EX.IO, a licensed virtual asset trading platform in Hong Kong, has formed a strategic partnership with global investment manager Franklin Templeton to distribute its tokenised money market fund to local professional investors.

The collaboration makes EX.IO a platform in Hong Kong to distribute the Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund AB USD Class Shares, also known as grBENJI.

The initiative aims to provide access to regulated on-chain financial instruments for institutional and professional clients within the market.

Franklin Templeton launched its first blockchain-registered mutual fund in 2021 to process transactions and record share ownership.

As of 31 May 2026, the underlying Benji platform manages US$2.4 billion in assets, reflecting growth in demand for tokenised real world assets.

Under the supervision of the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC), EX.IO holds Type 1 and Type 7 licences for dealing in securities and providing automated trading services.

The company is also admitted to the Hong Kong government’s Office for Attracting Strategic Enterprises initiative.

The partnership also expands Franklin Templeton’s access to Hong Kong’s regulated real world asset market.

This expansion comes as industry research projects long-term growth for global tokenised assets over the next decade.

The Commission de Surveillance du Secteur Financier (CSSF) of Luxembourg authorises the grBENJI product. It classifies it as a short-term public debt constant net asset value fund under the European Union collective investment framework.

EX.IO offers the product strictly to professional investors as defined under SFC. It does not make the product available for public offering.

The fund features an intraday yield calculation and distribution mechanism. This system allows investors to earn yields when holding positions for only a few hours, operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

It aims to improve yield efficiency for idle capital held in stablecoins or exchange balances.

“The core mission of EX.IO is to bridge traditional finance and the Web3 ecosystem,”

said Chen Wu, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of EX.IO.

“Franklin Templeton’s reputation in asset management, combined with our compliant architecture and real world asset experience, will open secure and efficient on-chain financial instruments for institutional investors.”

“Our selection of EX.IO reflects our focus on working with firms that bring the right expertise to each market,”

said Simon Wong, Head of Retail Wealth for North Asia and Co-Head of Hong Kong at Franklin Templeton.

“Their securities brokerage background and institutional expertise are well-suited to Hong Kong’s regulatory environment.”

Featured image credit: Edited by Fintech News Hong Kong, based on image by EX.IO