We are excited to announce a strategic collaboration with Franklin Templeton, a global investment manager and leader in digital asset innovation, to integrate traditional financial products on-chain and expand their utility in digital asset markets.
The program combines Franklin Templeton’s global expertise in asset management and tokenization with our crypto-native trading, custody, and on-chain infrastructure. Covering tokenized equities, qualified custody, actively managed yield products, and direct access to institutional crypto liquidity via Kraken’s OTC and Prime services, it is one of the clearest demonstrations to date of how traditional finance and digital asset markets are converging in practice.
Tokenization is at the heart of collaboration. Our xStocks framework – which has processed over $30 billion in volume since its launch in 2025 – will explore the launch of new actively managed investments on-chain with Franklin Templeton, making strategies from one of the world’s largest asset managers tradable on-chain.
We will work with Franklin Templeton on the launch of yield-focused tokenized products available to institutional clients and, where permitted, to our broader user base. These products will be designed to deliver professionally managed strategies with transparency, flexibility and programmability.
Arjun Sethi, co-CEO of Payward and Kraken: “Payward and Franklin Templeton are moving toward a financial model in which the distinction between traditional assets and digital infrastructure no longer exists. The convergence between these two worlds will only deepen, and collaborations like this unlock a new class of products that would not have been possible just three years ago: assets that carry the decades-old credibility of managers and the programmability of digital infrastructure.”
Alongside these programs, we will work to integrate BENJI into the platform for a variety of institutional use cases to improve utility and capital efficiency in digital markets.
Sandy Kaul, Head of Digital Assets and Innovation at Franklin Templeton: “The focus should be on making on-chain assets more functional for all market participants once they are there. By expanding the utility of BENJI and exploring new tokenized products, our work with Payward reflects the growing need to serve both digitally native and institutional clients with solutions designed for the way capital increasingly moves on-chain.”
Franklin Templeton is a pioneer in digital asset investing and blockchain innovation, combining tokenomics research, data science, and technical expertise to deliver cutting-edge solutions since 2018. Learn more about Franklin Templeton Digital Assets.
Tokenized products are created and distributed by Payward. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult legal, tax and financial advisors before considering any investment in tokenized assets.
Product availability may vary by jurisdiction. Geographic restrictions apply. See Kraken Terms of Service to determine which legal entity you are dealing with, based on your location.
Franklin Templeton manages strategies relating to tokenized investments, but does not issue, distribute, promote or endorse tokenization platforms or tokenized versions of its strategies.
There are risks related to the operational reliability or financial stability of tokenization platforms, as well as additional risks, including the accuracy of pricing, settlement or redemption processes. Blockchain infrastructure represents a new and rapidly evolving industry subject to regulatory uncertainty, competitive pressures, security risks, limited performance history, and volatility.
Contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the expected benefits of collaboration, the development and launch of tokenized products, the integration of BENJI and the expansion of services. These statements reflect current expectations and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including changes in regulatory requirements, market conditions and technological developments. Neither Payward nor Franklin Templeton undertakes any obligation to update these statements.
Products, services and information may not be available in all jurisdictions and are offered by FT subsidiaries and/or their distributors to the extent permitted by local law.
