Franklin Templeton, the global investment manager overseeing roughly $1.6 trillion in assets, has expanded its Benji Technology Platform to the BNB Chain. The integration aims to bring tokenized financial products into a blockchain ecosystem known for low costs, high throughput, and fast settlement.
Key Takeaways
- Franklin Templeton has integrated its Benji Technology Platform with BNB Chain to enhance access to tokenized financial products.
- The Benji platform now supports Intraday Yield, enabling investors to earn interest calculated by the second.
- BNB Chain offers a purpose-built ecosystem for real-world asset tokenization, including scalability and compliance features.
- The global tokenized real-world asset (RWA) market recently surpassed $30 billion in value, showing strong sector growth.
What Happened?
Franklin Templeton has extended the reach of its Benji Technology Platform by integrating it with the BNB Chain, a blockchain network optimized for real-world asset tokenization. The move enhances the firm’s blockchain presence and provides broader access to tokenized money market funds and securities for both institutional and retail investors.
This comes shortly after the introduction of Intraday Yield, a feature that calculates yield based on the exact time an asset is held. Combined with BNB Chain’s fast and low-cost environment, the integration positions Benji as a powerful player in the evolving DeFi ecosystem.
🔓New chain unlocked. The Benji Technology Platform is now live and integrated on @BNBCHAIN! pic.twitter.com/xpZvAisPMo
— Franklin Templeton Digital Assets (@FTDA_US) September 24, 2025
Benji’s Blockchain Footprint Expands
Benji is Franklin Templeton’s proprietary tech stack that enables the issuance, administration, and trading of tokenized real-world assets. It powers offerings such as the Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund (BENJI), which tokenizes U.S. Treasuries and similar securities. Launched in 2021, the platform was behind the first U.S.-registered mutual fund to use blockchain for recordkeeping and transactions.
Today, Benji spans across eight blockchains, including Stellar, Ethereum, Arbitrum, and Solana, and holds approximately $731.8 million in on-chain assets, with $467 million on Stellar alone. According to data from RWA.xyz, it is the third-largest tokenized U.S. Treasury fund, following BlackRock’s BUIDL fund, which holds over $2.1 billion on-chain.
Why BNB Chain?
By bringing Benji to BNB Chain, Franklin Templeton gains access to a blockchain known for:
- Low transaction fees
- Fast settlement finality
- High throughput for scalable operations
- Built-in compliance and audit tools
Sarah Song, head of business development at BNB Chain, said:
Roger Bayston, head of digital assets at Franklin Templeton, added:
Intraday Yield Adds DeFi Flexibility
A major innovation of Benji is its Intraday Yield feature, launched in June 2025. Traditional money market funds calculate and distribute yields daily or longer, but Benji now allows second-by-second precision, giving investors pro-rata returns based on exact holding times.
This makes tokenized funds far more composable and flexible within decentralized finance (DeFi), allowing investors and protocols to move capital without sacrificing fair yield calculations.
Tokenization Trends Show Acceleration
Franklin Templeton’s move mirrors a broader industry trend. The global on-chain tokenized RWA market has now surpassed $30.42 billion, nearly double its size from January 2025. There are currently over 400,880 individual holders globally.
BNB Chain alone hosts over $542 million in tokenized RWAs, ranking eighth globally. Meanwhile, BNB’s native token recently crossed the $1,000 mark, currently trading at $1,015, and touched $1,079 just days ago.
Even with rising holders, total monthly RWA transfers dropped by more than 20% in the last 30 days to $63.18 billion, showing a deceleration in trading activity. However, stablecoins, which support liquidity in DeFi, saw over 6% growth, reaching $286.4 billion in circulation and 192 million holders.
CoinLaw’s Takeaway
In my experience, Franklin Templeton’s decision to integrate Benji with BNB Chain signals a clear shift: tokenized finance is no longer a side project for institutions. It’s becoming core strategy. What stands out to me is the combination of speed, accessibility, and compliance that BNB Chain offers. It’s not just about building the tech anymore, it’s about meeting users where they already are.
I found the Intraday Yield feature to be one of the most compelling upgrades to the tokenized asset space. The ability to calculate and distribute yields precisely, down to the second, removes a massive friction point in DeFi strategies. This kind of innovation is what will push real-world adoption forward.
