Franklin Templeton To Acquire Majority Stake In Stoneshield

Franklin Templeton has expanded its tokenized collateral service to Bybit, allowing users to pledge shares in its tokenized money market funds, worth $686 million, as collateral for USDT or USDC trading credit lines while earning yield. The underlying assets are held off-exchange by ByCustody, with the value mirrored in Bybit's trading environment. This follows similar partnerships with Binance and OKX.

Franklin Templeton's Clarion Partners will acquire a majority stake in Stoneshield Capital, tripling its European AUM to $13B and boosting total alternative AUM above $300B. Stoneshield, with $9B in AUM, specializes in European real assets. The deal is expected to close in Q4 2026, expanding Clarion's European footprint and investment strategies.

Franklin Templeton (BEN) will acquire a majority stake in Stoneshield Capital, a European real assets manager with €8 billion in AUM. The deal will triple Clarion's European AUM to €11 billion and increase its total AUM by 12% to €72 billion. Stoneshield's investment focus includes living, student housing, and digital infrastructure.

Franklin Templeton acquired 250 Digital, a crypto investment firm, in June, partly paying in Benjis, shares of its tokenized money market fund. Chris Perkins, head of Franklin Crypto and former CEO of 250 Digital, endorsed this digital payment, seeing it as validation. The acquisition underscores Franklin Templeton's commitment to digital markets, potentially impacting investors interested in crypto and traditional asset management.

Franklin Resources (BEN) shares rose 3.6% after reporting $1.83T in assets under management for August 2026, up from $1.79T in July. The increase was driven by market performance and $8B in net inflows. Shares later settled at $34.63, up 3.2%. The company's AUM breakdown showed equity assets leading at $775.1B. BEN is up 45.5% YTD and near its 52-week high of $35.77.

Franklin Resources (BEN) reported Q2 revenue of $2.36B, up 14.3% YoY, beating estimates. Hamilton Lane (HLNE) saw 56.5% revenue growth, outperforming expectations. StepStone Group (STEP) missed estimates with 26.6% revenue growth. Voya Financial (VOYA) reported flat revenue, missing EPS estimates. Federated Hermes (FHI) beat expectations with 18.3% revenue growth. Custody bank stocks averaged 5.9% share price increase post-earnings.