Franklin Templeton gets regulatory approval to launch a tokenized fund in Singapore

Franklin Templeton gets the regulatory green light to launch its first tokenized fund in Singapore. The fund boasts a $20 investment minimum for retail investors.

According to a report from Tech in Asia, the U.S.-based global investment management firm is gearing up to launch the first tokenized fund available to retail investors in Singapore. The firm has recently received regulatory approval from the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the nation’s financial watchdog.

Shares from the tokenized fund will be issued and managed through the investment firm’s blockchain-integrated transfer agency platform. The report did not mention exactly when the fund will be launched, but it did name the fund as the Franklin On-Chain U.S. Dollar Short-Term Money Market Fund.

The company is currently targeting retail investors with their tokenized fund. The fund’s minimum investment requirement stands at $20, which highlights the company’s strategy to democratize investment tools by lowering the investment bar.

Compared to other investment funds it has a relatively low investment minimum, like VanEck’s recently launched tokenized U.S. Treasury fund VBILL’s minimum investment requirement is $100,000 for most blockchains and $1 million for Ethereum (ETH).

The fund is set to be launched some time in the next few months. Franklin Templeton has declared that it plans to explore blockchain and tokenization technology in the asset management field to meet investors’ demand for innovative financial products.

A joint report published by Ripple (XRP) and Boston Consulting Group estimated that the global asset tokenization market has the potential to hit $18.9 trillion by 2033. Meanwhile, in 2025 the market size for tokenized asset stands at $600 billion.

Most recently, Franklin Templeton tapped the Arbitrum Foundation to tokenize their U.S. Treasury offerings. So far, the ArbitrumDAO has approved 35% to Franklin Templeton’s FOBXX, which will be tokenized as BENJI.

“By leveraging Arbitrum’s leading Layer 2 technology, we are able to deliver faster, more scalable, and cost-efficient solutions to our clients,” said Head of Digital Assets at Franklin Templeton, Roger Bayston.