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🏦Franklin Templeton Exec: Digital Assets Are ‘Frontier Risk Alternatives’🏦
The $1.3 trillion fund group is playing with the idea of launching additional crypto strategies after debuting its crypto SMAs
thedinarian
October 30, 2022
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  • Future crypto products “could take many forms” based on how regulatory environment evolves, according to the firm’s head of digital assets
  • The firm’s clients are seeking a streamlined process to invest in this space

Franklin Templeton is exploring ways to bring additional digital asset investment strategies to market following the launch of its crypto-focused separately managed accounts (SMAs) last month.

Roger Bayston, the company’s segment lead, called digital assets “frontier risk alternatives” in a recent interview with Blockworks. 

Franklin Templeton had roughly $1.3 trillion in assets under management, as of Sept. 30. One of its new crypto-focused SMAs invests in 10 to 15 of the largest digital assets, excluding stablecoins and meme coins. Its other takes a similar approach, but bitcoin and ether are both capped at 25% of the portfolio.

The products come as institutional adoption of crypto is on the rise, according to a recent Fidelity survey, with 74% such investors saying they plan on buying digital assets in the future.

Bayston said in May that crypto was an asset class with “a great deal of thematic tailwinds,” as industries begin to unlock the potential of blockchain. 

More recently Sandy Kaul, Franklin Templeton’s senior vice president of digital assets and industry advisory services, published research about, in part, how decentralization is poised to disrupt traditional finance over the next decade. 

Blockworks checked back in with Bayston about what’s next.

Blockworks: Following the launch of crypto-focused SMAs, what other types of crypto offerings might the firm be looking to offer?

Bayston: We are committed to providing industry relevant opportunities to meet the evolving investment needs of our clients.

Our robust team of investment talent provides deep tokenomics research for our strategies, which are managed on a proprietary management platform built from the ground up. This gives us the expertise to offer the best advice and active management possible for our clients. 

We are continuing to develop delivery mechanisms to deliver digital asset investment strategies for a variety of investors.

Blockworks: Could these include more SMAs? How about crypto-related ETFs?

Our experienced investment team has created many portfolio strategies utilizing various degrees of discretionary decision-making and research intensity. 

Given the ripe field of innovation that blockchain technologies offer, you can expect Franklin Templeton to continue to bring relevant product ideas to the market. These products could take many forms based on current or future regulatory permissions.

Blockworks: What is the firm hearing from clients right now in regards to crypto? 

Bayston: We believe that digital assets are frontier risk alternatives – new investable opportunities that capture the return streams of novel business models and can generate long-term growth. 

We are seeing investors with a variety of interest, experience and exposure levels with these assets across the world and the desire for sound investment advice. 

We are hearing from clients on the need for a streamlined process to invest in this space, founded on deep asset research and professional portfolio management, in order to generate the highest capital appreciation with an eye on risk management.

Blockworks: What are your thoughts on the Ethereum Merge? How could it impact adoption?  

Bayston: The transition to a proof-of-stake protocol illustrates the continuous innovation we see with blockchains, but more specifically represents a major software upgrade for the network with the possibility for improved security and capital and energy efficiency. 

A resulting outcome of this event is a major reduction in Ethereum’s carbon footprint, which is desirable to appeal toward institutional ESG [environmental, social, governance] mandates. The evolution of Ethereum is an example of how this technology continues to evolve. Our investment platform will also evolve as the platforms grow and innovation in this space continues.

Blockworks: What crypto trends is Franklin Templeton most focused on right now?

Bayston: We believe that mass adoption of digital assets likely starts with the tokens themselves, and inclusion of these assets in investment portfolios will pave the way for other use cases for blockchain technology. 

The digital asset space can bring two broad themes to investment management: expanding the opportunity set for investment options to include the blockchains themselves or bringing assets on chain in a more fungible way, and using the blockchain rails to create operational efficiencies across traditional asset management processes.

Blockworks: What does the company expect from a crypto regulatory perspective in the coming months? How might it be engaging to influence policy in the segment?

Bayston: There is substantial global regulatory development with digital assets in a variety of geographies, and we believe regulators are conducting their due diligence to take a measured approach to regulation. 

We are comfortable navigating the global regulatory environment as it develops around the world.  We’re a collaborator with regulators, given our focus on providing the best advice and service to our clients and view that the future of asset management includes blockchain technology and digital assets.

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thedinarian@thedinarian
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🚨NEW: Watch @BoHines sit down with @CryptoAmerica_

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Why Invest In XRP?

Because Ripple Is EVERYWHERE!

