Markets · ETFs
Filings dated Oct. 22 set a prospectus date of Oct. 27 for FBEQ and FIBT on Nasdaq. Neither fund is trading yet.
Franklin Templeton has filed paperwork for two exchange-traded funds that would hold large US stocks and reinvest their dividends into bitcoin, according to filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission dated Oct. 22. Neither fund is trading yet.
The filings describe the Franklin US Equity Bitcoin DRIP Index ETF, ticker FBEQ, and the Franklin US Innovation Bitcoin DRIP Index ETF, ticker FIBT, both to be listed on The Nasdaq Stock Market. The post-effective amendment, an update to the trust's existing registration, states it is proposed to become effective on Oct. 27, 2026, and both prospectuses carry that date. A separate Form 8-A, the filing that registers shares for exchange trading, covers both funds on Nasdaq. Such amendments take effect on the stated date without an SEC vote.
This is a registration, not an approval. Each prospectus states that the SEC "has not approved or disapproved these securities."
Each fund would track an index run by VettaFi. FBEQ follows the VettaFi US Large-Cap 500 Bitcoin DRIP Index, built from a parent index of the 500 largest US companies by market value. FIBT follows the VettaFi US Innovation 100 Bitcoin DRIP Index, based on the top 100 US issuers listed on Nasdaq, excluding finance companies.
The bitcoin piece comes from dividends. Each index "systematically" reinvests dividends from its stocks into bitcoin, capping total bitcoin exposure at 20%, with a 5% cap applied at each quarterly rebalance, the filing says. The funds would get that exposure through bitcoin exchange-traded products, including ones sponsored by Franklin affiliates, as well as options and futures, possibly held through a Cayman Islands subsidiary.
The prospectuses list a management fee of 0.09% a year for FBEQ and 0.19% for FIBT. Franklin Templeton Institutional is named as sub-advisor.
In Le Coin's view, the design is the notable part: bitcoin enters as a byproduct of an ordinary stock index rather than as the main holding. Whether the funds launch on schedule is the next fact to check.
Holding the Corner.
Not financial advice.