10-Q

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FRANKLIN RESPONSIBLY SOURCED GOLD ETF

A SERIES OF FRANKLIN TEMPLETON HOLDINGS TRUST

Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited)

1. ORGANIZATION

The Franklin Templeton Holdings Trust (the “Trust”) was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on April 19, 2021 and is governed by the Agreement and Declaration of Trust dated as of May 10, 2022. The Trust is not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the “Investment Company Act”) and is not a commodity pool for purposes of the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”). The Trust currently offers a single series, the Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF (the “Fund”). Franklin Holdings, LLC is the Sponsor of the Trust (the “Sponsor”). The Sponsor is not subject to regulation by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) as a commodity pool operator with respect to the Fund, or a commodity trading advisor with respect to the Fund. The Fund issues shares (the “Shares”), which represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in the Fund. The Shares of the Fund are listed on the NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”). The investment objective of the Fund is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion, less the Fund’s expenses. The Fund’s only ordinary recurring expense is the Sponsor’s annual fee of 0.15% of the NAV of the Fund. The assets of the Fund include only gold bullion and cash, if any. The Fund seeks to hold only responsibly sourced gold in the Fund’s allocated account. The Fund defines responsibly sourced gold for this purpose as London Good Delivery gold bullion bars that were refined on or after January 1, 2012 (also referred to herein as “post-2012 gold”). All post-2012 gold has been refined in accordance with London Bullion Market Association’s (“LBMA”) Responsible Gold Guidance (the “Gold Guidance”). The Shares were first listed for trading on NYSE Arca on June 30, 2022.

BNY Mellon Asset Servicing, a division of The Bank of New York Mellon, or “BNYM,” is the Fund’s Administrator (the “Administrator”) and Transfer Agent (the “Transfer Agent”). BNYM also serves as the custodian of the Fund’s cash, if any. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., London branch (“JPMorgan”), is the custodian (the “Custodian”) of the Fund’s gold bullion. Delaware Trust Company, a subsidiary of the Corporation Service Company, is the Trustee of the Trust. Franklin Distributors, LLC is the marketing agent of the Trust (the “Marketing Agent”).

Shares of the Fund are listed on the NYSE Arca under the ticker symbol “FGDL”. The market price of the Shares may be different from the NAV per Share. Shares may be purchased from the Trust only by certain eligible financial institutions called Authorized Participants and only in one or more blocks of 50,000 Shares (“Creation Units”) in exchange for gold. The Fund issues Shares in Creation Units on a continuous basis at the applicable NAV per Share on the creation order date. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, the Shares are not redeemable securities.

The Fund is an “emerging growth company” as that term is used in the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), and, as such, the Fund may elect to comply with certain reduced public company reporting requirements.

On May 24, 2022, the initial Authorized Participant, JP Morgan Securities LLC (the “Initial AP”), purchased 100,000 Shares at a

per-Share

price of $25 (the “Seed Creation Units”). Total proceeds to the Fund from the sale of the Seed Creation Units were 1,338.976 ounces of gold. The value of gold deposited with the Fund was $2,500,000 based on the LBMA Gold Price PM on May 24, 2022 of $1,867.10 per ounce of gold. Delivery of the Seed Creation Units was made on May 26, 2022.

The statement of assets and liabilities and schedule of investments at September 30, 2023 and the statements of operations, cash flows and changes in net assets for the period ended September 30, 2023, have been prepared on behalf of the Fund and are unaudited. In the opinion of management of the Sponsor of the Trust, all adjustments (which include normal recurring adjustments) necessary to present fairly the financial position and results of operations for the period ended September 30, 2023 and for all interim periods presented have been made. In addition, interim period results are not necessarily indicative of results for a full-year period. These financial statements and the notes thereto should be read in conjunction with the Fund’s financial statements included in its Annual Report on Form

10-K

for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, as filed with the SEC on June 20, 2023.

The fiscal year of the Fund is March 31st.

2. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

In preparing financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), management of the Sponsor makes estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements, as well as the reported amount of revenue and expenses reported during the period. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

The accompanying unaudited financial statements were prepared in accordance with GAAP for interim financial information and with the instructions for Form

10-Q

and the rules and regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). In the opinion of management, all material adjustments, consisting only of normal recurring adjustments, considered necessary for a fair statement of the interim period financial statements have been made.

The following is a summary of significant accounting policies followed by the Trust and the Fund.

2.1. Basis of Presentation

The Sponsor has determined that the Trust falls within the scope of Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 946, Financial Services—Investment Companies, and has concluded that solely for accounting purposes, the Trust is classified as an Investment Company. The Trust is not registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940 and is not required to register under such act.

2.2. Valuation of Gold

The Trust follows the provisions of ASC 820, Fair Value Measurements (“ASC 820”). ASC 820 provides guidance for determining fair value and requires increased disclosure regarding the inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. ASC 820 defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date.

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The Fund’s policy is to value the investment in gold bullion at fair value. The NAV is computed based upon the total value of the assets of the Fund (i.e., gold and cash) less its liabilities. The Administrator will value any gold bullion held by the Fund on the basis of the price of an ounce of gold as determined by the ICE Benchmark Administration Limited (“IBA”), a benchmark administrator, which provides an independently administered auction process, as well as the overall administration and governance for the London Bullion Market Association (the “LBMA”). In determining the NAV, the Administrator will generally value the gold bullion held by the Fund on the basis of the LBMA Gold Price PM.