This is on Wall Street... NY

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thedinarian@thedinarian
16 hours ago
👉"You're gonna be told that there is a craft on its way to Earth.

"That 100 fxxxing percent is the lie you are going to be told."

Jeremy Corbell in January 2025

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thedinarian@thedinarian
October 31, 2024
👉 Coinbase just launched an AI agent for Crypto Trading

Custom AI assistants that print money in your sleep? 🔜

The future of Crypto x AI is about to go crazy.

👉 Here’s what you need to know:

đź’  'Based Agent' enables creation of custom AI agents
đź’  Users set up personalized agents in < 3 minutes
đź’  Equipped w/ crypto wallet and on-chain functions
đź’  Capable of completing trades, swaps, and staking
💠 Integrates with Coinbase’s SDK, OpenAI, & Replit

👉 What this means for the future of Crypto:

1. Open Access: Democratized access to advanced trading
2. Automated Txns: Complex trades + streamlined on-chain activity
3. AI Dominance: Est ~80% of crypto 👉txns done by AI agents by 2025

🚨 I personally wouldn't bet against Brian Armstrong and Jesse Pollak.

👉 Coinbase just launched an AI agent for Crypto Trading
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thedinarian@thedinarian
6 hours ago

🚨 Hedera $HBAR , $XDC Network, and $QNT have been chosen by SWIFT to join this year's Sibos 2025 as discovered exhibitors. Seems SWIFT chose these tokens, which are all DLTs, were chosen specifically for the event, signifying key institutional interest in these ecosystems. This is very good news.

Op: Realallincrypto

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thedinarian@thedinarian
6 hours ago

‼️JUST IN JULY 2025 REPORT REVEALS PUBLICLY TRADED COMPANY IMMUTABLE HOLDINGS WILL BEGIN STRATEGICALLY ACCUMULATING HBAR TOKENS‼️

Massive signal.đź’Ž

Corporate treasuries are actively seeking ISO 20022 compliant assets as the foundation of their long term digital asset strategy.🔑

“The Company believes HBAR is a high-quality digital asset with long-term potential, distinguished by the Hedera network's enterprise-grade performance, low transaction costs, carbon-negative operations, and growing adoption among enterprise and public sector applications.”✅

“HBAR = a compelling candidate for long-term digital asset treasury management.”✅

Documented below.📝👇

Op: Smqkedqg

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thedinarian@thedinarian
6 hours ago

Remember, Harvard revealed that the Road Map to the Digital Dollar INVOLVES XRP AND XLM.🎯

Documented.đź“ťđź’¨

Op: Smqkedqg

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thedinarian@thedinarian
July 28, 2025
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PYTH: We'll Always Have Coldplay

Welcome back to The Epicenter, where crypto chaos meets corporate cringe.

But surprisingly, crypto has not been the most chaotic corner of the internet as of late.

That honor goes to the startup Astronomer, whose CEO’s cheating scandal broke the web in a glorious meme-fueled media frenzy. The company’s damage control? Hiring Gwyneth Paltrow as a “temporary spokesperson.” Do we think they’re grasping at straws or setting a new standard for PR?

Meanwhile, the markets didn’t blink. BTC is still flexing near its all-time highs. Michael Saylor’s bringing a bitcoin-adjacent money-market product to Wall Street. A pharma company just earmarked $700M to stack BNB, and analysts are calling time of death on the four-year crypto cycle. It’s a steady boom now, kittens.

A few things that are also worth noting: Winklevoss vs. JPMorgan, Visa’s take on stablecoins, and Robinhood’s Euro drama that defies the chillness of eurosummer.

Let’s get into it 👇

⛓️ The On-Chain Pulse: What’s Happening on the Front Lines of Finance

This week’s biggest news in crypto and all things digital assets

🗣️ Word on the Street: What the Experts are Saying

Stuff you should repost (or maybe even cough reword and take credit for)

Meme of the Week

🏦 Kiss my SaaS: What’s Changing the Game for Fintech

Things you should care about if you want to impress your coworkers

Closing Thoughts

From meme-fueled PR stunts to Bitcoin-backed money-market funds, this week reminded us that markets move fast—and headlines move faster. With Wall Street automating itself, fintechs beefing with banks, and even your smartphone becoming a miner, anything is possible. Stay curious, stay cynical, and as always—stay sharp and stay liquid. We’ll see you back here in two weeks.

