$BEN

Franklin Templeton is converting three mutual funds to ETFs to broaden investor access while maintaining investment objectives and strategies. The funds affected include U.S. Core Equity, International Core Equity, and Emerging Market Core Equity. According to a Franklin spokesperson, the conversions aim to preserve historical performance and provide continuity for existing shareholders. David Cohne of Bloomberg Intelligence noted that the move offers immediate scale and avoids maintaining dual

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.

Tokenized real assets on blockchain exceeded $25B in early 2026, up fivefold since 2023. Key sectors include bonds, credit, funds, and real estate. Franklin Templeton's BENJI fund holds $1.98B. BlackRock launched two tokenized money market products. Forecasts predict market growth to $4T-$16T by 2030, according to various studies.

The SEC is reviewing 'novel ETFs,' including leveraged funds and prediction-market ETFs, to assess investor protection and market integrity. The U.S. ETF industry, now over $12 trillion, argues the review could slow product launches. Companies like Direxion, YieldMax, and Roundhill are involved, with some ETFs offering 3x-5x leverage or exposure to political outcomes.

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.

SEC granted no-action relief to Franklin Templeton, allowing its funds to custody tokenized shares of the OnChain U.S. Government Money Market Fund with an affiliated transfer agent. The relief exempts compliance with Rule 17f-2's physical custody requirements. This is the first SEC staff position applying this rule to digital assets, though limited in scope.

Franklin Templeton raised $1.5B via a collateralized fund obligation (CFO), offering investors exposure to private equity and continuation funds. CFOs, used by firms like Ares and Carlyle, attract risk-averse investors like insurers, providing access to private assets with downside protection. The NAIC revised guidance to ensure insurers verify the underlying dynamics of structured products.

Franklin Templeton (BEN) is expanding its digital asset strategy, acquiring 250 Digital and launching Franklin Crypto. The firm offers crypto products, tokenized securities, and blockchain-based solutions. Its alternatives AUM grew to $295.4 billion. BlackRock (BLK) and Interactive Brokers (IBKR) are also increasing digital asset offerings. BEN's stock rose 26.2% in six months.