Binance, Franklin Templeton partner to build digital asset products

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, and Franklin Templeton, a global investment manager with $1.6 trillion in assets under management, have announced a new partnership to develop digital asset initiatives and products designed for a wide range of investors.

The collaboration, unveiled on Thursday in Johannesburg, will combine Franklin Templeton’s expertise in tokenization of securities with Binance’s trading infrastructure and global reach. Both firms said the goal is to create solutions that enhance efficiency, transparency and accessibility in capital markets, while offering competitive yield generation and settlement speed.

“As these tools and technologies evolve from the fringes to the financial mainstream, partnerships like this one will be essential to accelerating adoption,” said Sandy Kaul, Executive Vice President and Head of Innovation at Franklin Templeton. “We see blockchain not as a threat to legacy systems, but as an opportunity to reimagine them.”

Roger Bayston, Franklin Templeton’s Head of Digital Assets, added that the initiative aims to move tokenization “from concept to practice,” helping clients achieve efficiencies in areas such as settlement, collateral management, and portfolio construction.

Binance said the partnership underscores its commitment to bridging the gap between cryptocurrency and traditional finance. “Our collaboration with Franklin Templeton to develop new products and initiatives furthers our commitment to open up greater possibilities for investors,” said Catherine Chen, Binance’s Head of VIP & Institutional.

The partnership will focus on building institutional-grade solutions through blockchain that merge the scale of traditional finance with the accessibility of decentralized markets.