— The Epicenter, powered by Pyth Network

 

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If you find value in my content, consider showing your support via:

💳 PayPal: 
1) Simply scan the QR code below 📲
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đź”— Crypto – Support via Coinbase Wallet to: [email protected]

 

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thedinarian@thedinarian
July 27, 2025
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4 Fintech Companies 💸& Things To Know About 🤔

The fintech revolution is reshaping the way we manage, invest, and move money, breaking down traditional barriers and empowering individuals worldwide. As financial technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace, a select group of innovative companies are leading the charge by offering groundbreaking solutions that redefine banking, payments, and digital assets. Whether you’re a savvy investor, an industry professional, or simply curious about the future of finance, discovering these trailblazing fintech companies is essential to understanding today’s dynamic financial landscape.

 

  1.  Alina Invest - The AI Wealth Manager for GenZ Women

Alina is aimed at women under 25 who identify as beginner investors. They're an SEC-registered investment advisor that charges $120/year for membership. The service "buys and sells for you" and gives up notification updates of recent transactions like a wealth manager would.

👉 Getting people to invest early is crucial to building long-term wealth. One thing that holds them back is a lack of confidence and experience. Being targetted "for beginners" and people who live on TikTok should appeal. I love the sense of "we're buying and selling for you." Funds always do that, but making it an engagement mechanic is very smart. The risk here is that building a wealth business will take decades for the AUM to compound. But the next generations, Wealthfront or Betterment, will look something like Alina.

2. Blue layer - The Carbon project funding platform

Bluelayer allows Carbon project developers to take from feasibility studies to issuing credits, tracking inventory, and managing orders. Developers of reforestation, conservation, direct air capture, and other projects can also directly report to industry registries. 

👉 Carbon investing and tax credits are heavily incentivized but need transparent data. By focusing on the developers, Bluelayer can ensure the data, reporting, and credits lifecycle is all managed at the source. This is smart.

3. Akirolabs - Modern Procurement for enterprise

Akiro is a "strategic" procurement platform aiming to help enterprise customers identify risks, value drivers, and strategic levers before issuing an RFP. It aims to bring in multiple stakeholders for complex purchasing decisions at multinationals. 

👉 Procurement is a great wedge for multinational corporate transformation. Buying anything in an enterprise that uses large-scale ERPs is a nightmare of committees and spreadsheets. Turning an oil tanker-sized organization around is difficult, but the right suppliers can have a meaningful impact in the short term. That only works if you can buy from them. Getting people on the same page with a single platform is a great start.

4. NeoTax - Automated Tax R&D Credits

NeoTax allows companies to connect their engineering tools to calculate available tax advantages automatically. Once calculated, the tax fillings are clearly labeled with supporting evidence for the IRS.

👉 AWS and GCP log files and data are a goldmine. Last week, I covered Bilanc, which uses log files to figure out per-account unit economics. Now, we calculate R&D tax credits. The unlock here is LLM's ability to understand unstructured data. The hard part is understanding the moat, but time will tell.

In an era where technology and finance are increasingly intertwined, these four fintech companies stand out as catalysts for positive change. By driving progress in digital payments, asset management, lending, and decentralized finance, they are not only making financial services more accessible and efficient—they are also paving the way for a more inclusive and empowered global economy. Staying informed about their innovations can help you seize new opportunities and take part in the future of finance.

 

đź‘€Things to know đź‘€

 

PayPal issued low guidance and warned of a “transition year.” The stock is down 8% in extended trading despite PayPal reporting a 9% growth in revenue and 23% EBITDA. Gross profit is down 4% YoY. PayPal's total revenues were $29Bn for the year

Adyen reported 22% revenue growth and an EBITDA margin of 46% for the full year. Adyen's total revenues were $1.75bn for the full year. The margin was down from 55% the previous year, impacted by hiring ahead of growth.

🤔 PayPal’s Braintree (unbranded) is losing market share in the US, while Adyen is winning it. eCommerce is growing ~9 to 10% YoY, and PayPal’s transaction revenue grew by 6.7%. The higher interest rate environment meant interest on balances dragged up the total revenue figure. Their core business is losing market share. Adyen is outgrowing the market by ~12%.

🤔 The PayPal button (branded) is losing to SHOP Pay and Apple Pay. The branded experience from Apple and Shopify is delightful for users; it’s fast and helps with small details like delivery tracking. That experience translates to higher conversion (and more revenue) for merchants.

🤔 The lack of a single global platform hurts PayPal, but it helps Adyen. In the earnings call, the new CEO admitted their mix of platforms like Venmo, PayPal, and Braintree are holding them back. They aim to combine and simplify, but that’s easier said than done.

