The latest technology news in the wealth management sector from around the world.

Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva, and Ripple, a financial technology company that offers crypto solutions for businesses, have announced a partnership aimed at tokenizing traditional fund structures.

Ripple will support Aviva Investors with the initiative as part of its broader effort to bring traditional financial assets with real utility to the XRP Ledger – a decentralised open-source public blockchain that is designed for fast and efficient global financial transactions. The collaboration is Ripple’s first with an investment management business based in Europe, building upon the firm’s significant experience working with financial institutions in other regions.

The initiative is also the first of its kind for Aviva Investors. The collaboration is anchored in a shared long-term vision, with both parties set to work together closely over 2026 and beyond to bring tokenized funds to the XRP Ledger.

The XRPL enables Aviva Investors to reliably issue and manage its tokenized funds using fast, secure, low-cost blockchain transactions, with the lack of mining required to settle transactions expected to support energy efficiency. It offers a set of features, including compliance capabilities designed to support financial institutions operating in regulated markets. Since 2012, the network has processed more than four billion transactions, supports over seven million active wallets; it is maintained by 120 independent validators.

"We believe there are many benefits that tokenization can bring to investors, including improvements in terms of both time and cost efficiency. As the investment arm of the UK’s leading insurer, we have a long track record with regards to innovation. We are committed to adopting technological advancements that we believe can bring about positive change for our business, and we think tokenized funds can be hugely beneficial to our clients," Jill Barber, chief distribution officer at Aviva Investors, said.

“Tokenization is now moving from experimentation to large-scale production. Institutions like Aviva Investors are now focused on how to deploy regulated financial assets at scale. The development of tokenized fund structures is one that we believe can bring huge technological efficiencies to the investment sector, and we expect this to take full effect over the next decade. With its built-in compliance tools, near-instant settlement, and native liquidity, the XRPL provides the secure and scalable infrastructure required to support the next generation of institutional assets," Nigel Khakoo, vice president, trading and markets, Ripple, added.

Franklin Templeton, Binance
California-based investment manager Franklin Templeton, and Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume and users, has brought out a new institutional off-exchange collateral programme, designed to make digital markets more secure and capital-efficient. Now live, eligible clients in selected jurisdictions can use tokenized money market fund shares issued through Franklin Templeton’s Benji Technology Platform as off-exchange collateral when trading on Binance, the firm said in a statement.

The programme aims to alleviate a pain point for institutional traders by allowing them to use traditional regulated, yield-bearing money market fund assets in digital markets without parking those assets on an exchange. Instead, the value of Benji-issued fund shares is mirrored within Binance’s trading environment, while the tokenized assets themselves remain securely held off-exchange in regulated custody. This reduces counterparty risk, letting institutional participants earn yield and support their trading activity without hedging on custody, liquidity, or regulatory protections, the firm said in a statement.

“Since partnering in 2025, our work with Binance has focused on making digital finance actually work for institutions,” said Roger Bayston, head of digital assets at Franklin Templeton. “Our off-exchange collateral programme is just that: letting clients easily put their assets to work in regulated custody while safely earning yield in new ways. That’s the future Benji was designed for, and working with partners like Binance allows us to deliver it at scale.”

“Partnering with Franklin Templeton to offer tokenized real-world assets for off-exchange collateral settlement is a natural next step in our mission to bring digital assets and traditional finance closer together,” said Catherine Chen, head of VIP and institutional at Binance, added. “Innovating ways to use traditional financial instruments on-chain opens up new opportunities for investors and shows just how blockchain technology can make markets more efficient” 

Assets participating in the programme remain held off-exchange in custody, arrangements provided by Ceffu, with tokenized money market fund shares pledged as collateral for trading on Binance. Ceffu is an institutional-grade custody platform offering custody and liquidity solutions.

“Institutions increasingly require trading models that prioritise risk management without sacrificing capital efficiency,” said Ian Loh, CEO of Ceffu. “This programme demonstrates how off-exchange collateral can support institutional participation in digital markets while maintaining strong custody and control.”

Launching the institutional off-exchange collateral program expands on both Franklin Templeton’s and Binance’s growing networks of off-exchange program partners and represents another effort since announcing Franklin Templeton and Binance’s strategic collaboration in September 2025.

By using Benji to bridge tokenized money market funds, Franklin Templeton is taking trusted investment products and making them work in modern markets –allowing institutions to trade, manage risk, and move capital more efficiently as digital finance becomes an everyday part of the financial system.

Offering more tokenized real-world assets on Binance meets the increasing institutional demand for stable, yield-bearing collateral that can settle 24/7. This gives investors greater choice and enhances their trading experience on the world’s largest digital asset exchange.