The Administrator calculates the NAV on each day NYSE Arca is open for regular trading, at the earlier LBMA Gold Price PM for the day or 12:00 PM New York time. If no LBMA Gold Price (AM or PM) is made on a particular evaluation day or if the LBMA Gold Price PM has not been announced by 12:00 PM New York time on a particular evaluation day, the next most recent LBMA Gold Price AM or PM will be used in the determination of the NAV, unless the Sponsor determines that such price is inappropriate to use as the basis for such determination. Gold bullion held by the Fund is reported at fair value on the statements of assets and liabilities.

Once the value of the gold bullion has been determined, the Administrator subtracts all estimated accrued expenses and other liabilities of the Fund from the total value of the gold bullion and all other assets of the Fund. The resulting figure is the NAV. The NAV is used to compute the Sponsor’s fee. The Administrator determines the NAV per Share by dividing the NAV of the Fund by the number of Shares outstanding as of the close of each day of trading on NYSE Arca.

ASC 820 established a hierarchy that prioritized inputs to valuation techniques used to measure fair value. The three levels of inputs are:

Level 1: Unadjusted quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities;

Level 2: Inputs other than quoted prices included within Level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability either directly or indirectly, including quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities in active markets, quoted prices for identical or similar assets or liabilities in markets that are not considered to be active, inputs other than quoted prices that are observable for the asset or liability, and inputs that are derived principally from or corroborated by observable market data by correlation or other means; and

Level 3: Inputs that are unobservable for the asset or liability, including the Fund’s assumptions used in determining the fair value of investments.

At September 30, 2023, the value of the gold bullion held by the Fund is categorized as Level 1.

2.3. Expenses, realized gains and losses

When selling gold to pay expenses, the Sponsor will endeavor to sell the smallest amount of gold needed to pay expenses to minimize the Fund’s holdings of assets other than gold. A gain or loss is recognized based on the difference between the selling price and the average cost of the gold sold on the trade date, and such amounts are reported as net realized gain (loss) from gold distributed for the redemption of shares and sold to pay expenses in the statements of operations. Gold transactions are recorded on the trade date. The cost of gold is determined using the specific identification method.

The Fund’s only ordinary recurring expense is the Sponsor’s fee of 0.15% of the NAV of the Fund (“Sponsor fee”). The Sponsor fee is calculated on a daily basis (accrued at 1/366 of the applicable percentage of total net assets on that day) and is payable by the Fund monthly in arrears. The Fund’s expenses will reduce the NAV of the Fund. In exchange for the Sponsor’s fee, the Sponsor has agreed to assume the ordinary fees and expenses incurred by the Fund, including but not limited to the following: fees charged by the Administrator, the Custodian and the Trustee, NYSE Arca listing fees, typical maintenance and transaction fees of the DTC, SEC registration fees, printing and mailing costs, audit fees and expenses, up to $500,000 per annum in legal fees and expenses and applicable license fees.

The Sponsor is not required to pay any extraordinary or

non-routine

expenses. Extraordinary expenses are fees and expenses which are unexpected or unusual in nature, such as legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs or indemnification or other unanticipated expenses. Extraordinary fees and expenses also include material expenses which are not currently anticipated obligations of the Fund. Routine operational, administrative and other ordinary expenses are not deemed extraordinary expenses. The Fund will sell gold on an

as-needed

basis to pay the Sponsor’s fee.

2.4. Gold Receivable and Payable

Gold receivable or payable represents the quantity of gold covered by contractually binding orders for the creation or redemption of Shares respectively, where the gold has not yet been transferred to or from the Fund’s account. Generally, ownership of the gold is transferred within two business days of the trade date.

2.5. Creations and redemptions of Shares

The Fund creates and redeems Shares from time to time, but only in one or more Creation Units (a Creation Unit equals a block of 50,000 Shares). The creation and redemption of Creation Units is only made in exchange for the delivery to the Fund or the distribution by the Fund of the amount of gold bullion represented by the Creation Units being created or redeemed. The amount of gold bullion required to be delivered to the Fund in connection with any creation, or paid out upon redemption, is based on the combined NAV of the number of Shares included in the Creation Units being created or redeemed as determined on the day the order to create or redeem Creation Units is properly received and accepted. The standard settlement cycle for most broker-dealer securities transactions is currently two business days, T+2 (the trade date plus two business days); however, recent rule amendments shortening the cycle to T+1 are scheduled to become effective May 2024. Authorized Participants are the only persons that may place orders to create and redeem Creation Units. All gold bullion must be delivered by Authorized Participants to the Fund and distributed by the Fund in unallocated form through credits and debits between Authorized Participants’ unallocated accounts and the Fund Unallocated Account. All gold bullion must be of at least a minimum fineness (or purity) of 995 parts per 1,000 (99.5%) and otherwise conform to the rules, regulations, practices and customs of the LBMA, including the specifications for a London Good Delivery Bar. The Transfer Agent receives a transaction processing fee in connection with orders from Authorized Participants to create or redeem Creation Units in the amount of $500 per order. These transaction processing fees are paid directly by the Authorized Participants and not by the Fund.