🤔 Making a single platform from PayPal, Venmo, and Braintree won’t be easy. There’s a graveyard of payment company CEOs who tried to make “one platform” from things they acquired years ago. It’s crucial if they’re going to grow that they get their innovation edge back. Adyen has one platform in every market.

🤔 PayPal’s UK and European acquiring business is a bright spot. The UK and EU delivered 20% of overall revenue, growing 11% YoY. Square and Toast don’t have market share here, while iZettle, which PayPal acquired in 2018, is a strong market player. Overall though, it’s yet another tech stack and business that’s not part of a single global platform.

The two banks provided accounts to UK front companies secretly owned by an Iranian petrochemicals company. PCC has used these entities to receive funds from Iranian entities in China, concealed with trustee agreements and nominee directors. 

🤔 This is the headline every bank CEO fears. Oof. Shares of both banks have been down since the news broke, but this will no doubt involve crisis calls, committees, appearing in front of the regulator, and, finally, some sort of fine.

🤔 The "risk-based approach" has been arbitraged. A UK company with relatively low annual revenue would look "low risk" at onboarding. One business the FT covered looked like a small company at a residential address to compliance staff. They'd likely apply branch-level controls instead of the enterprise-grade controls you'd see for a large corporation. 

🤔 Hiring more staff won't fix this problem; it's a mindset and technology challenge. In theory, all of the skill and technology that exists to manage risks with large corporate customers (in the transaction banking divisions) are available to the other parts of a bank. In practice, they're not. Most banks lack a single data set and the ability for compliance officers in one team to see data from another part of the org. Getting the basics right with data and tooling is incredibly hard and will involve a multi-year effort. 

🤔 These things are rarely the failure of an individual or department; the issue is systemic. While two banks are named in this headline, the issue is everywhere. Banks need more data and better data to train better AI and machine learning. That all needs to happen in real-time as a compliment to the human staff. Throwing bodies at this won't solve the visibility issue teams have.

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thedinarian@thedinarian
July 27, 2025
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What is XAH and Xahau?

If you're new to XRP, you may have noticed some of us discussing another network named 'Xahau'.

It's Like XRP ... But Different

The Xahau network was created in 2023, and its starting point was the open-source code for the XRP Ledger. A small team of researchers and entrepreneurs decided to add smart contracts to the network code.


The XRP Ledger has no smart contract capabilities, by default.

To integrate smart contracts, the team decided to use an architecture that includes 'WASM' or 'web assembly' code. Each account can have up to 10 'hooks' installed that are triggered for transactions that match specific criteria. They can run before or after a transaction is processed. This enables a variety of use cases that do not involve the need to change the network's core code.

Hooks

A 'hook' is what is known as a smart contract that can be triggered in relation to a specific account and its transactions.

The term arises from the programming world, where it generally means "code that runs based on triggering conditions." In Xahau's case, it indicates code that is run before, or after, a transaction is processed.
 
Each hook must be installed on a specific account by the party that controls the account - i.e., the secret key holder.
 
What Can XAH Do That XRP Cannot?
 
The primary benefit from the use of hooks, is that the core network code does not need to be changed every time a new use case is identified. This means that additional use cases can be addressed immediately, with no requirement for intervening steps, such as:
  • Community review
  • Community approval
  • Amendment voting
All of those steps are eliminated with the use of hooks; new use cases can be addressed as fast as the code can be developed.
 
To read more about how hooks enables Xahau to handle more use cases than even the XRPL, you can read this article:
 
Key Differences From XRP
 
Other unique differences from the XRP Ledger include:
  • Much smaller supply ~612 million coins vs. 100 billion coins
  • XAH hodlers are rewarded at 4% of their account balance. There are no rewards for XRP.
  • Governance participants are incentivized
  • Payment channels available for user-created tokens (IOUs)
  • URI tokens instead of NFT tokens
Who's Who of Xahau?
 
The list of those that are either founders, or closely associated with the founding organizations, is extensive. Here are the names of three organizations mentioned in the whitepaper, or their current moniker:
  • Xaman (a.k.a. XRPL Labs)
  • Gatehub
  • InFTF (Inclusive Financial Technology Foundation)
There exists a long list of impressive developers, architects, and technologists among the Xahau inner circle. But the three names that people associate most prominently with the leadership of the Xahau network are Wietse Wind, Richard Holland, and Denis Angell. The links to their 'X' accounts are:
 
Friend Or Foe?
 
This topic is one of the most contentious.
 
