Interview

Franklin Templeton's Approach to Digital Assets | Interview with Christopher Jensen

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In this episode, we’re joined by Christopher Jensen, Director of Digital Asset Research at Franklin Templeton. We discuss Franklin Templeton's fundamentals-driven approach to digital asset investment research and their internal analysis to understand protocols, tokens, and value accrual.

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Our conversation also covers client demand, institutional interest, and the creation of a comprehensive product suite to cater to varying levels of demand and knowledge. Christopher highlights the importance of onchain data, the use of blockchain technology for operational efficiencies, and the ongoing exploration of new crypto use cases like decentralized physical infrastructure networks (DePIN). Additionally, we talk about Franklin Templeton's pioneering efforts in launching the first tokenized money market fund and their plans for the future.

Tune in to learn how Franklin Templeton is navigating and contributing to the onchain future.

Timestamps:
00:00 Introduction
01:00 Sudden Shift in Crypto Policy: ETH ETF
03:36 Franklin Templeton's Digital Assets Focus
06:17 Institutional Interest and Client Demand
09:13 Bitcoin ETF and Market Impact
10:50 Barriers to Adoption and Education
13:43 Protocol Economy and Value Accrual
19:08 Metrics and Methods for Evaluating Digital Assets
24:38 Sustainability and Competitive Moats in Web3
27:55 Utilizing Onchain Data for Research
29:57 Franklin Templeton's Node Operations
33:11 Challenges and Insights from Running Nodes
38:16 Franklin OnChain U.S. Government Money Fund
46:13 Bringing Capital Markets Onchain
49:10 Partnerships and Strategic Integrations
51:49 Promising Crypto Use Cases and Killer Apps (Case DePin)

The authors of this content, or members, affiliates, or stakeholders of Token Terminal may be participating or are invested in protocols or tokens mentioned herein. The foregoing statement acts as a disclosure of potential conflicts of interest and is not a recommendation to purchase or invest in any token or participate in any protocol. Token Terminal does not recommend any particular course of action in relation to any token or protocol. The content herein is meant purely for educational and informational purposes only, and should not be relied upon as financial, investment, legal, tax or any other professional or other advice. None of the content and information herein is presented to induce or to attempt to induce any reader or other person to buy, sell or hold any token or participate in any protocol or enter into, or offer to enter into, any agreement for or with a view to buying or selling any token or participating in any protocol. Statements made herein (including statements of opinion, if any) are wholly generic and not tailored to take into account the personal needs and unique circumstances of any reader or any other person. Readers are strongly urged to exercise caution and have regard to their own personal needs and circumstances before making any decision to buy or sell any token or participate in any protocol. Observations and views expressed herein may be changed by Token Terminal at any time without notice. Token Terminal accepts no liability whatsoever for any losses or liabilities arising from the use of or reliance on any of this content.

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