Franklin Templeton SVP to Keynote Global Onchain Summit 2026
1h ago|4 min readStandard
Fazen Markets Editorial Desk
Collective editorial team · methodology
franklin-templetonblockchain
Fazen Markets Editorial Desk
Collective editorial team · methodology
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Franklin Templeton Senior Vice President Chetan Karkhanis is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at the Global Onchain Summit in Singapore on June 22, 2026. The announcement was made on June 20, 2026, via a financial news wire. Karkhanis leads digital asset strategy for one of the world's largest asset managers, which currently oversees over $1.6 trillion in assets under management.
Financial institutions are accelerating the integration of blockchain technology into core operations. The Monetary Authority of Singapore has positioned the city-state as a global hub for digital asset innovation, hosting major industry events to foster development. Regulatory clarity in key jurisdictions like the EU with MiCA and Hong Kong’s licensing regime has provided the framework for traditional finance giants to deploy capital.
Franklin Templeton itself is a pioneer, having launched the first U.S.-registered mutual fund to record share ownership on a public blockchain in 2021. The firm has since expanded its onchain offerings, including a tokenized U.S. Treasury fund that surpassed $1 billion in assets earlier this year. This established track record lends significant weight to Karkhanis’s upcoming commentary.
The event timing is critical, coinciding with a period of heightened institutional activity in real-world asset (RWA) tokenization. Major asset managers are competing to establish dominance in a market projected by Boston Consulting Group to reach $16 trillion by 2030. Karkhanis’s speech will likely address the scalability and interoperability challenges facing widespread adoption.
The size of the tokenized assets market has grown exponentially, reaching a market capitalization of $52.8 billion in Q2 2026. This represents a 150% increase from the $21.1 billion recorded at the end of 2024. Franklin Templeton’s own Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund (BENJI) is a significant contributor, holding assets worth approximately $1.2 billion.
The growth in tokenized U.S. Treasuries has been particularly strong, with the total value now exceeding $850 million. This sector has attracted major players, with BlackRock’s BUIDL fund and investments from firms like Ondo Finance. For context, the yield on the 2-year U.S. Treasury note was 4.25% on June 19, 2026, making tokenized versions an attractive yield-bearing digital asset.
A comparison of major tokenized treasury funds shows varying strategies. Franklin’s BENJI utilizes the Stellar and Polygon blockchains, while BlackRock’s BUIDL is built on Ethereum. The average daily trading volume for these tokenized products has increased to over $50 million, indicating growing liquidity and secondary market activity. This activity is still a fraction of the traditional ETF market but demonstrates accelerating adoption.
Karkhanis’s appearance is a bullish signal for infrastructure providers in the blockchain ecosystem. Public blockchain networks like Stellar (XLM) and Polygon (MATIC), which host Franklin’s funds, could see increased developer and investor interest. Custody solution providers such as Coinbase and Anchorage Digital are also positioned to benefit from increased institutional demand for secure digital asset storage.
The focus on RWA tokenization may draw capital toward protocols specifically designed for this use case. Ondo Finance (ONDO), which tokenizes Treasuries and other securities, has seen its market cap rise to $2.1 billion. Traditional finance giants with active tokenization projects, including JPMorgan Chase and HSBC, may experience positive sentiment as the sector gains legitimacy.
A key risk is regulatory divergence across different markets, which could fragment global standards and hinder interoperability. Some analysts argue that current tokenization efforts are merely replicating existing financial products on new rails without creating fundamental economic efficiency. Trading flow data from CME Group shows a 35% increase in open interest for Bitcoin futures contracts in the week leading to the summit, suggesting institutional traders are positioning for volatility.
Market participants will scrutinize Karkhanis’s speech for specific announcements, such as new tokenized product launches or partnerships. The summit concludes on June 24, 2026, and any news will be immediately digested by markets. The following week brings the U.S. Core PCE price index data on June 27, a key inflation metric for the Federal Reserve.
The performance of crypto-related equities like Coinbase (COIN) and MicroStrategy (MSTR) will be a key indicator of market sentiment following the event. Traders will watch for a breakout above the 50-day moving average for the Stellar (XLM) token, currently at $0.118, as a sign of sustained positive momentum. A close below the $0.105 support level would indicate a neutral or negative reaction.
Longer-term, the implementation of the EU’s MiCA regulations in December 2026 will be the next major regulatory catalyst for institutional adoption. The success of Franklin Templeton’s initiatives will be measured by the growth of assets in its onchain funds and the expansion of its blockchain partnerships through the end of the year.
RWA tokenization is the process of converting rights to a physical or financial asset into a digital token on a blockchain. This can include treasury bonds, real estate, commodities, and private equity. Tokenization aims to increase liquidity, enable fractional ownership, and reduce settlement times. The market is dominated by tokenized U.S. Treasury products, which offer investors a way to earn yield on a blockchain-based digital asset.
Franklin Templeton was the first major asset manager to launch a registered onchain mutual fund, using the Stellar and Polygon blockchains for its BENJI fund. BlackRock entered the space later with its BUIDL fund on Ethereum, focusing heavily on ecosystem partnerships. While both aim to tokenize Treasuries, Franklin has a longer operational history, while BlackRock’s entry is seen as validating the entire asset class for other institutional players.
The primary barriers include regulatory uncertainty, particularly across different international jurisdictions, and concerns over the scalability and security of blockchain networks. Integrating new blockchain infrastructure with legacy financial systems is also a complex technical challenge. Finally, achieving interoperability between different blockchain protocols is crucial for creating a smooth global market for tokenized assets but remains an unsolved problem.
Karkhanis's summit address underscores the irreversible institutional pivot toward blockchain-based capital markets infrastructure.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice. CFD trading carries high risk of capital loss.
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