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Prior to initiating any creation or redemption order, an Authorized Participant must have an existing unallocated account with a London Precious Metals Clearing Limited (“LPMCL”) clearing bank identified by the Authorized Participant to the Custodian and the Sponsor, or an agreement with the Custodian itself establishing an unallocated account in London. An unallocated account is an account with a bullion dealer, which may also be a bank, to which a fine weight amount of gold bullion is credited. Transfers to or from an unallocated account are made by crediting or debiting the number of ounces of gold bullion being deposited or withdrawn. The account holder is entitled to direct the bullion dealer to deliver an amount of physical gold bullion equal to the amount of gold bullion standing to the credit of the unallocated account holder. Gold bullion held in an unallocated account is not segregated from the Custodian’s assets. The account holder therefore has no ownership interest in any specific bars of gold bullion that the bullion dealer holds or owns. The account holder is an unsecured creditor of the bullion dealer, and credits to an unallocated account are at risk of the bullion dealer’s insolvency, in which event it may not be possible for a liquidator to identify any gold bullion held in an unallocated account as belonging to the account holder rather than to the bullion dealer.

Changes in the Shares for the quarter from July 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023 are as follows:


	Shares			Amount
Balance at July 1, 2023		3,650,000		$	86,948,504
Creation of Shares		—			—
Redemption of Shares		(1,050,000	)		(26,992,241	)

Balance at September 30, 2023		2,600,000		$	59,956,263

Changes in the Shares for the quarter from July 1, 2022 to September 30, 2022 are as follows:


	Shares		Amount
Balance at July 1, 2022		100,000	$	2,500,000
Creation of Shares		1,750,000		41,330,012
Redemption of Shares		—		—

Balance at September 30, 2022		1,850,000	$	43,830,012

Changes in the Shares for the six months ended from April 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023 are as follows:


	Shares			Amount
Balance at April 1, 2023		4,300,000		$	104,172,201
Creation of Shares		100,000			2,695,902
Redemption of Shares		(1,800,000	)		(46,911,840	)

Balance at September 30, 2023		2,600,000		$	59,956,263

Changes in the Shares for the period from May 24, 2022 (Date of inception) to September 30, 2022 are as follows:


	Shares		Amount
Balance at May 24, 2022 *		—	$	—
Creation of Shares **		1,850,000		43,830,012
Redemption of Shares		—		—

Balance at September 30, 2022		1,850,000	$	43,830,012


*		The date represents the Initial Seed Creation.
**		Includes initial seed creation of 100,000 shares for an amount of $2,500,000.

2.6. Organizational and Offering Costs

The Fund’s organizational and offering costs are borne by the Sponsor and, as such, are the sole responsibility of the Sponsor. The Sponsor will not seek reimbursement or otherwise require the Fund, the Trust, the Trustee or any Shareholder to assume any liability, duty or obligation in connection with any such organizational and offering costs.

2.7. Income Taxes

The Fund is classified as a “grantor trust” for United States federal income tax purposes. As a result, the Fund itself is not subject to United States federal income tax. Instead, the Fund’s income, gain, losses, and expenses will “flow through” to the shareholders, and the Administrator reports these to the Internal Revenue Service on that basis.

The Sponsor has analyzed applicable tax laws and regulations and their application to the Fund as of September 30, 2023 and does not believe that there are any uncertain tax positions that require recognition of a tax liability.

3. INVESTMENT IN GOLD

The following represents the changes in ounces of gold held and the respective fair value during the quarter July 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023:


	Amount in ounces			Amount in US$
Balance at July 1, 2023		48,807.094		$	93,331,372
Gold received for the creation of Shares		—			—
Gold distributed for the redemption of Shares		(14,037.996	)		(26,992,241	)
Principal on gold sales to pay expenses		(15.905	)		(30,593	)
Net realized gain (loss) from gold transferred to pay expenses		—			1,507,791
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment in gold		—			(2,810,481	)

Balance at September 30, 2023		34,753.193		$	65,005,848

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The following represents the changes in ounces of gold held and the respective fair value during the quarter July 1, 2022 to September 30, 2022:


	Amount in ounces			Amount in US$
Balance at July 1, 2022		1,338.976		$	2,432,919
Gold received for the creation of Shares		23,429.704			41,330,012
Gold distributed for the redemption of Shares		—			—
Principal on gold sales to pay expenses		(4.136	)		(7,043	)
Net realized gain (loss) from gold transferred to pay expenses		—			(384	)
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment in gold		—			(2,355,378	)

Balance at September 30, 2022		24,764.544		$	41,400,126

The following represents the changes in ounces of gold held and the respective fair value during the six months ended April 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023:


	Amount in ounces			Amount in US$
Balance at April 1, 2023		57,519.498		$	113,871,350
Gold received for the creation of Shares		1,337.286			2,695,902
Gold distributed for the redemption of Shares		(24,067.816	)		(46,911,840	)
Principal on gold sales to pay expenses		(35.775	)		(70,233	)
Net realized gain (loss) from gold transferred to pay expenses		—			3,249,259
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment in gold		—			(7,828,590	)

Balance at September 30, 2023		34,753.193		$	65,005,848

The following represents the changes in ounces of gold held and the respective fair value during the period from May 24, 2022 (Date of inception) to September 30, 2022:


	Amount in ounces			Amount in US$
Balance at May 24, 2022 *		—		$	—
Gold received for the creation of Shares **		24,768.680			43,830,012
Gold distributed for the redemption of Shares		—			—
Principal on gold sales to pay expenses		(4.136	)		(7,043	)
Net realized gain (loss) from gold sold for rebalancing and to pay expenses		—			(384	)
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment in gold		—			(2,422,459	)

Balance at September 30, 2022		24,764.544		$	41,400,126

*	The date represents the Initial Seed Creation.

