Franklin Templeton invests in Asian crypto media firm Blockhead

Share this article

Franklin Templeton, a global asset management firm with over $1.5 trillion in client assets, has led an undisclosed funding round for Singapore-based blockchain-focused media publication Blockhead.

Launched in 2022, Blockhead currently operates a news site covering global stories from the digital asset industry, with an Asian regional focus.

The new investment from Franklin Templeton will support Blockhead’s plans to evolve its business by developing an institutional-grade digital asset research platform, dubbed “BRN.”

BRN aims to serve as a comprehensive resource for institutional and high-net-worth investors seeking insightful analytics, market intelligence, and other information on blockchain technology. By leveraging its position as a specialized crypto publication, Blockhead intends for the new platform to provide the financial industry with leading-edge research capabilities and infrastructure around tokenized digital assets.

“Our position as a digital asset-focused publication gives us a unique view of the direction of the industry, where we are now able to develop our proposition to incorporate in-depth and market-leading research, tools, and capabilities,” said Mark Tan, CEO of Blockhead. “A strategic partnership with a legacy financial institution like Franklin Templeton is testament to the potential of our projects.”

BRN will offer subscribers insider perspectives into the crypto ecosystem that are not readily available through public channels. It also plans to provide independent market commentary to help guide institutional investors interested in the digital asset space. Initial coverage will focus on major tokens, prevailing industry trends, and the macroeconomic environment.

“We are seeing high growth potential for digital assets in Asia and believe that Blockhead’s insights and future business plans are at a very exciting juncture,” said Kevin Farrelly, Director of Digital Asset Management at Franklin Templeton. “This investment is part of our efforts to foster a global ecosystem of digital asset operators that can capitalize on the multitude of benefits that blockchain technology offers.”

Franklin Templeton’s move comes as the asset manager wades deeper into the crypto space. Just last week, the investment firm joined other major asset managers like BlackRock, Ark Invest, 21Shares, and Grayscale, in seeking regulatory approval for a spot Ethereum ETF in recent months.

This latest investment builds on Franklin Templeton’s growing crypto portfolio. In 2020, the firm participated in an extended Series A funding round for Curv, a crypto security startup. It also led a 2019 seed funding round for Proof of Impact, a blockchain platform enabling impact organizations to record and sell verified impact events to donors.

Share this article