Signals for the Tokenized Economy

Franklin Templeton Expands BENJI Tokenization Platform to BNB Chain

Franklin Templeton has expanded its Benji Technology Platform by integrating with BNB Chain to increase the accessibility of its tokenized investment products. The platform currently manages the Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund, which has reached $732 million in assets under management since its initial launch on the Stellar network in 2021. By leveraging BNB Chain's infrastructure, the asset manager aims to provide greater utility for its tokenized assets while maintaining strict compliance and security standards. This move highlights a broader trend of institutional players seeking to distribute traditional financial products across multiple blockchain ecosystems. Roger Bayston, head of digital assets at Franklin Templeton, noted that the strategy focuses on meeting investors within their preferred active environments. Sarah Song of BNB Chain emphasized that this partnership validates the network's capacity to handle regulated real-world assets at a significant scale. The integration marks a notable step in the ongoing institutional adoption of blockchain technology for the management and distribution of traditional financial instruments.

coinmarketcap.com·Sep 23, 20268.0

BlackRock Claims AI Computing Power May Be Tokenized in the Future

BlackRock has published a research report titled "Machine Native Economy," which explores the potential for computing power to evolve into a standardized, investable asset class. The report suggests that digital contracts could represent rights to computing resources, enabling them to be traded, financed, or used as collateral on programmable infrastructure. By integrating AI with digital assets, BlackRock envisions a future where computing power futures allow for automated hedging and settlement based on performance and hardware availability. The firm estimates that cloud revenue from major providers like AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud will reach $1.1 trillion by 2030. Furthermore, BlackRock highlights existing collaborations with firms like NVIDIA, Blackstone, and Apollo to treat AI factory-level computing as a long-term financeable asset with potential capital exceeding $500 billion. While emphasizing that compliance and KYC remain mandatory, the report signals a strategic shift toward treating machine hours as securitized, tradable commodities. This outlook underscores the growing convergence between institutional finance and the physical infrastructure required to power the artificial intelligence revolution.

ababnews.com·Sep 23, 20267.5

Market capitalization surges to $3.15 billion as tokenized stocks become a new favorite in credit markets

Arch Lending is pivoting its strategic focus toward tokenized equity-backed lending to address a growing market demand for diverse collateral options. While Bitcoin currently dominates over 80% of the firm's existing loan business, the company is actively expanding its RWA portfolio by integrating assets like Paxos Gold and Tether Gold. This move aligns with a broader industry trend where tokenized equity market capitalization has surged from approximately $630 million to $3.15 billion over the past year. Major players are intensifying competition in this space, with Ondo Finance partnering with Morpho to utilize tokenized SPY and QQQ ETFs on Ethereum for DeFi lending. Additionally, Kraken has enabled futures and margin positions backed by xStocks, while Coinbase has listed B20 stocks on its Base platform. These developments indicate that tokenized equity is becoming the fastest-growing segment within the RWA sector. By bridging traditional financial instruments with crypto-native platforms, these institutions are effectively blurring the lines between legacy finance and decentralized lending protocols.

moomoo.com·Sep 23, 20267.5

KB Securities Partners With Securitize, Optimism Foundation on Tokenized Securities

KB Securities has entered a strategic partnership with Securitize and the Optimism Foundation to develop a security token ecosystem tailored for Korean institutional investors. The collaboration leverages KB Securities' underwriting and distribution expertise to launch tokenized money market funds and investment products managed by KB Asset Management. Securitize will provide the necessary tokenization infrastructure, while the Optimism Foundation supplies the underlying blockchain network to facilitate these transactions. This initiative aims to establish a comprehensive framework for the issuance and distribution of digital assets within the Korean market. As local security token regulations evolve, the partners plan to expand their offerings to include stocks, American depositary receipts, corporate bonds, and treasury bonds. This move signifies a major step in integrating traditional financial institutions with blockchain technology to modernize asset management. By focusing on institutional-grade products, the partnership seeks to bridge the gap between legacy financial systems and decentralized infrastructure.

en.sedaily.com·Sep 23, 20267.5

The SEC's Tokenization Boom Has an Expiration Date No One's Pricing In

The SEC's tokenization boom runs on a five-year exemption, and a future chair could unwind it overnight, analysts warn. The post The SEC's Tokenization Boom Has an Expiration Date No One's Pricing In appeared first on BeInCrypto .

