Franklin Templeton's Digital Leap
Franklin Templeton Launches Franklin Crypto, Integrating 250 Digital for Active Digital Asset Management
Key Points
The deal closed on June 22, 2026, finalizing the acquisition announced on April 1, 2026, and establishing Franklin Crypto as Franklin Templeton's dedicated active digital asset management division.
Franklin Templeton has been pursuing blockchain initiatives since 2018, including launching one of the first U.S.-registered funds to use public blockchains for transactions and share ownership.
Christopher Perkins and Seth Ginns join Franklin Crypto from CoinFund, bringing industry recognition and crypto-investment pedigree to the new unit.
Franklin Templeton maintains a digital asset research unit and has been active in filing digital asset products with regulators, signaling ongoing regulatory engagement.
The financial terms of the 250 Digital acquisition have not been disclosed.
Franklin Templeton closed its acquisition of 250 Digital on June 22, 2026, and immediately launched Franklin Crypto, a new division built to offer actively managed cryptocurrency strategies to institutional investors. The deal brings the full investment team from 250 Digital — spun out of crypto firm CoinFund — into a company that manages $1.78 trillion in assets, according to Bitcoin Magazine.
Christopher Perkins, formerly President of CoinFund, will lead Franklin Crypto as Head of the division. Seth Ginns, who ran liquid token strategies at CoinFund, joins as Chief Investment Officer. Both report to Sandy Kaul, Franklin Templeton's Head of Innovation, Crypto Times reported.
From Bitcoin ETFs to Active Crypto Management
Franklin Templeton has been building toward this moment for years. The firm started blockchain research in 2018. In 2021, it launched FOBXX, the first U.S.-registered fund to use a public blockchain to process transactions and record share ownership. In January 2024, it entered the spot Bitcoin ETF race alongside BlackRock and Fidelity, according to The Defiant.
But ETF fees have been squeezed close to zero as competition grew. Franklin Templeton is now betting that the real opportunity lies in active management — picking tokens the way stock managers pick stocks. "The era of passive crypto holding is evolving," Perkins said at the June 22 launch event. "Institutional clients now demand the same rigorous, active management for digital assets that they expect in equities and fixed income."
250 Digital Deal Targets Pensions and Sovereign Wealth Funds
Franklin Templeton announced the 250 Digital deal on April 1, 2026, and closed it exactly 82 days later. The financial terms were not disclosed. Franklin Templeton has committed its own capital to the liquid crypto strategies the new team will manage, signaling confidence in the approach, according to Crypto News.
The target clients are pensions, endowments, and sovereign wealth funds — large institutions that were previously hesitant to work with smaller, crypto-only firms. Sandy Kaul said the deal gives those clients "a regulated, institutional-grade wrapper around the most sophisticated crypto strategies in the world." Franklin Templeton operates in more than 35 countries, giving Franklin Crypto immediate global reach, WEEX reported.
CoinFund Team Brings Crypto-Native Track Record
250 Digital was spun out of CoinFund in 2026. CoinFund built a reputation in liquid token investing — buying and trading cryptocurrencies the way hedge funds trade stocks. By acquiring 250 Digital, Franklin Templeton avoided building a crypto research team from scratch. It bought one with an existing track record, Bitcoin Magazine reported.
Tony Pecore, a Franklin Templeton veteran in digital assets, also joins the Franklin Crypto leadership team. He provides a link between the new crypto unit and the firm's broader research operation, which includes more than 1,300 investment professionals worldwide. Some in the crypto community have raised concerns that placing the CoinFund team inside a $1.78 trillion firm could lead to more conservative strategies that miss the high-risk opportunities crypto is known for.
Big Asset Managers Race to Build Institutional Crypto Arms
Franklin Templeton's move fits a broader pattern. Large asset managers — including BlackRock, Fidelity, and State Street — are all building or expanding crypto offerings as institutional demand grows. Regulations in Europe, including the MiCA framework, are making it easier for global managers to offer digital asset products to clients outside the U.S., according to The Defiant.
Franklin Crypto's launch could trigger a talent war between traditional finance firms and crypto-native funds. Industry analysts expect a wave of similar acquisitions as large managers conclude they cannot build crypto-native research teams fast enough on their own. Franklin Templeton's next steps are expected to include actively managed crypto funds and potentially tokenized private equity products built on the same blockchain rails as its FOBXX money market fund, Crypto Times reported.
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