Franklin Templeton is expanding its digital asset push through a new partnership with MoonPay, allowing institutional investors to move between stablecoins and the asset manager's tokenized money market fund entirely onchain. The integration connects Franklin Templeton's Benji Technology Platform with MoonPay Trade's infrastructure, enabling eligible institutions to exchange supported stablecoins for yield-generating exposure and back again without leaving blockchain networks.
This move comes as the $1.74 trillion asset manager deepens its crypto commitment. In April, Franklin Templeton announced the launch of Franklin Crypto, a dedicated digital asset division anchored by the acquisition of crypto investment firm 250 Digital. The new unit will focus on active crypto strategies while the firm continues building tokenized versions of traditional financial products.
Sandy Kaul, Franklin Templeton's head of innovation and digital assets, said 2026 is 'the year of the universal liquidity layer,' where stablecoins, tokenized funds and digital money become interoperable across trading, lending and collateral applications. She highlighted the ability for institutions to move stablecoin balances into tokenized money market funds and earn yield around the clock, noting 'we trade 24/7 in the crypto markets.'
Unlike traditional money market funds that require investors to hold through end-of-day to earn interest, tokenized funds distribute yield based on precise holding periods. Kaul said institutional demand for this functionality has been 'tremendous.' The partnership also marks MoonPay's expansion beyond crypto trading into tokenized real-world assets, an area attracting growing interest from traditional finance.