**	Includes gold received towards initial seed creation of 1,338.976 ounces for an amount of $2,500,000.

4. RELATED PARTIES — SPONSOR

The Sponsor is a related party of the Trust. The Marketing Agent is an affiliate of the Sponsor. Expenses payable to the Marketing Agent, if any, are paid through the Sponsor’s fee.

The Trust considers Franklin Resources, Inc., the ultimate parent company of the Sponsor, to be a related party of the Trust. As of September 30, 2023, no shares of the Fund were held by the related party.

The Sponsor of the Trust is Franklin Holdings, LLC. The Sponsor is responsible for establishing the Trust and for the registration of the Shares. The Sponsor generally oversees the performance of the Fund’s principal service providers but does not exercise

day-to-day

oversight over such service providers. The Sponsor, with assistance and support from the Administrator, is responsible for preparing and filing periodic reports on behalf of the Fund with the SEC and will provide any required certification for such reports. The Sponsor has designated the independent registered public accounting firm of the Fund and may from time to time employ legal counsel for the Fund.

Franklin Distributors, LLC serves as the Marketing Agent of the Fund. The Sponsor and the Marketing Agent are affiliates and each is considered to be a related party to the Trust and the Fund. Franklin Resources, Inc. (“FRI”) is the ultimate parent company of the Sponsor and the Marketing Agent. FRI is the holding company for various subsidiaries that together are referred to as Franklin Templeton Investments.

In exchange for the Sponsor’s fee, the Sponsor has agreed to assume the ordinary fees and expenses incurred by the Fund, including but not limited to the following: fees charged by the Administrator, the Custodian and the Trustee, NYSE Arca listing fees, typical maintenance and transaction fees of the DTC, SEC registration fees, printing and mailing costs, audit fees and expenses, up to $500,000 per annum in legal fees and expenses and applicable license fees. The Sponsor bears expenses in connection with the issuance and distribution of the securities being registered. The Sponsor is not required to pay any extraordinary or

non-routine

expenses.

5. CONCENTRATION OF RISK

The Fund’s sole business activity is the investment in gold bullion. Several factors could affect the price of gold: (i) global gold supply and demand, which is influenced by such factors as forward selling by gold producers, purchases made by gold producers to unwind gold hedge positions, central bank purchases and sales, and production and cost levels in major gold-producing countries, and new production projects; (ii) investors’ expectations regarding future inflation rates; (iii) currency exchange rate volatility; (iv) interest rate volatility; and (v) political, economic, global or regional incidents. In addition, there is no assurance that gold will maintain its long-term value in terms of purchasing power in the future. In the event that the price of gold declines, the Sponsor expects the value of an investment in the shares to decline proportionately. Each of these events could have a material effect on the Fund’s financial position and results of operations.

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6. FINANCIAL HIGHLIGHTS


	For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2023			For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2022			For the Six Months Ended September 30, 2023			For the period from May 24, 2022 (Date of inception) to September 30, 2022
Net asset value per Share, beginning of period	$	25.57		$	24.33		$	26.48		$	25.00	(a)

Net investment loss (b)		(0.01	)		(0.01	)		(0.02	)		(0.01	)
Net realized and unrealized gain (loss) on investment in gold		(0.56	)		(1.94	)		(1.46	)		(2.61	)

Net change in net assets from operations		(0.57	)		(1.95	)		(1.48	)		(2.62	)

Net asset value per Share, end of period	$	25.00		$	22.38		$	25.00		$	22.38

Total return, at net asset value (c)		(2.23	)%		(8.01	)%		(5.59	)%		(10.48	)%
Ratio to average net assets (d)
Net investment loss		(0.15	)%		(0.15	)%		(0.15	)%		(0.15	)%
Net expenses		0.15	%		0.15	%		0.15	%		0.15	%

(a)	The amount represents the initial Seed Creation.

(b)	Calculated using average Shares outstanding.

(c)	Calculation based on the change in net asset value of a Share during the period. Total return for periods of less than a year are not annualized.

(d)	Annualized.

7. COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENT LIABILITIES

In the normal course of business, the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, may enter into contracts with service providers that contain general indemnification clauses. The Fund’s maximum exposure under these arrangements is unknown as this would involve future claims that may be made against the Fund that have not yet occurred.

8. INDEMNIFICATION

The Sponsor will not be liable to the Trust, the Trustee or any Shareholder for any action taken or for refraining from taking any action in good faith, or for errors in judgment or for depreciation or loss incurred by reason of the sale of any gold bullion or other assets of the Fund or the Trust. However, the preceding liability exclusion will not protect the Sponsor against any liability resulting from its own gross negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct.