While Ripple, the company with the largest stake of XRP, showed interest in hooks early on, they ultimately decided to advocate for a different approach; the use of an EVM-based solution (Ethereum Virtual Machine) to handle smart contracts on the XRP Ledger. This decision was met with consternation by the Xaman team that had worked with them for several years to advocate for the use of hooks.
 
You can read more about the 'business politics' part of this topic here:
 
So how do Xahau fans view the relationship between XRP and XAH?
 
The Xahau team - and many of its community members - advocate for the use of a 'dual-chain' solution to implement smart contracts. This can be accomplished by the use of 'listener' software, along with native Xahau hooks.
 
A proof of concept, developed by Denis Angell, has demonstrated that bi-lateral communication can work with a simple approach.
 
From an economic standpoint, every chain that has its own digital asset is a competitor; but the simple way to think about Xahau, is that a 'bunch of XRP geeks' decided to implement smart contracts on their own version of the XRP Ledger.
 
The team emphasized transparency along the way, and initially received support from the primary XRP stakeholder, Ripple. They published Xahau as open-source code that could, in theory, be back-engineered and integrated with the XRP Ledger. You can clearly observe the team's idealistic mindset in early marketing mistakes, where they named their digital asset 'XRP Plus' in an effort to emphasize the way that they viewed their creation. While this resulted in confusion - and even suspicion - in its early days, the team quickly pivoted, and named their digital asset 'XAH', which became its ticker symbol.
 
Synergy effects between the two camps speak to a genuine camaraderie, with many Xahau developers being open and willing to help with changes to the core XRP Ledger protocol. You can find many examples of this open dialogue on the 'X' platform.
 
How To Purchase XAH
 
If you wish to speculate by buying XAH directly, it is available in a variety of convenient locations, depending on where you are located. If you're in a country that is supported by Bitrue, you can directly purchase or trade XAH by using that exchange.
 
On January 20th, 2025, Bitmart announced that it supports trading of XAH for customers in their list of supported countries; And in late March, another major exchange announced that they would be supporting XAH trading pairs: Coinex.
 
If you're located in the United States, you can purchase XAH directly from a vendor known as 'C14'. The xApp for C14 is located in the Xaman wallet.
 
XRP Ledger geeks can also purchase XAH IOUs on the XRPL Dex and then convert them to 'real' XAH using a Gatehub bridge. This is available in countries that Gatehub supports.
 
Which XAH Accounts Should I Follow?
 
On the 'X' platform, there exists two major community groups for XAH fans:
In addition to the Xahau notables I've already mentioned in this article, my advice is to take a look at who is posting in the above two communities. There are many impressive leaders and entrepreneurs included. You should be able to find multiple 'X' accounts that reflect your interests.
 
Xahau Development Roadmap
 
Xahau leaders have published a roadmap for 2025 that lists their various goals for the ecosystem:
 
To read a detailed explanation for each item, refer to this: Xahau Roadmap Super Thread
 
One of the most incredible waypoints listed is 'JavaScript Hooks Implementation.' 🤯
JavaScript!
 
With the 'JavaScript Hooks Implementation', Xahau is making history; it will enable anybody that knows JavaScript to easily create and install a smart contract. While networks like Ethereum are impressive early movers, they require developers to learn a new language and syntax.
 
Xahau will soon open 'crypto smart contracts' to a group of developers that number in the tens of millions.
 
Project L-10K
 
Project L-10K is one of the most important items in the pipeline. L-10K refers to the effort to boost the throughput of Xahau consensus to over 10,000 transactions per ledger! This will benefit hosted projects such as Evernode, and future issued assets. Heading up the effort is Richard Holland, who provided a progress update to the community in late May of 2025:
 
To learn more about this ambitious effort, you can watch his full presentation here:
The Future Of Defi And Payments
 
Once you've seen the extensive list of use cases that XAH easily handles, it's truly inspiring. Xahau is everything that you love about XRP, plus a long list of more things to love. ❤️
 
Be an early adopter of XAH and the Xahau network! Join the community groups listed and follow the accounts that seem to reflect your own interest - speculator, developer, or crypto fan. You have a place in our community, no matter what your background or interests are. Welcome to the future of crypto Defi and Payments. 
 
Sources:
 
 
NOTE: Payment channels for IOUs is currently in amendment status for the XRP Ledger, authored by Denis Angel here:
 
 

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If you find value in my content, consider showing your support via:

💳 PayPal: 

1) Simply scan the QR code below 📲
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đź”— Crypto – Support via Coinbase Wallet to: [email protected]

Or Buy me a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/thedinarian

Your generosity keeps this mission alive, for all! Namasté 🙏 Crypto Michael ⚡ The Dinarian

 
 
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