ArbitrumDAO Selects Franklin Templeton, Spiko, and WisdomTree for STEP 2 to Expand RWA Adoption On-Chain

NEW YORK, May 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The Arbitrum Foundation today announces that the ArbitrumDAO has confirmed the next phase of its Stable Treasury Endowment Program (STEP), allocating 35 million $ARB to tokenized U.S. treasury products through leading institutional issuers Franklin Templeton, Spiko and WisdomTree.

Launched in July 2024, STEP is the first ArbitrumDAO-driven initiative to deploy treasury capital into tokenized real-world assets at scale. The initial tranche of over $30 million has already generated nearly $700,000 in passive yield for the DAO while advancing the on-chain adoption of institutional-grade assets such as BlackRock's BUIDL, Ondo's USDY, and Mountain Protocol's USDM.

Following a robust RFP process that evaluated over 50 submissions, the DAO has approved the following allocations for STEP 2 recipients:

• 35% to Franklin Templeton's FOBXX (tokenized as BENJI)
• 35% to Spiko's USTBL
• 30% to WisdomTree's WTGXX

Each issuer offers regulated, tokenized access to short-duration U.S. Treasuries, ensuring both compliance-grade security and on-chain liquidity for Arbitrum's growing treasury reserves.

"Having organizations like Blackrock, Franklin Templeton, Spiko, and WisdomTree interacting with a DAO publicly in a forum is an unbelievable accomplishment for the whole crypto space," said Matthew Fiebach, Co-Founder of Entropy Advisors. "Since day one, Arbitrum has been strategically positioned at the heart of crypto's convergence with TradFi, and STEP is a great example of the DAO's steadfast push to continue bringing institutions onchain."

The latest allocation underscores STEP's mission to create a yield-bearing, composable, and sustainable treasury. ArbitrumDAO is a leader in real-world asset adoption, with over $45 million deployed across eight issuers and over $240 million in RWAs currently held on Arbitrum-based platforms, representing a more than 50x increase over the past year.

Allocated organizations applauded the expansion:

"We are thrilled to be selected as a manager for the STEP 2 program, deepening our already strong connection with the Arbitrum user base," said Roger Bayston, Head of Digital Assets at Franklin Templeton. "By leveraging Arbitrum's leading Layer 2 technology, we are able to deliver faster, more scalable, and cost-efficient solutions to our clients. This collaboration not only strengthens our commitment to innovation but also positions us at the forefront of the next generation of financial services infrastructure."

"Being selected by the STEP 2 committee is a powerful endorsement of our mission: to deliver secure, regulated, on-chain treasury solutions that are accessible to all, added Paul Adrien, CEO of Spiko. "Since launching the first tokenized UCITS funds on public blockchains in mid-2024, Spiko has rapidly become Europe's leading tokenization platform, with over $260 million in assets under management. Our ambition is to build the leading treasury management fintech on Arbitrum."

"We are honored to be selected as part of Arbitrum's Treasury Diversification initiative," said Maredith Hannon, Head of Business Development, Digital Assets at WisdomTree. "Expanding access to tokenized RWAs is central to our mission, and this opportunity with Arbitrum highlights the growing demand for institutional-grade digital assets. Through WisdomTree Connect, we are bringing trusted, institutional-grade solutions to onchain entities, supporting the next generation of treasury operations built on digital asset infrastructure."

Arbitrum's STEP program not only addresses idle capital inefficiencies but also positions the ArbitrumDAO for future diversification into new asset classes, including early-stage ventures, credit strategies, and commodities.

To learn more about Arbitrum, please visit https://arbitrum.io/.

About Arbitrum
Arbitrum is a customizable, interoperable set of solutions designed to bring businesses and people onchain. Its flagship blockchain, Arbitrum One, dominates L2 TVL with deep liquidity and streamlined deployment capabilities, powering dApp innovation across DeFi, DePIN, gaming, and other verticals. Additional technologies like Orbit, which enables the development of customizable, interconnected chains leveraging the Arbitrum technology, and Stylus, supporting Rust and C++, push Arbitrum to the forefront of pioneering innovation in blockchain development.

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SOURCE Arbitrum Foundation