The Sponsor and each of its shareholders, members, directors, officers, employees, affiliates and subsidiaries will be indemnified by the Trust and held harmless against any losses, liabilities or expenses incurred in the performance of its duties under the Declaration of Trust without gross negligence, bad faith, or willful misconduct. The Sponsor may rely in good faith on any paper, order, notice, list, affidavit, receipt, evaluation, opinion, endorsement, assignment, draft or any other document of any kind prima facie properly executed and submitted to it by the Trustee, the Trustee’s counsel or by any other person for any matters arising under the Declaration of Trust. The Sponsor shall in no event be deemed to have assumed or incurred any liability, duty, or obligation to any Shareholder or to the Trustee other than as expressly provided for in the Declaration of Trust. Such indemnity includes payment from the Trust of the costs and expenses incurred in defending against any indemnified claim or liability under the Declaration of Trust.

The Trustee will not be liable or accountable to the Trust or any other person or under any agreement to which the Trust or any series of the Trust is a party, except for the Trustee’s breach of its obligations pursuant to the Declaration of Trust or its own willful misconduct, bad faith or gross negligence. The Trustee and each of the Trustee’s officers, affiliates, directors, employees, and agents will be indemnified by the Trust from and against any losses, claims, taxes, damages, reasonable expenses, and liabilities incurred with respect to the creation, operation or termination of the Trust, the execution, delivery or performance of the Declaration of Trust or the transactions contemplated thereby; provided that the indemnified party acted without willful misconduct, bad faith or gross negligence.

9. SUBSEQUENT EVENTS

The Fund has evaluated subsequent events through the issuance of the financial statements and determined that no such events have occurred that require disclosure.

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

This information should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes included in Item 1 of Part I of this Form 10-Q. This Form 10-Q contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. All statements (other than statements of historical fact) included in this Form 10-Q that address activities, events or developments that may occur in the future, including such matters as future gold prices, gold sales, costs, objectives, changes in commodity prices and market conditions (for gold and the shares), the Fund’s operations, the Sponsor’s plans and references to the Fund’s future success and other similar matters are forward-looking statements. Words such as “could,” “would,” “may,” “expect,” “intend,” “estimate,” “predict,” and variations on such words or negatives thereof, and similar expressions that reflect our current views with respect to future events and Fund performance, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are only predictions, subject to risks and uncertainties that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control, and actual results could differ materially from those discussed. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those expressed therein. We express our estimates, expectations, beliefs, and projections in good faith and believe them to have a reasonable basis. However, we make no assurances that management’s estimates, expectations, beliefs, or projections will be achieved or accomplished. These forward-looking statements are based on assumptions about many important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. We do not intend to update any forward-looking statements even if new information becomes available or other events occur in the future, except as required by the federal securities laws.

Organization and Trust Overview

The Franklin Templeton Holdings Trust (the “Trust”) was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on April 19, 2021. Franklin Holdings, LLC is the Sponsor of the Trust (the “Sponsor”). The Trust currently offers a single series, the Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF (the “Fund”). The Fund issues common units of beneficial interest (“Shares”), which represent units of fractional undivided beneficial interest in and ownership of the Fund. The Shares are listed on NYSE Arca, Inc. (“NYSE Arca”) under the symbol “FGDL”. Shares are not obligations of, and are not guaranteed by, the Sponsor or any of its subsidiaries or affiliates. The investment objective of the Fund is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion, less the Fund’s expenses. The assets of the Fund include only gold bullion and cash, if any.

The Fund seeks to hold only responsibly sourced gold in the Fund’s allocated account. The Fund defines responsibly sourced gold for this purpose as London Good Delivery gold bullion bars that were refined on or after January 1, 2012 (also referred to herein as “post-2012 gold”). All post-2012 gold has been refined in accordance with London Bullion Market Association’s (“LBMA”) Responsible Gold Guidance (the “Gold Guidance”), described further herein. To facilitate this, in transferring gold into and out of the Fund’s allocated account, the Custodian will, on a best efforts basis and subject to available liquidity, seek to allocate post-2012 gold. If, due to a lack of liquidity, the Custodian is unable to allocate post-2012 gold to the Fund’s allocated account, the Custodian will do so as soon as reasonably practicable.

The Fund issues Shares on a continuous basis. Shares are issued by the Fund only in one or more blocks of 50,000 Shares (a block of 50,000 Shares is called a “Creation Unit”) in exchange for gold from Authorized Participants, which is then allocated to the Fund and stored safely by the Custodian. The Fund issues and redeems Creation Units on an ongoing basis at Net Asset Value to Authorized Participants who have entered into an agreement with the Sponsor and the Administrator.

The Fund pays the Sponsor a fee that accrues daily at an annualized rate equal to 0.15% of the daily Net Asset Value of the Fund, paid monthly in arrears (the “Sponsor Fee”). The Sponsor Fee is accrued in and payable in U.S. dollars.

The NAV is computed based upon the total value of the assets of the Fund (i.e., gold and cash) less its liabilities. To determine the Fund’s NAV, the Administrator will generally value the gold bullion held by the Fund on the basis of the LBMA Gold Price PM as published by the IBA. IBA operates electronic auctions for spot, unallocated loco London gold, providing a market-based platform for buyers and sellers to trade. The auctions are run at 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. London time for gold. The final auction prices are published to the market as the LBMA Gold Price AM and the LBMA Gold Price PM, respectively. The Administrator will calculate the NAV on each day NYSE Arca is open for regular trading, at the earlier LBMA Gold Price PM for the day or 12:00 PM New York time. If no LBMA Gold Price (AM or PM) is made on a particular evaluation day or if the LBMA Gold Price PM has not been announced by 12:00 PM New York time on a particular evaluation day, the next most recent LBMA Gold Price AM or PM will be used in the determination of the NAV, unless the Sponsor determines that such price is inappropriate to use as the basis for such determination.

