Global investment manager Franklin Templeton announced the launch of an institutional off‑exchange collateral program with Binance that lets clients use tokenized money market fund (MMF) shares to back trading activity while the underlying assets remain in regulated custody.
According to a Wednesday news release shared with Cointelegraph, the framework is intended to reduce counterparty risk by reflecting collateral balances inside Binance’s trading environment, rather than moving client assets onto the exchange.
Eligible institutions can pledge tokenized MMF shares issued via Franklin Templeton’s Benji Technology Platform as collateral for trading on Binance.
The tokenized fund shares are held off‑exchange by Ceffu Custody, a digital asset custodian licensed and supervised in Dubai, while their collateral value is mirrored on Binance to support trading positions.
Roger Bayston, head of digital assets at Franklin Templeton, told Cointelegraph that this setup combined Binance’s infrastructure and client reach with Franklin Templeton’s standards, expertise and “very high bar when it comes to compliance.”
Franklin Templeton said the model was designed to let institutions earn yield on regulated money market fund holdings while using the same assets to support digital asset trading, without giving up existing custody or regulatory protections.
Related: Franklin Templeton expands Benji tokenization platform to Canton Network
Bayston said that assets remained in regulated custody and “are not rehypothecated or transferred onto the exchange.” He added that the mirrored collateral framework reduced exposure to exchange insolvency and de-pegging risk.
Franklin Templeton and Binance Collaboration. Source: Franklin Templeton
The initiative builds on a strategic collaboration between Binance and Franklin Templeton announced in 2025 to develop tokenization products that combine regulated fund structures with global trading infrastructure.
Off‑exchange collateral to cut counterparty risk
The design mirrors other tokenized real‑world asset collateral models in crypto markets. BlackRock’s BUIDL tokenized US Treasury fund, issued by Securitize, for example, is also accepted as trading collateral on Binance, as well as other platforms, including Crypto.com and Deribit.
That model allows institutional clients to post a low-volatility, yield‑bearing instrument instead of idle stablecoins or more volatile tokens.
Other issuers and venues, including WisdomTree’s WTGXX and Ondo’s OUSG, are exploring similar models, with tokenized bond and short‑term credit funds increasingly positioned as onchain collateral in both centralized and decentralized markets.
Related: WisdomTree’s USDW stablecoin to pay dividends on tokenized assets
Regulators flag cross‑border tokenization risks
Despite the trend of using tokenized MMFs as collateral, global regulators have warned that cross‑border tokenization structures can introduce new risks.
The International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) has cautioned that tokenized instruments used across multiple jurisdictions may exploit differences between national regimes and enable regulatory arbitrage if oversight and supervisory cooperation do not keep pace.
Bayston said that Franklin Templeton approached this offering with “the same risk discipline we apply to traditional capital markets infrastructure,” and pointed out that fully onchain record keeping for the funds did “not change the investor protections or other requirements put into place by local regulators.”
Magazine: Getting scammed for 100 Bitcoin led Sunny Lu to create VeChain
Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’s Editorial Policy and aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently. Read our Editorial Policy https://cointelegraph.com/editorial-policy
