Key Takeaways:
- BNB Chain now hosts $1.5 billion of Franklin Templeton Benji platform assets
- BNB Chain's share jumped 1,226% in one month to 61.71% of total
- Stellar fell to second place with $573 million after leading since 2021
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Franklin Templeton shifts $1.5B in Benji assets to BNB Chain in tokenization push
Franklin Templeton's Benji tokenization platform shifted $1.5 billion in assets to BNB Chain, giving the network 61.71% of the platform's total distributed value.
RWA.xyz data shows BNB Chain holdings surged 1,226% over the past month, vaulting past Stellar, which previously held the largest share with about $573.4 million, or 23.76% of the total.
Ethereum holds about $159.1 million, or 6.48%, followed by Base, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Polygon and Aptos with smaller allocations. The broader Benji platform tracks about $2.44 billion in distributed assets, according to RWA.xyz, while the standalone BENJI tokenized money market fund accounts for roughly $734.3 million.
The shift marks a sharp realignment in how the world's largest asset managers distribute tokenized products. Franklin Templeton launched the first U.S.-registered mutual fund using public blockchain on Stellar in 2021, but has since expanded across multiple networks, including a Binance partnership allowing institutions to use tokenized money market fund shares as off-exchange collateral.
Franklin Templeton has been expanding its blockchain strategy beyond Stellar since 2024. The firm added BENJI to MoonPay Trade in June, enabling eligible institutional clients to move between stablecoins and tokenized fund products through an on-chain trading system. A separate partnership with Kraken parent Payward integrates BENJI as a collateral and cash management tool, with plans for more tokenized investment products.
The asset manager has also worked with Ondo Finance on tokenized ETFs designed for round-the-clock wallet-based trading outside the United States. Roger Bayston, Franklin Templeton's head of digital assets, said the firm aims to "meet more investors where they're active," according to a statement on the BNB Chain integration.
The BNB Chain milestone comes as tokenization gains broader institutional traction. DTCC completed its first live production trades involving tokenized securities this week, a sign that major financial institutions are moving blockchain technology beyond pilot projects. CEX trading volumes rose for the first time in five months in June, with spot climbing 15.3% to $1.11 trillion and RWA perpetual volumes surging to a record $311 billion, according to The Block data.
For BNB Chain, hosting $1.5 billion in Franklin Templeton assets confirms its infrastructure for handling large-scale regulated financial products. The network now leads all blockchains in Benji platform distribution, a position Stellar held since the fund's 2021 launch.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
