BlackRock is developing its own technology to tokenize a broad range of assets, from real estate to equities and bonds.
CEO Larry Fink said the global market currently holds more than $4.5 trillion in digital wallets, spanning crypto, stablecoins, and tokenized assets.
“A lot of that money is outside the United States,” Fink said on CNBC earlier today, emphasizing the opportunity for the firm to reach new investors through digital channels.
Fink said tokenization could allow investors who are entering markets through crypto to access more traditional long-term products, such as retirement funds.
“If we could tokenize an ETF, we could get them into the more traditional long-term retirement products,” he said, pointing to BlackRock’s digital platforms, which include tokenized money market funds and Bitcoin investments that have grown to over $100 billion.
Fink also said yesterday that Bitcoin and crypto “serve same purpose as gold.”
BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF, launched just 21 months ago, is BlackRock’s most profitable fund — outranking even products that have been in circulation for more than two decades.
The firm’s growth extends beyond digital assets. Fink highlighted record inflows across ETFs, private markets, AI-driven equity strategies, and investment technology platforms.
“It wasn’t just one product area. It was not just one region. It was a completeness,” he said, noting the breadth of BlackRock’s growth across business lines.
Fink credited the firm’s strategy of combining active and passive management, public and private markets, and technology overlays for driving this expansion.
BlackRock, tokenization and long-term investing
Fink also stressed the value of long-term investing in his chat: “It’s not about if our market’s going up or down, is there a bubble in crypto or technology. It’s about being in the market throughout the cycle,” he said.
He underscored the power of compounding over decades, noting that even a small additional return can significantly grow a retirement portfolio over a 30-year horizon.
Looking ahead, Fink said regulatory clarity in the U.S. and further investment in digital asset innovation will be critical to supporting market growth.
“We’re just at the beginning of the tokenization of all assets,” he said.
The firm expects that over the coming decades, tokenized financial products will allow investors to remain within a digital ecosystem while accessing the full spectrum of traditional and alternative investments.
