Franklin Templeton Launches EZPZ Crypto ETF, Exposing Investors to Bitcoin and Ethereum

This latest product, listed on the Cboe BZX Exchange on Thursday, expands the asset manager's digital asset offerings after it launched its spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs last year.

Franklin Templeton is now offering investors exposure to Bitcoin and Ethereum with a new cryptocurrency ETF (ticker: EZPZ).

This latest product, which began trading on the Cboe BZX Exchange on Thursday, expands the asset manager’s digital asset offerings after launching its spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs last year.

EZPZ ETF offers low-cost Bitcoin and Ethereum exposure

The EZPZ ETF tracks the price movements of Bitcoin and Ethereum according to CF Benchmarks’ Institutional Digital Asset Index, which selects the two most compliant cryptocurrencies under international financial law. The index weights the investment pro rata to market capitalization, with 82% of an investment in EZPZ tracking Bitcoin and 18% tracking Ethereum.

EZPZ, meanwhile, has an expense ratio of 0.19%, making it one of the cheapest cryptocurrency investment products on the market. According to Franklin Templeton’s head of digital assets, the firm is aiming to make digital asset exposure more widely available to everyday investors.

“Blockchains are becoming the powerhouses for today’s and tomorrow’s information and data economy,” said Bayston in a press release. “We are bringing EZPZ to market as a simple, low-cost way to gain exposure to this now large and significant asset class.”

Franklin Templeton grows crypto push but trails industry giants in AUM

Franklin Templeton is scaling up its entry into cryptocurrency. While its Franklin Bitcoin ETF (EZBC) now has $708 million in assets under management (AUM) — ranking ninth out of 11 U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs — it trails far behind the $56.6 billion in AUM for BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin ETF (IBIT).

Franklin Templeton’s Ethereum ETF (EZET) is seventh in its category, with $34 million in AUM.

The asset management company is engaging heavily with the crypto community despite still trailing competitors in AUM by a substantial margin. Earlier this week, the firm’s digital assets division shared a lighthearted image on X featuring Benjamin Franklin donning a hat that resembles a McDonald’s uniform. The image poked fun at a common Crypto Twitter meme about traders floundering in the difficult market conditions.

“Putting the fries in the bag,” the caption reads.

Franklin Templeton is among several large asset managers making a play for digital assets. Competitors like BlackRock, Fidelity, and Grayscale have been pursuing spot Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs amid growing investor interest.

Institutional adoption of crypto is also scaling up. Earlier this month, Mubadala Investment Company — Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund — disclosed that it had acquired $436 million in shares of BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF, indicating a keen interest from international financial institutions.

As Franklin Templeton makes further advances in the digital assets space, EZPZ serves as a strategic growth opportunity to provide investors with diversified exposures to cryptocurrencies in a cost-efficient structure that is ideal for investors seeking long-term crypto investment without the direct ownership headaches.

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