HashKey Exchange Partners with Franklin Templeton to Launch Tokenized U.S. Government Money Market Fund in Asia

HashKey Exchange and Franklin Templeton have entered a strategic collaboration to distribute the Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Liquidity Fund (grBENJI) to digital asset investors in Asia. This move signals a significant shift for fintech professionals, as it integrates a major global asset manager’s tokenized product into a regulated Asian digital asset ecosystem.

What was announced

The collaboration centers on the launch of the Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Liquidity Fund, known by the ticker grBENJI, on the HashKey Exchange Earn Channel. Scheduled to commence on August 24, 2026, the initiative provides eligible digital asset investors with access to a fund that invests primarily in U.S. government money market instruments and U.S. dollar cash assets. The fund utilizes blockchain-enabled infrastructure to facilitate these investments.

The partnership is designed to cater to the growing demand among institutional and professional investors for yield-generating instruments backed by real-world assets (RWA). By utilizing HashKey’s regulated digital asset infrastructure, Franklin Templeton is expanding the reach of its tokenized fund solutions into Asian markets. The collaboration aims to provide enhanced transparency, security, and cost efficiency through blockchain technology. Beyond the initial launch of grBENJI, both entities have expressed an intent to explore further opportunities to expand access to tokenized products across various markets and asset classes, leveraging HashKey’s multijurisdictional presence which includes Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Dubai, and Bermuda.

"Partnering with a global asset management leader like Franklin Templeton marks a monumental milestone for HashKey Exchange and the broader Asian digital asset landscape. By bringing the Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Liquidity Fund (grBENJI) onto our Earn channel, we are directly addressing the surging institutional demand for compliant, real-world asset (RWA) yield solutions. This collaboration bridges the gap between traditional finance and secure, regulated on-chain infrastructure, setting a new benchmark for transparency and capital market innovation across the region."

Haiyang Ru, CEO of HashKey Exchange BG.

The companies involved

HashKey Exchange is a licensed trading platform and a core component of HashKey Holdings Limited (3887.HK), a prominent comprehensive digital asset company based in Asia. The exchange operates within a regulated framework, providing infrastructure for the trading and management of digital assets. Its parent company, HashKey Holdings, is a major player in the Asian fintech sector, focusing on bridging the gap between traditional financial markets and the emerging digital economy.

Franklin Templeton is a globally recognized asset manager, operating under its parent organization Franklin Resources, Inc. With decades of investment expertise, the firm has increasingly focused on digital asset innovation. It has established itself as a leader in the tokenization space, seeking to modernize traditional financial products through blockchain integration. The firm’s strategy involves tapping into digital-native banking and wealth platforms to broaden the distribution of its investment products. The collaboration with HashKey allows Franklin Templeton to leverage a regulated gateway to reach a rapidly expanding client base of institutional investors in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely followed Franklin Templeton’s aggressive expansion into the digital asset and blockchain sectors. We recently covered how Franklin Templeton Revamps Global Leadership to Drive ETF Growth and Asia Pacific Expansion, a move that clearly signaled the firm's intent to capture market share in the region. Furthermore, the firm’s commitment to blockchain infrastructure was highlighted when Franklin Templeton Becomes Largest Asset Manager to Join Canton Network as Super Validator, demonstrating its role in securing and validating decentralized networks. These developments coincide with broader industry trends we have tracked, such as when Ripple Invests in Licuido to Scale XRPL Tokenization and Unlock $10 Trillion in Idle Assets, underscoring the massive scale of the tokenization opportunity.

What this means

This announcement moves the needle by validating the institutional appetite for "on-chain" versions of safe-haven assets. By placing a U.S. Government money market fund on a regulated Asian exchange, the industry is seeing a direct challenge to traditional brokerage models. Traditional custodians and distributors are under increasing pressure to adapt as asset managers bypass legacy rails in favor of blockchain-native distribution. The move raises critical questions for the sector regarding jurisdictional arbitrage: as firms like HashKey operate across Singapore, Hong Kong, and Dubai, the industry must watch how regulators harmonize rules for cross-border tokenized fund distribution. This partnership confirms that the "Real World Asset" trend is no longer theoretical but a core distribution strategy for the world's largest capital managers.