Franklin Templeton CEO: Blockchain Threatens Some Traditional Finance Models But Firm Expands Tokenized Fund on Stellar and Partners With MoonPay

Jenny Johnson, CEO of Franklin Templeton, told a panel at the Proof of Talk summit in Paris on June 3, 2026, that blockchain technology threatens a large number of existing business models in traditional finance. Johnson said hesitation among major financial firms stems from the threat to revenue streams that rely on collecting fees as intermediaries.

She described those firms as "toll-takers in a transaction" that lose their role when settlement occurs instantly through smart contracts.

74 trillion in assets. The firm operates its tokenized money market fund, Benji, on the Stellar blockchain. 13 each.

Hours after the panel, Franklin Templeton announced a partnership with MoonPay. The arrangement lets institutional investors move between stablecoins and the Benji fund through an on-chain workflow. Johnson said most investors will continue to seek regulated custodians and standardized compliance processes even as institutional capital enters digital assets.

She stated that individuals and enterprises prefer to delegate custody rather than hold assets in private wallets. Blockstream CEO Adam Back also participated in the same panel. He noted that bitcoin permits users to maintain fiscal privacy without an institutional intermediary.

M. on June 3, 2026.