Asset manager enables institutional investors to exchange stablecoins for tokenized money market fund exposure entirely onchain
Franklin Templeton is integrating its Benji Technology Platform with MoonPay Trade to allow institutional investors to move directly between supported stablecoins and the firm’s tokenized money market fund without leaving blockchain networks.
The integration marks an expansion of Franklin Templeton’s digital asset strategy beyond tokenized money market funds into broader tokenized real-world assets. The $1.74 trillion asset manager announced plans in April 2026 to launch Franklin Crypto, a new cryptocurrency division, alongside its acquisition of 250 Digital, a crypto investment firm.
Sandy Kaul, head of innovation and digital assets at Franklin Templeton, framed the partnership as part of a broader shift in institutional crypto infrastructure. “The year of the universal liquidity layer,” Kaul said, describing how onchain systems are reshaping access to yield-generating assets.
MoonPay Trade, the infrastructure component of crypto trading and payments platform MoonPay, provides the trading rails for the exchange. The partnership allows eligible institutions to swap stablecoins for tokenized money market fund exposure while maintaining full custody on blockchain networks.
Tokenized money market funds offer a structural advantage over traditional equivalents: they can distribute yield based on the precise period an investor holds the asset, rather than requiring investors to hold through the end of a trading day to receive distributions. This precision enables more efficient capital deployment for institutions managing large positions.
Kaul emphasized the 24/7 operational nature of crypto markets as a driver for the partnership. “We trade 24/7 in the crypto markets,” Kaul said, highlighting a key difference from traditional finance infrastructure that operates on fixed market hours.
Demand for this infrastructure has been substantial. “We had tremendous demand for this,” Kaul noted, indicating institutional interest in onchain yield mechanisms and stablecoin liquidity solutions.
The integration reflects a broader institutional adoption trend in tokenized finance. By removing the friction of moving between stablecoin holdings and yield-bearing assets, Franklin Templeton and MoonPay are lowering barriers to entry for institutions seeking to participate in onchain markets without intermediaries.
Franklin Templeton did not specify which stablecoins are supported in the integration or define eligibility criteria for participating institutions. The firm also did not disclose the yield rate, terms, or launch date for the partnership.