Once the value of the gold bullion has been determined, the Administrator subtracts all estimated accrued expenses and other liabilities of the Fund from the total value of the gold bullion and any cash of the Fund. The resulting figure is the NAV. The Administrator determines the NAV per Share by dividing the NAV of the Fund by the number of Shares outstanding as of the close of each day of trading on NYSE Arca.

Critical Accounting Policy

The financial statements and accompanying notes are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The preparation of these financial statements relies on estimates and assumptions that impact the Fund’s financial position and results of operations. These estimates and assumptions affect the Fund’s application of accounting policies. Below we describe the valuation of gold bullion, a critical accounting policy that we believe is important to understanding the results of operations and financial position. In addition, please refer to Note 2 to the Financial Statements for further discussion of the Fund’s accounting policies.

Results of Operations

At September 30, 2023, the Custodian held 34,753.193 ounces of gold on behalf of the Fund in its vault, with a market value of $65,005,848 (cost: $63,094,843) based on the LBMA PM Gold Price at period end.

For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2023

For the three months ended September 30, 2023, (1,050,000) Shares were redeemed in exchange for ounces (14,037.996) of gold. The Fund’s NAV per Share began the period at $25.57 and ended the period at $25.00. The decrease in NAV per Share was due to a lower price of gold of $1,870.50 at period end, which represented a decrease of (2.18)% from $1,912.25 at June 30, 2023.

The change in net assets from operations for the three months ended September 30, 2023 was $(1,329,179), which was due to (i) the Sponsor Fee of $(26,489), (ii) realized gain on sale of gold to pay expenses of $1,507,791 and (iii) a net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment of gold of $(2,810,481). Other than the Sponsor Fee the Fund had no expenses during the three months ended September 30, 2023.

For the Three Months Ended September 30, 2022

For the three months ended September 30, 2022, 1,750,000 Shares were issued in exchange for 23,429.704 ounces of gold. The Fund’s NAV per Share began the period at $24.33 and ended the period at $22.38. The decrease in NAV per Share was due to a lower price of gold of $1,671.75 at period end, which represented a decrease of (7.99)% from $1,817.00 at June 30, 2022.

The change in net assets from operations for the three months ended September 30, 2022 was $(2,367,293), which was due to (i) the Sponsor Fee of $(11,531), (ii) realized loss on sale of gold to pay expenses of $(384) and (iii) a net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment of gold of $(2,355,378). Other than the Sponsor Fee the Fund had no expenses during the three months ended September 30, 2022.

For the Six Months Ended September 30, 2023

For the six months ended September 30, 2023, 100,000 Shares were issued in exchange for 1,337.286 ounces of gold and (1,800,000) Shares were redeemed in exchange for (24,067.816) ounces of gold. The Fund’s NAV per Share began the period at $26.48 and ended the period at $25.00. The decrease in NAV per Share was due to a lower price of gold of $1,870.50 at period end, which represented a decrease of (5.52)% from $1,979.70 at March 31, 2023.

The change in net assets from operations for the six months ended September 30, 2023 was $(4,644,402), which was due to (i) the Sponsor Fee of $(65,071), (ii) realized gain on sale of gold to pay expenses of $3,249,259 and (iii) a net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment of gold of $(7,828,590). Other than the Sponsor Fee the Fund had no expenses during the six months ended September 30, 2023.

For the Period May 24, 2022 to September 30, 2022

For the period from May 24, 2022 (Date of inception) to September 30, 2022, 1,850,000 Shares (inclusive of two Creation Units that were created upon the initial seeding of the Fund) were issued in exchange for 24,768.680 ounces of gold. The Fund’s NAV per Share began the period at $25.00 and ended the period at $22.38. The decrease in NAV per Share was due to a lower price of gold of $1,671.75 at period end, which represented a decrease of (10.46)% from $1,867.10 at May 24, 2022.

The change in net assets from operations for the period ended September 30, 2022 was $(2,434,384), which was due to (i) the Sponsor Fee of $(11,541), (ii) realized loss on sale of gold to pay expenses of $(384) and (iii) a net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment of gold of $(2,422,459). Other than the Sponsor Fee the Fund had no expenses during the period ended September 30, 2022.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The Fund is not aware of any trends, demands, commitments, events or uncertainties that are reasonably likely to result in material changes to its liquidity needs. The Fund’s only ordinary recurring expense is the fee paid to the Sponsor at an annual rate of 0.15% of the daily net asset value of the Fund. The Sponsor’s annual fee accrues daily and is payable by the Fund monthly in arrears. In exchange for the Sponsor’s fee, the Sponsor has agreed to assume the ordinary fees and expenses incurred by the Fund, including but not limited to the following: fees charged by the Administrator, the Custodian and the Trustee, NYSE Arca listing fees, typical maintenance and transaction fees of the DTC, SEC registration fees, printing and mailing costs, audit fees and expenses, up to $500,000 per annum in legal fees and expenses and applicable license fees. The Sponsor may determine in its sole discretion to assume legal fees and expenses of the Fund in excess of the $500,000 per annum stipulated in the Sponsor Agreement.

