Franklin Templeton, one of the world’s largest investment managers and a pioneer in digital asset technology, has announced its collaboration with DBS Bank, Southeast Asia’s largest bank, to launch Singapore’s first money market fund with a tokenised register — the Franklin Onchain U.S. Dollar Short-Term Money Market Fund (the “Fund”). The Fund has received approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to be offered as an authorised scheme. It is now available to DBS’ wealth clients and accredited investors through the bank’s relationship managers, with retail access expected in the first quarter of 2026. By enabling fractional ownership and lowering minimum investment thresholds, tokenised funds have the potential to democratise access to high-quality, blockchain-integrated investment strategies. Investors will be able to access the Fund with a minimum investment of $20. The Fund utilises Franklin Templeton's proprietary Benji Technology Platform for blockchain-integrated recordkeeping, offering investors enhanced transparency through real-time fund data, improved liquidity, daily yield accrual, and greater accessibility — benefits made possible through blockchain technology. The blockchain’s decentralised, tamper-proof system also ensures secure, transparent investment tracking. Time-tested and tech-enabled The tokenised fund mirrors the strategy of the Luxembourg-domiciled FTIF Franklin U.S. Dollar Short-Term Money Market Fund, which has delivered over 30 years of trusted performance. The newly launched tokenised fund brings this established approach to a blockchain-enabled platform, providing access to high-quality, short-term dollar assets enhanced by the speed, transparency, and efficiency of blockchain. Investors can enjoy liquidity, stability, and competitive returns by investing in the tokenised money market fund. By combining DBS’ robust digital infrastructure and extensive presence in Singapore with Franklin Templeton’s global expertise in tokenised assets, the collaboration aims to broaden investor access to tokenised funds and advance financial inclusion through innovative investment solutions. Tariq Ahmad, head of APAC at Franklin Templeton, said: “As investor interest in tokenised funds and digital assets continues to accelerate, we are excited to collaborate with DBS, Singapore’s largest bank, to bring this tokenised fund to the retail market. This collaboration reflects our shared commitment to digital innovation and underscores our commitment to empowering investors with secure, transparent and cutting-edge investment solutions. As an active industry partner of Project Guardian, led by the MAS, we are proud to contribute to the development of a vibrant and forward-looking digital asset ecosystem in Singapore.” James Tan, group head of investment products and advisory at DBS Bank, said: “Tokenisation is reshaping the way people invest, and we want to make sure these benefits extend beyond institutional investors. By availing Singapore’s first tokenised retail fund to our customers, at a minimum investment sum of just $20, we are making it simpler and more convenient for them to start investing and build resilience through market cycles. As we continue to innovate, we are focused on making investing simpler and more inclusive for everyone.” Chetan Karkhanis, senior vice president, digital assets partnership development at Franklin Templeton, said: “This is an exciting step in our continued journey to make digital assets more accessible to investors. By introducing tokenised fund access to retail investors in Singapore, we are demonstrating how blockchain technology can enhance operational efficiency, enable fractional ownership, and improve transparency across the investment lifecycle. This initiative aligns with our broader strategy to integrate blockchain-enabled capabilities into traditional asset management and support the evolution of Asia’s digital financial infrastructure.” Franklin Templeton has been an active participant in the digital asset ecosystem since 2018, developing blockchain-based technology solutions, creating a diverse range of investment strategies, and operating node validators. The Benji Technology Platform is Franklin Templeton’s proprietary blockchain-integrated stack, designed to facilitate trading, management, and administration of token-based investments. The platform is available as a white-label technology for banks or asset managers to tokenise securities, or via one of several tokenised money market funds launched by Franklin Templeton, fully on-chain, that support a wide range of global client needs across retail, wealth, institutional, bank, and collateral use cases. Using this platform, Franklin Templeton launched the world’s first U.S.-registered mutual fund in 2021 using blockchain-integrated technology to process transactions and record share ownership. In 2024, the firm leveraged the Benji Technology Platform to launch the first fully tokenised UCITS fund in Luxembourg, and in 2025 launched the first retail tokenised fund in Singapore.