BeInCrypto·Sep 23, 20267.5

BlackRock Examines AI Payments, Tokenized Assets and Compute

BlackRock Digital Assets Research released a report titled 'The Machine-Native Economy' exploring the intersection of autonomous AI agents, blockchain infrastructure, and tokenized financial assets. The research highlights how AI systems could independently manage payments, access tokenized securities, and trade computing capacity using blockchain-based settlement. BlackRock identifies stablecoins as a primary mechanism for machine-to-machine transactions, noting that stablecoin volume reached over $11 trillion in 2025. The firm examines emerging protocols like x402, the Machine Payments Protocol, and the Agentic Commerce Protocol to facilitate these automated financial interactions. Furthermore, the report suggests that computing power could be tokenized or financed through digital contracts, potentially creating a new market for GPU-backed assets. While acknowledging the potential for increased utility, BlackRock emphasizes that widespread adoption remains contingent on solving complex challenges regarding identity, KYC/AML compliance, and regulatory frameworks like MiCA. This research underscores BlackRock's strategic focus on integrating digital assets into the broader financial ecosystem as AI-driven commerce matures.

cryptotimes.io·Sep 23, 20267.5

Binance RWA Perpetuals Capture 97% of Post

Binance Research reports that RWA-linked perpetual futures captured 97% of the U.S. stock opening gap for 16 companies following the September FOMC policy decision. These derivatives allow global traders to price macroeconomic events and individual stock movements during hours when traditional U.S. equity markets are closed. Data indicates that approximately $1.02 billion in trading volume occurred outside regular market hours during this period. Furthermore, 198 TradFi-linked perpetual contracts generated $7.25 billion in volume during the most recent S&P index rebalance. The expansion of these instruments, which grew from one ticker in January to 149 by August, highlights a shift toward continuous price discovery. While these contracts do not provide direct stock ownership, they offer up to 10x leverage and settle in USDT. This trend signifies that RWA-linked derivatives are increasingly serving as a primary venue for market participants to react to major financial developments in real-time.

Blockonomi·Sep 22, 20267.5

CFTC Chairman Selig says markets must prepare for ‘mass tokenization’

CFTC Chair Michael Selig has signaled a major regulatory shift, urging the agency to prepare for mass tokenization and the transition to 24/7 financial markets. Speaking at a New York Fed conference, Selig emphasized that the next decade will likely see more transformation in financial infrastructure than the previous several decades combined. The CFTC is actively exploring the integration of blockchain and artificial intelligence to modernize market operations while maintaining the U.S. market's status as a global gold standard. This push includes ongoing efforts to facilitate responsible stablecoin adoption for clearinghouses and exchanges, building on previous moves to allow stablecoins as eligible collateral. Simultaneously, the SEC has introduced an innovation exemption to support the onchain trading of tokenized stocks. These regulatory developments suggest a coordinated effort to modernize U.S. financial markets despite the current legislative stalemate in the Senate. This shift is critical for the RWA market as it provides the necessary legal framework for institutional-grade, round-the-clock asset settlement.

The Block·Sep 22, 20268.5

New York Life Moves High-Yield Bonds Onchain With Centrifuge

New York Life Investment Management (NYLIM), which oversees over $300 billion in assets, is partnering with Centrifuge to bring a high-yield corporate bond strategy onto the Avalanche blockchain. This initiative utilizes USDC as the primary mechanism for subscriptions and redemptions, marking a shift from traditional settlement processes to blockchain-based infrastructure. Unlike retail-focused digital assets, this product is strictly limited to qualified institutional buyers, maintaining the conventional risk and return profile of high-yield corporate credit. By moving beyond tokenized government debt and cash-like assets, the project tests the viability of public blockchains for more complex institutional fixed-income products. Centrifuge provides the necessary tokenization technology, while Avalanche serves as the underlying network for ownership and servicing. This development highlights the growing interest among major asset managers in leveraging distributed ledger technology to potentially streamline capital movement and operational workflows. Ultimately, the move represents an institutional experiment in integrating blockchain into established financial markets without altering the fundamental nature of the underlying corporate bonds.

cointrust.com·Sep 22, 20268.0

Crypto Update September 2026: ECB Backs Tokenized Bonds While Pepeto, Cardano, and Sui Gain Ground

The European Central Bank (ECB) officially launched its Pontes platform on September 21, 2026, establishing a dedicated infrastructure for settling trades in tokenized bonds using central bank money. This initiative involves 13 banks and four technology firms, including major institutions such as Deutsche Bank, Santander, and the European Investment Bank. Beyond providing settlement rails, the ECB announced it will actively invest its own funds into these tokenized assets, signaling a significant shift toward institutional adoption of on-chain finance. The platform is scheduled for a full rollout by 2028, marking a pivotal moment where a major central bank integrates blockchain technology into its core monetary operations. While the broader crypto market continues to see volatility in assets like ADA and SUI, the ECB's move represents a structural transition from theoretical exploration to practical, code-based asset management. This development is critical for the RWA market as it validates the use of distributed ledger technology for sovereign-level financial transactions. By legitimizing tokenized bonds, the ECB provides a regulatory and technical blueprint that may accelerate the institutionalization of real-world assets globally.

techbullion.com·Sep 22, 20269.0

Near Adds Ondo’s Tokenized Stocks With Confidential Execution

thedefiant.io·Sep 22, 20267.5

The SEC's New "Innovation Exemption": Five-Year Relief for Trading on Tokenized Securities Venues

jdsupra.com·Sep 22, 20268.5