Asset management giant Franklin Templeton (managing approximately $1.6 trillion) has announced the integration of its Benji technology platform with the BNB Chain, aiming to deliver tokenized financial products to a broader investor base by utilizing the chain's low cost and high finality.
Platform Migration and Strategic Intent
Benji is Franklin Templeton's blockchain-integrated technology stack that handles trading, management, and administration of tokenized investments, bridging on-chain plumbing with familiar operations. The firm stated that this migration is about “going where users are” without sacrificing controls. Since launching the first U.S.-registered mutual fund to use blockchain for transactions and share records in 2021, Franklin Templeton has rolled out on-chain products across retail, wealth, institutional, and banking use cases.
Executive Commentary and Compliance Commitment
“Our goal is to meet more investors where they’re active, while pushing the boundaries of tokenization with security and compliance at the forefront,” said Roger Bayston, head of digital assets at Franklin Templeton. He added: “Together, Franklin Templeton and BNB Chain will work to deliver tokenized assets with greater utility.” Sarah Song, head of business development at BNB Chain, emphasized: “BNB Chain has a purpose-built environment issuers can’t find elsewhere,” arguing that the collaboration demonstrates the network's capacity to shoulder regulated products at scale.
Tokenization Landscape and Market Context
BNB Chain is positioning itself as a venue for real-world assets (RWAs), including money market funds, credit instruments, and public equities. Its pitch centers on fast settlement, low fees, and data tooling for issuers requiring auditability. For Franklin Templeton, the mix aims to streamline distribution while keeping risk teams comfortable. Tokenization advocates view this as a step toward fund rails that operate as seamlessly as mobile apps.
As of press time on September 24, 2025, the native token BNB was trading around $1,016, up 18% against the U.S. dollar this month. Three days earlier, on September 21, it reached $1,079, roughly 5% below its all-time high.