managers, following the completion of its acquisition of 250 Digital. 

The deal brings a team of crypto native portfolio managers, previously housed at CoinFund, directly into Franklin Templeton's structure, with part of the purchase settled using the firm's own BENJI tokens. 

This article looks at what Franklin Crypto does, who leads it, how the deal was structured, and what it signals about institutional interest in active crypto management.

Key Takeaways

• Franklin Crypto is a new institutional digital asset division launched by Franklin Templeton after completing its acquisition of 250 Digital.
• The division is led by Christopher Perkins and Seth Ginns, both former CoinFund executives, alongside Franklin Templeton's existing digital assets team.
• Part of the acquisition was settled using BENJI tokens, marking one of the first major M&A deals paid for with tokenized fund shares.

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What is Franklin Crypto?

Franklin Crypto is the name of the institutional crypto division that Franklin Templeton switched on once it completed its acquisition of 250 Digital, a crypto investment firm that had been spun out of CoinFund in January 2026. 

The transaction brings the entire 250 Digital team, along with its liquid crypto strategies, into Franklin Templeton's structure, rather than leaving them as a separate outside manager.

Leadership of the new unit comes directly from the acquired firm. Christopher Perkins and Seth Ginns, both former managing partners at CoinFund who founded 250 Digital, now head Franklin Crypto, with Perkins taking the lead role and Ginns serving as chief investment officer. 

They work alongside Tony Pecore, an existing member of Franklin Templeton's digital assets team, and report to Sandy Kaul, the firm's head of innovation.

The division's stated purpose is to offer institutional clients, including pension funds and sovereign wealth funds, access to actively managed crypto strategies rather than only passive products such as exchange traded funds. 

This is a meaningful shift for Franklin Templeton, which has built much of its earlier digital asset work around tokenization and passive exposure rather than active trading of liquid crypto markets.

Franklin Templeton already runs a digital assets platform of its own, holding roughly 1.8 billion US dollars as of the end of 2025, separate from the firm's broader assets under management, which stood at over 1.7 trillion US dollars when the deal was announced in April and had grown toward 1.78 trillion US dollars by the time it closed in June. 

Folding 250 Digital's active strategies into the digital assets platform gives the firm a more complete offering, spanning passive funds, tokenized products, and now actively managed crypto portfolios under one roof.

The launch is also notable for its timing. Franklin Templeton first announced the deal in April 2026, during a period when crypto prices had pulled back sharply from earlier highs, a detail the firm's leadership pointed to directly when explaining why it moved forward with the acquisition.

Read also: EZRP XRP ETF - The Momentum of XRP's Revival

How Was the 250 Digital Deal Settled?

One of the more unusual aspects of the Franklin Crypto launch is how Franklin Templeton chose to pay for it. 

Rather than relying only on cash, part of the consideration for the 250 Digital acquisition was paid using BENJI tokens, the onchain representation of the Franklin OnChain US Government Money Fund.

BENJI is built on top of a regulated money market fund and uses blockchain infrastructure to process transactions and record ownership, rather than relying solely on traditional fund administration systems. 

Franklin Templeton has described it as one of the first US registered mutual funds to operate this way, and the firm has spent several years expanding the token across multiple blockchain networks, including Ethereum.

Using BENJI as part of an acquisition payment is being treated as an early example of a mergers and acquisitions transaction settled, at least in part, with a tokenized asset rather than cash or conventional securities alone. 

Franklin Templeton has framed this as a practical test of its own tokenization infrastructure, applying it to a real corporate transaction rather than keeping it limited to investment products.

The deal itself was first announced in April 2026 and closed in the second quarter of the year, in line with the timeline the firm set out at announcement. Specific financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

Beyond the settlement structure, the deal fits into a wider pattern at Franklin Templeton, which has also worked with partners such as Ondo Finance on tokenised exchange traded funds and with MoonPay on connecting BENJI to stablecoin trading infrastructure. 

Taken together, these moves point to a firm that is treating institutional active crypto management and tokenization as connected parts of the same long term strategy, rather than separate experiments running in isolation.

Read also: 7 Trending RWA Tokens, Watch Their Growth Here

How to Trade Crypto and Tokenized Stocks on Bitrue

As institutions like Franklin Templeton build out active crypto management and tokenized products, everyday investors can also access similar markets by choosing to trade crypto and tokenized stocks on Bitrue. 

The platform supports a wide range of cryptocurrencies alongside tokenized stocks, all from a single account.

1. Visit the Bitrue website or open the Bitrue app and select Register.
2. Create your account using an email address or mobile number and set a secure password.
3. Complete identity verification by following the steps shown on screen.
4. Deposit funds through a bank transfer, card payment, or an existing crypto wallet.
5. Open the trading section and search for the crypto asset or tokenized stock you want to trade.
6. Enter your order amount, review the details, and confirm the trade.

Once verified, you can move between crypto and tokenized stocks without switching platforms or managing several separate accounts. This makes it easier to track and act on developments across both markets from one place.

Read also: Why Tokenized Stocks are the New Trend

Conclusion

Franklin Crypto shows how seriously large asset managers are now taking active crypto strategies, not just passive exposure through funds or trusts. 

By acquiring 250 Digital, bringing in experienced leadership in Christopher Perkins and Seth Ginns, and settling part of the deal with BENJI tokens, Franklin Templeton has tied its tokenization work directly into a live institutional crypto business. 

For individual investors who want to follow a similar approach on a smaller scale, opening an account on Bitrue offers an easier and safer way to trade crypto and tokenized stocks, track price movements, and manage a portfolio that spans both markets from one place.

FAQ

What is Franklin Crypto?

Franklin Crypto is Franklin Templeton's new institutional digital asset division, launched after the firm completed its acquisition of 250 Digital.

Who leads Franklin Crypto?

Christopher Perkins leads the division, with Seth Ginns serving as chief investment officer, alongside Franklin Templeton digital assets executive Tony Pecore.

What was 250 Digital?

250 Digital was a crypto investment firm spun out of CoinFund in January 2026, focused on actively managed liquid crypto strategies.

How was the 250 Digital deal paid for?

Part of the acquisition was settled using BENJI tokens, the on chain representation of Franklin Templeton's tokenized US Government Money Fund.

Does Franklin Templeton manage other digital asset products?

Yes. Alongside Franklin Crypto, the firm runs spot crypto exchange traded funds, tokenized fund products, and partnerships such as its work with Ondo Finance and MoonPay.

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