SBI and Franklin Templeton Collaborate to Create Digital Asset Management Firm

Japan’s SBI Holdings plans to create a new investment management company in collaboration with major U.S. asset manager Franklin Templeton by the end of the year. This joint venture will focus on managing digital assets. The new entity will be 51% owned by SBI Holdings and 49% by Franklin Templeton. This move aligns with the recent approval by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) of spot cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs), including those for bitcoin and ethereum. Spot ether ETFs launched in the U.S. this week. Additionally, Japan is evaluating potential deregulation in this sector.