Franklin Templeton Partners With Ondo Finance to Launch 24/7 Tradable Tokenized ETFs

Franklin Templeton, one of the world’s largest asset managers, has reportedly partnered with blockchain-based tokenization firm Ondo Finance to launch tokenized exchange-traded funds that can be traded around the clock via crypto rails, according to a Bloomberg report circulating on social media.

The partnership, if confirmed in full, would pair Franklin Templeton’s scale in traditional fund management with Ondo Finance’s infrastructure for bringing real-world assets on-chain. The result: ETF products that bypass the traditional stock market’s limited trading hours and settle on blockchain networks instead.

What the Franklin Templeton and Ondo Finance Partnership Actually Does

Tokenized ETFs are traditional exchange-traded funds whose shares are represented as digital tokens on a blockchain. Instead of trading only during U.S. market hours (9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday), tokenized versions can be bought and sold 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with near-instant settlement.

Ondo Finance has built its reputation as a tokenization layer for institutional-grade financial products. The firm already operates tokenized U.S. Treasury products and announced plans to offer tokenized U.S. stocks and ETFs on Solana in late 2025. Its existing infrastructure, including the OUSG tokenized Treasury fund, provides the technical backbone for converting traditional fund shares into blockchain-native tokens.

Franklin Templeton is no stranger to blockchain. The firm launched its BENJI fund on the Stellar and Polygon networks, making it one of the first major asset managers to use public blockchains for fund management. A Franklin Templeton executive stated in early 2026 that digital wallets would eventually hold “the totality of people’s assets,” signaling the firm’s long-term commitment to on-chain finance.

For investors, the practical difference is straightforward. A standard ETF purchased through a brokerage settles on a T+1 basis during market hours. A tokenized version on blockchain rails settles in minutes, any time of day, including weekends and holidays. This matters particularly during volatile crypto markets, where price-moving events frequently occur outside traditional trading windows.

The partnership also reflects a broader push toward transparency in digital asset markets, where both traditional and crypto-native firms are increasingly embracing disclosure and verifiable on-chain activity.

Why This Deal Matters for Institutional Tokenization

Franklin Templeton’s move follows a pattern of major traditional finance players entering the tokenization space. BlackRock launched its BUIDL tokenized fund on Ethereum, which quickly attracted hundreds of millions in deposits and validated the concept of institutional-grade tokenized products on public blockchains.

The tokenized real-world asset market has been growing rapidly, creating a competitive landscape where early movers stand to capture significant market share.

Ondo Finance’s positioning as the tokenization partner of choice for TradFi giants gives it a distinct advantage. By handling the technical complexity of wrapping traditional fund shares into blockchain tokens, Ondo allows asset managers like Franklin Templeton to focus on what they do best: portfolio management and distribution.

The implications extend to both retail and institutional investors. Retail crypto users could gain access to professionally managed ETF products directly through their existing wallets, without needing a traditional brokerage account. Institutional players, meanwhile, get the efficiency of blockchain settlement without sacrificing the regulatory compliance frameworks they require.

That said, significant hurdles remain. Tokenized ETFs must navigate SEC regulations around securities distribution, and questions about liquidity, custody, and redemption mechanics are still being worked out across the industry. The concept of verifiable on-chain reserves is gaining traction among exchanges, but applying similar transparency standards to tokenized funds adds another layer of regulatory complexity.

Other ETF issuers are watching closely. If the Franklin Templeton and Ondo Finance partnership demonstrates that tokenized ETFs can operate compliantly at scale, it could open the floodgates for competitors to follow. Firms that have already experimented with blockchain-based asset tracking may find the transition to fully tokenized products more natural than expected.

The partnership represents one of the largest traditional finance commitments to blockchain-based fund distribution to date. Whether it accelerates the timeline for mainstream tokenized ETF adoption will depend on regulatory outcomes and the product’s ability to attract meaningful trading volume beyond crypto-native early adopters.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or investment advice. Cryptocurrency and digital asset markets carry significant risk. Always do your own research before making decisions.