DigiFT, a regulated digital asset exchange for institutional-grade real-world assets, and Franklin Templeton, a global investment manager, have today announced a long-term strategic partnership to make the Benji Technology Platform and its related tokenization products available to accredited and institutional investors through DigiFT’s platform.

The Benji Technology Platform is Franklin Templeton’s proprietary blockchain-enabled recordkeeping and transfer agency infrastructure designed to support tokenized investment strategies across both retail and institutional channels.

DigiFT holds capital markets services and recognised market operator licences from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) — a regulatory standing that makes DigiFT specifically authorised to distribute regulated securities tokens to institutional investors in Singapore.

The collaboration is grounded in a shared early commitment to institutional tokenization, according to a joint statement. DigiFT will serve as a key distributor across Asia, with both organisations committed to expanding the scope of their work together over time.

Franklin Templeton launched the first US-registered mutual fund to use a public blockchain to process transactions and record share ownership in 2021. DigiFT has built regulated platforms in Asia for institutional tokenized asset distribution — holding licences in both Singapore and Hong Kong, including Type 1 and Type 4 licences from the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong.

Henry Zhang, founder and group CEO of DigiFT, said: “DigiFT was built with a specific conviction: that institutional investors deserve access to the world’s best on-chain financial instruments, through a platform that meets the regulatory standard they require.”

Chetan Karkhanis, SVP, digital asset partnership development at Franklin Templeton, said: “The partners we choose reflect our long-term commitment, not just our near-term distribution objectives towards bringing the benefits of blockchain and tokenization to the industry.”

“DigiFT’s leadership and innovative edge, together with the institutional infrastructure they have built, provides a strong foundation for this partnership. This marks the beginning of what we expect to be an expanding and enduring collaboration.”