Franklin Templeton Launches Dedicated Crypto Arm for Institutional Investors

Franklin Templeton has completed its acquisition of 250 Digital and formally established Franklin Crypto, a dedicated active digital asset management division aimed at institutional investors. The move, finalized on June 22, 2026, brings the full 250 Digital investment team and all liquid cryptocurrency strategies previously run by Coinfund under Franklin Templeton’s umbrella. The firm has committed to investing in these strategies as part of the agreement.

Christopher Perkins, a veteran of the crypto industry, will serve as Head of Franklin Crypto. Seth Ginns, also from the 250 Digital team, takes the role of Chief Investment Officer. They will work alongside Tony Pecore, an investment veteran from Franklin Templeton Digital Assets. The division reports to Sandy Kaul, Head of Innovation at Franklin Templeton.

Franklin Crypto is positioned to offer institutional clients actively managed cryptocurrency strategies, combining the former 250 Digital investment team’s expertise with Franklin Templeton’s global distribution reach. The division builds on an existing digital asset unit within Franklin Templeton that already handles fundamental research, active portfolio construction, and institutional risk oversight.

With $1.78 trillion in assets under management as of May 31, 2026, and operations in over 35 countries, Franklin Templeton’s scale gives Franklin Crypto an immediate distribution advantage that most crypto-native firms cannot replicate. For institutional investors who have been cautious about crypto exposure, a firm with Franklin Templeton’s track record and infrastructure offers a different entry point than dealing with a smaller crypto-only manager.

The combination of Perkins and Ginns, both known inside the industry from their Coinfund work, and a firm with nearly eight decades of investment management history, is a pairing institutions have generally not had access to in this form. Franklin Templeton has been building toward this for some time, maintaining a digital asset research unit and actively filing for digital asset products with regulators. The formal creation of Franklin Crypto signals that the firm is moving beyond exploratory positioning and into dedicated active management.

For the crypto industry, the move adds another major traditional asset manager to the list of firms building out institutional-grade digital asset offerings, a list that has grown steadily as institutional demand for regulated, professionally managed crypto exposure has increased.

Source: https://news.bitcoin.com/franklin-templeton-builds-active-crypto-arm-to-chase-institutional-money/