November 06, 2025
By Our Correspondent
Franklin Templeton, one of the world’s largest global investment managers, has introduced the Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund —a tokenized USD money market fund designed for professional investors in Hong Kong.
Leveraging Franklin Templeton’s proprietary blockchain-recordkeeping system, the Fund provides investors with enhanced transparency, security, accessibility, speed, and cost efficiency enabled by blockchain technology. Its objective is to deliver a high level of current income while preserving capital and maintaining liquidity. The Fund is yield-bearing, generating income through investments in high-quality, short-term U.S. government securities.
This launch marks a first on multiple fronts: it is the inaugural Luxembourg-registered tokenized UCITS money market fund natively issued on blockchain available to institutional and professional investors in Hong Kong, and the first end-to-end tokenized solution introduced by an asset manager locally. The offering integrates blockchain-native issuance, distribution, and servicing.
“We are excited to introduce our first tokenized money market fund in Hong Kong for professional investors,” said Tariq Ahmad, Head of APAC, Franklin Templeton. “This launch reflects our commitment to delivering innovative investment solutions that address the needs of modern investors by expanding access to tokenized products in this dynamic market. Looking ahead, we aim to offer a retail-approved tokenized fund, subject to SFC approval, as part of our broader efforts to democratize access to investment solutions and foster a vibrant digital assets ecosystem in the region.”
Franklin Templeton has been an active participant in the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA)’s Project Ensemble since 2024. Working alongside HSBC and OSL, the firm explored a hypothetical use case in which gBENJI—the token of the Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund—serves as the on-chain fund token delivering yield to investors. The pilot demonstrated how HSBC’s tokenized deposits could facilitate investment flows for OSL’s customers. This initiative underscores the potential of tokenized funds and digital infrastructure to enhance efficiency, transparency, interoperability, and investor experience. As Project Ensemble enters its pilot phase to enable real-value transactions involving tokenized deposits and assets, Franklin Templeton plans to continue its collaboration and support the development of Hong Kong’s tokenization ecosystem.
“Hong Kong is becoming an institutionally trusted hub for digital assets,” said Brian Chen, Head of OSL Wealth Management. “OSL has been supporting innovative tokenized products since inception. We look forward to bringing Franklin Templeton’s flagship tokenized product to Hong Kong’s professional investors. Our collaboration reflects our shared vision for secure and transparent digital asset solutions for Hong Kong’s digital asset generations.”
Sandy Kaul, Head of Innovation, Franklin Templeton, added: “As an early pioneer in the digital assets space, we are committed to leveraging our deep expertise and next-generation technology through the Benji Technology Platform to lower barriers to investment and broaden access for investors. With growing interest in tokenized financial products, we look forward to collaborating with a wider range of distributors—from traditional institutions to Web3-native platforms—to accelerate the tokenization revolution and help shape the future of investing.”
Franklin Templeton has been actively engaged in the digital asset ecosystem since 2018, developing blockchain-based technology, building investment strategies, and operating node validators. Its proprietary Benji Technology Platform enables trading, management, and administration of token-based investments and is available as a white-label solution for banks and asset managers. Using this platform, Franklin Templeton launched the world’s first U.S.-registered mutual fund using blockchain technology in 2021, the first fully tokenized UCITS fund in Luxembourg in 2024, and the first retail tokenized fund in Singapore in 2025.
