Franklin Templeton acquires CoinFund spinoff to grow crypto offerings

Franklin Templeton is acquiring 250 Digital, a spinoff from CoinFund, to grow its crypto investment offerings, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. The entity is led by Seth Ginns and Chris Perkins, who previously served as CoinFund’s managing partner and president and managing partner and head of liquid investments, respectively.

250 Digital was formally established in January when CoinFund announced the spinoff, placing Perkins and Ginns at the helm. Both executives spent years at CoinFund building relationships across decentralized finance protocols, layer-one blockchain projects, and early-stage token networks.

For over a decade, CoinFund has supported founders in creating blockchain infrastructure and innovative products. The firm’s portfolio includes standout names such as Ondo Finance, Ether.fi, Flare, Flying Tulip, and World, among others.

Franklin Templeton advances into crypto and tokenization

Since forming its digital assets team in 2018, Franklin Templeton has rolled out regulated investment options for crypto investors.

In 2024, the firm introduced the Franklin Bitcoin ETF and Franklin Ethereum ETF, giving clients exposure to the largest crypto assets at low fees.

Franklin Templeton has recently partnered with Ondo Finance to allow tokenized ETFs, enabling investors to access shares anytime through crypto wallets.

The company has teamed up with Binance to offer institutional investors a tokenized collateral solution, letting shares from Franklin Templeton’s Benji platform serve as off-exchange trading collateral on Binance.

The latest acquisition is intended to provide institutional investors with tailored crypto strategies while complementing the firm’s existing mutual fund business.