The Sponsor is not required to pay any extraordinary or non-routine expenses. Extraordinary expenses are fees and expenses which are unexpected or unusual in nature, such as legal claims and liabilities and litigation costs or indemnification or other unanticipated expenses. Extraordinary fees and expenses also include material expenses which are not currently anticipated obligations of the Fund. The Fund will be responsible for the payment of such expenses to the extent any such expenses are incurred. Routine operational, administrative and other ordinary expenses are not deemed extraordinary expenses. The Fund will sell gold on an as-needed basis to pay the Sponsor’s fee.

The Administrator will, at the direction of the Sponsor, sell the Fund’s gold as necessary to pay the Fund’s expenses not otherwise assumed by the Sponsor. When selling gold to pay the Sponsor’s fee and other expenses, if any, the Administrator endeavors to sell the exact amount of gold needed to pay expenses to minimize the Fund’s holdings of cash. At September 30, 2023, the Fund did not have any cash balances.

Analysis of Movements in the Price of Gold

As movements in the price of gold are expected to directly affect the price of the Fund’s shares, it is important for investors to understand and follow movements in the price of gold. Past movements in the gold price are not indicators of future movements.

The following chart shows movements in the price of gold based on the LBMA PM Gold Price in U.S. dollars per ounce over the period from July 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023.

LOGO

The average, high, low and end-of-period gold prices based on the LBMA PM Gold Price for are as below:

Period

Average

High

Date

Low

Date

End of period

Last business day ⁽¹⁾

July 1, 2023 to September 30, 2023

1,928.48

1,976.10

July 20, 2023

1,870.50

September 29, 2023

1,870.50

September 29, 2023

(1)	The end of period gold price is the LBMA PM Gold Price on the last business day of the period.

Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk

The Fund is a passive investment vehicle. It is not actively managed. The investment objective of the Fund is for the Shares to reflect the performance of the price of gold bullion, less the Fund’s expenses. Accordingly, fluctuations in the price of gold will affect the value of the Fund’s Shares.

Item 4. Controls and Procedures

Disclosure Controls and Procedures

The duly authorized officers of the Sponsor, performing functions equivalent to those a principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Trust would perform if the Trust had any officers, have evaluated the effectiveness of the Trust’s disclosure controls and procedures, and have concluded that the disclosure controls and procedures of the Trust were effective as of the end of the period covered by this report. Such disclosure controls and procedures are designed to provide reasonable assurance that information required to be disclosed in the reports that the Trust files or submits under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, are recorded, processed, summarized and reported, within the time period specified in the applicable rules and forms, and that such information is accumulated and communicated to the duly authorized officers of the Sponsor performing functions equivalent to those a principal executive officer and principal financial officer of the Trust would perform if the Trust had any officers, as appropriate, to allow timely decisions regarding required disclosure.

Internal Control over Financial Reporting

There has been no change in the internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the fiscal quarter covered by this report that has materially affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the Trust’s internal control over financial reporting.

Part II. OTHER INFORMATION

Item 1. Legal Proceedings

From time to time, the Trust and/or the Fund may be a party to certain legal proceedings in the ordinary course of business. As of November 9, 2023, the Trust and the Fund are not subject to any material legal proceedings, nor, to our knowledge, are any material legal proceeding threatened against the Trust or Fund.

Item 1A. Risk Factors

You should carefully consider the factors discussed in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed on June 20, 2023 for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, which could materially affect our business, financial condition or future results. There have been no material changes in our risk factors from those disclosed in our 2023 Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The risks described in our Annual Report on Form 10-K are not the only risks facing the Trust and the Fund. Additional risks and uncertainties not currently known to us or that we currently deem to be immaterial also may materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and/or operating results.

Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds

None.

b)	Not applicable.

The Fund does not purchase Shares directly from its Shareholders. In connection with its redemption of Creation Units held by Authorized Participants, the Fund redeemed 21 Creation Units (comprising 1,050,000 Shares) during the quarter ended September 30, 2023. The following table summarizes the redemptions by Authorized Participants during the period:


Period	Total Shares Redeemed		Average Price Per Share
July 1, 2023 – July 31, 2023		1,050,000	$	25.71
August 1, 2023 – August 31, 2023		—		—
September 1, 2023 – September 30, 2023		—		—

Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities

None.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures

None.

Item 5. Other Information

No officers or directors of the Sponsor have adopted, modified or terminated trading plans under either a Rule 10b5-1 or non-Rule 10b5-1 trading arrangement (as such terms are defined in Item 408 of Regulation S-K of the Securities Act of 1933) for the three-month period ended September 30, 2023.

Item 6. Exhibits

See the Exhibit Index below, which is incorporated by reference herein.


Delaware		87-6458919
(State or other jurisdiction of		(I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)		Identification No.)


Title of each class	Trading Symbol(s)	Name of each exchange on which registered
Shares of Franklin Responsibly Sourced Gold ETF	FGDL	NYSE Arca, Inc.


