Allows Franklin Templeton to Deliver an Enhanced Experience to Its Clients

Leverages FIS’ Deep Expertise in Transfer Agency Services and Experience as a Global Fintech Provider

Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE: BEN], a global investment management organization operating as Franklin Templeton, and financial technology leader FIS^® [NYSE: FIS] today announced that FIS will assume operation of Franklin Templeton’s global transfer agent (TA) function as a sub-agent or delegate, depending on the jurisdiction. The combination of top technology, built by both companies, will form a truly unique TA global offering that will deliver an enhanced client service experience to Franklin Templeton fund shareholders and financial professionals. All Franklin Templeton transfer agent employees affected by this change will be given job opportunities. Most will have the opportunity to work directly for FIS, and others will remain at Franklin Templeton as part of a redesigned team. This will provide a seamless servicing transition for clients. For FIS, this partnership aligns with its focus on expanding its Business Process as a Service (BPaaS) offerings, as well as accelerating its reach into new markets across Canada, Europe and Asia Pacific.

“We’re pleased to be partnering with FIS, which will enable us to take our service delivery model to the next level,” said Alok Sethi, Executive Vice President of Technology and Operations at Franklin Templeton. “As with all of our decisions, the needs of our customers are always at the forefront, and we expect this change will best support their future servicing needs. A contributing factor to this decision was our acquisition of Legg Mason last year. We have made it a priority to move the combined firm to a single transfer agent platform, which will allow financial professionals and fund shareholders to purchase and exchange all of our funds with ease. We are excited to bring the benefits of this transaction to our clients through a phased transition across investment strategies and geographies over the next year to ensure a seamless experience.”

This agreement will allow Franklin Templeton, which manages $1.56 trillion in assets globally, to continue to focus on its core business of investment management to help its clients achieve their most important financial goals. For FIS, a global fintech provider with deep experience in U.S. TA services, it will allow the company to broaden the transfer agency services it provides to investment managers and asset servicers, including investor servicing and record keeping across multiple product types and jurisdictions. In connection with the transaction, Franklin Templeton will transfer the rights to certain aspects of its intellectual property to FIS, including solutions supporting the ability to provide multi-jurisdictional international transfer agency services and 529 college saving plan functionality.

Nasser Khodri, Head of Capital Markets at FIS, said, “By partnering with FIS, Franklin Templeton will be able to transition its transfer agency services to a managed solution to realize key servicing enhancements and operational efficiencies, while minimizing its enterprise risk. With the additional capabilities FIS has acquired as part of this partnership, the asset management and servicing community now has a modern, technology driven choice for global transfer agency services, backed by the commitment and stability of FIS. We look forward to welcoming the Franklin Templeton team members who will join FIS as an essential part of our business.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Franklin Templeton will remain the named transfer agent or central administrator globally and will oversee FIS in the provision of its services as its sub-agent or delegate, depending on the local jurisdiction. As part of this strategic partnership, approximately 1,450 Franklin Templeton employees across Asia Pacific, Canada, Europe, and the U.S. will be given the opportunity to join FIS.

About Franklin Templeton

Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organization with subsidiaries operating as Franklin Templeton and serving clients in over 165 countries. Franklin Templeton’s mission is to help clients achieve better outcomes through investment management expertise, wealth management and technology solutions. Through its specialist investment managers, the company brings extensive capabilities in equity, fixed income, multi-asset solutions and alternatives. With offices in more than 30 countries and approximately 1,300 investment professionals, the California-based company has over 70 years of investment experience and over $1.5 trillion in assets under management as of October 31, 2021. For more information, please visit franklintempleton.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

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