Franklin Templeton has wrapped up its acquisition of 250 Digital, the crypto investment firm, and is spinning up a new corporate division to handle all digital-asset activity. The $1.7 trillion asset manager didn’t disclose what it paid for the company, but the move signals how seriously it’s taking the crypto space. The new unit will be called Franklin Crypto.
Why build a standalone unit
Rather than fold 250 Digital into an existing department, Franklin Templeton is giving the crypto operation its own identity. That’s a deliberate choice — it keeps the team, the tech, and the investment approach separate from the firm’s traditional fund business. The division will house the combined staff and strategies from both Franklin Templeton’s prior crypto work and the 250 Digital crew.
What 250 Digital brings
250 Digital is a relatively small shop, but it has a track record in crypto-native investing and research. The acquisition gives Franklin Templeton immediate deal flow, trading infrastructure, and a team that’s been operating in the space for years. The amount paid wasn’t disclosed, but the deal closed this week.
Franklin Templeton isn’t new to crypto — it launched a money-market fund on a blockchain in 2021 and has filed for a spot bitcoin ETF. But buying a firm like 250 Digital is a step up in commitment. Setting up Franklin Crypto as a separate division suggests the firm expects this part of the business to grow fast enough to warrant its own P&L and headcount.
The next concrete step will be integrating 250 Digital’s systems and people into the new division. Franklin Templeton hasn’t said when Franklin Crypto will start marketing its own products, but the team is already in place.
