BlackRock is recognized as the foremost asset custodian on a global scale, with $13.46 trillion in managed holdings, a total that is inclusive of $104 billion in digital asset investments.
It is anticipated by the immense financial management firm BlackRock that conventional monetary instruments will undergo a transformation towards a digitally represented form over the subsequent decades, as was stated by Chief Executive Officer Larry Fink himself.
It was expressed by Fink during an on-air discussion with CNBC’s Squawk on the Street on Tuesday that the complete digitization of all financial holdings is regarded by him as the subsequent major strategic maneuver for his corporation and a prime avenue through which a greater number of people can be integrated into the financial system.
“If we can tokenize an ETF, digitize that ETF, we can have investors who are just beginning to invest in markets through, let’s say, crypto, they’re investing in it, but now we can get them into the more traditional long-term retirement products,”
he said
“We look at that as the next wave of opportunity for BlackRock over the next tens of years, as we start moving away from traditional financial assets by repotting them in a digital manner and having people stay in that digital ecosystem.”
The foremost asset management entity globally, BlackRock, possessed $13.5 trillion in investments under its stewardship, as was detailed in its quarterly financial report released on Tuesday. The corporation maintains a holding of $104 billion in digital assets, a sum that constitutes approximately one percent of its comprehensive portfolio composition.
Tokenization Remains in Its Early Stages
Simultaneously, Fink communicated to CNBC that he maintains the perspective that the digitization of assets is still in its nascent stages, with ample capacity remaining for expansion across a diverse range of economic sectors.
“I do believe we’re just at the beginning of the tokenization of all assets, from real estate to equities, to bonds. Across the board,”
he said.
A valuation exceeding $2 trillion is currently held by the digital asset tokenization sector in 2025, as is communicated by the market research firm Mordor Intelligence, though it is forecast to undergo substantial expansion across the next few years and is projected to surpass $13 trillion by the year 2030.
It was further made known by Fink, as part of the asset custodian’s quarterly results conference call, that a more prominent position is intended to be assumed by BlackRock within the field of tokenization in the coming period, with various options currently being investigated by specialized groups situated throughout the organization.
The largest tokenized money market fund, with a total worth of $2.8 billion, is already held by BlackRock; this investment vehicle, known as the BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund, or BUIDL, was inaugurated in March 2024.
BlackRock CEO Fink Shifts Stance on Cryptocurrency
Earlier in the current week, during a televised interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, it was further stated by Fink that he believes digital assets hold an essential function within a varied investment portfolio, a role that is comparable to that of gold.
“There is a role for crypto in the same way there is a role for gold; it’s an alternative. For those looking to diversify, this is not a bad asset, but I don’t believe it should be a large part of your portfolio.”
He was formerly regarded as a considerable skeptic of digital assets, with the technology being referred to by him as an indicator of unlawful money transfers in 2017, a position that was reiterated in 2018 through the declaration that none of his clients were interested in allocating capital to the market.
During his discussion with CNBC, it was acknowledged by Fink that he had previously been a detractor, but he affirmed that his viewpoint was altered over time because he “evolves and acquires new knowledge.”