	Page
Statements of Assets and Liabilities at September 30, 2023 (Unaudited) and March 31, 2023		4
Schedules of Investments at September 30, 2023 (Unaudited) and March 31, 2023		5
Statements of Operations (Unaudited) for the three and six months ended September 30, 2023 and the three months ended September 30, 2022 and the period from May 24, 2022 (Date of Inception) to September 30, 2022 (Unaudited)		6
Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) for the six months ended September 30, 2023 and the period from May 24, 2022 (Date of Inception) to September 30, 2022 (Unaudited)		7
Statements of Changes in Net Assets (Unaudited) for the three and six months period ended September 30, 2023 and the three months ended September 30, 2022 and the period from May 24, 2022 (Date of Inception) to September 30, 2022 (Unaudited)		8
Notes to Financial Statements (Unaudited)		9


	September 30, 2023		March 31, 2023
Assets
Investment in gold, at fair value (a)	$	65,005,848	$	113,871,350

Total assets		65,005,848		113,871,350

Liabilities
Sponsor’s fee payable		8,175		13,337
Commitments and contingent liabilities (Note 7)		—		—

Total liabilities		8,175		13,337

Net assets	$	64,997,673	$	113,858,013

Shares issued and outstanding (b)		2,600,000		4,300,000
Net asset value per Share	$	25.00	$	26.48


Part I. FINANCIAL INFORMATION			Page
Item 1. Unaudited Financial Statements			3
Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations			14
Item 3. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosure About Market Risk			16
Item 4. Controls and Procedures			16

Part II. OTHER INFORMATION
Item 1. Legal Proceedings			17
Item 1A. Risk Factors			17
Item 2. Unregistered Sales of Equity Securities and Use of Proceeds			17
Item 3. Defaults Upon Senior Securities			17
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures			17
Item 5. Other Information			17
Item 6. Exhibits			17
SIGNATURES			19


September 30, 2023
	Ounces of Gold		Cost		Fair Value			% of Net Assets
Investment in gold		34,753.193	$	63,094,843	$	65,005,848			100.01	%

Total investments		34,753.193	$	63,094,843	$	65,005,848			100.01	%
Liabilities in excess of other assets						(8,175	)		(0.01	)%

Net assets					$	64,997,673			100.00	%


March 31, 2023
	Ounces of Gold		Cost		Fair Value			% of Net Assets
Investment in gold		57,519.498	$	104,131,755	$	113,871,350			100.01	%

Total investments		57,519.498	$	104,131,755	$	113,871,350			100.01	%
Liabilities in excess of other assets						(13,337	)		(0.01	)%

Net assets					$	113,858,013			100.00	%


	For the Three Months period Ended September 30, 2023			For the Three Months period Ended September 30, 2022			For the Six Months Ended September 30, 2023			For the period from May 24, 2022 (Date of inception) to September 30, 2022
Expenses
Sponsor’s fee	$	26,489		$	11,531		$	65,071		$	11,541

Total expenses		26,489			11,531			65,071			11,541

Net investment loss		(26,489	)		(11,531	)		(65,071	)		(11,541	)

Net realized and change in unrealized gain (loss) on investment in gold
Net realized gain (loss) from gold distributed for the redemption of shares and sold to pay expenses		1,507,791			(384	)		3,249,259			(384	)
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation) on investment in gold		(2,810,481	)		(2,355,378	)		(7,828,590	)		(2,422,459	)

Net realized and change in unrealized gain (loss) on investment in gold		(1,302,690	)		(2,355,762	)		(4,579,331	)		(2,422,843	)

Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations	$	(1,329,179	)	$	(2,367,293	)	$	(4,644,402	)	$	(2,434,384	)

Net increase (decrease) in net assets per Share (a)	$	(0.49	)	$	(1.77	)	$	(1.40	)	$	(2.49	)


	For the Six Months Ended September 30, 2023			For the period from May 24, 2022 (Date of inception) to September 30, 2022
Cash Flows from Operating Activities:
Proceeds from gold bullion sold to pay expenses	$	70,233		$	7,043
Expenses - Sponsor’s fee paid		(70,233	)		(7,043	)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities		—			—
Increase (decrease) in cash		—			—
Cash, beginning of period		—			—
Cash, end of period	$	—		$	—
Reconciliation of Net Increase (Decrease) in Net Assets Resulting from Operations to Net Cash Provided by (Used in) Operating Activities:
Net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations	$	(4,644,402	)	$	(2,434,384	)
Adjustments to reconcile net increase (decrease) in net assets resulting from operations to net cash provided by (used in) operating activities:
Proceeds from gold bullion sold to pay expenses		70,233			7,043
Net realized gain (loss)		(3,249,259	)		384
Net change in unrealized appreciation (depreciation)		7,828,590			2,422,459
Change in operating assets and liabilities:
Sponsor’s fees payable		(5,162	)		4,498
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	$	—		$	—
Supplemental disclosure of non-cash information:
Gold bullion contributed for Shares issued	$	2,695,902		$	43,830,012
Gold bullion distributed for Shares redeemed	$	(46,911,840	)	$	—


Exhibit No.		Description of Exhibit

31.1*		Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

31.2*		Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 302 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

32.1*		Certification of Principal Executive Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

32.2*		Certification of Principal Financial Officer pursuant to Section 906 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002

101.INS		Inline XBRL Instance Document

101.SCH		Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document

101.CAL		Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document

101.LAB		Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document

101.PRE		Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document

101.DEF		Inline XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document

104		Cover Page Interactive Data File (formatted as Inline XBRL and contained in Exhibit 101)


By:		/s/ David Mann*
		David Mann
		President and Chief Executive Officer
		(serving in the capacity of principal executive officer)

By:		/s/ Matthew Hinkle*
		Matthew Hinkle
		Chief Financial Officer
		(serving in the capacity of principal financial officer)