BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has made additional moves to incorporate blockchain technology into its traditional finance operations.
According to an April 28 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the firm seeks approval to introduce a blockchain-enabled share class, referred to as “DLT Shares,” tied to its $150 billion money market fund.
BlackRock’s DLT Shares
According to the filing, The Bank of New York Mellon (BNY Mellon) will manage the sale of these shares and maintain a mirrored record of ownership using blockchain technology.
The filing stated:
“DLT Shares may also be purchased by BlackRock Advisors, LLC or its affiliates. Although the Fund does not currently employ blockchain technology or invest in crypto assets, DLT Shares are expected to be purchased and held through BNY, which intends to use blockchain technology to maintain a mirror record of share ownership for its customers.”
The filing did not name the blockchain network the bank would utilize. However, it has used Ethereum in the past.
Meanwhile, the minimum investment for this new share class is $3 million. The fund will allocate its assets across US Treasury securities, including bills, notes, and similar obligations. It will focus on short-term investments, maintaining a dollar-weighted average maturity of no more than 60 days and an average life of under 120 days.
BlackRock’s crypto embrace
BlackRock’s latest move reflects its increasing interest in blockchain technology, especially following the success of its Bitcoin and Ethereum exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and BUIDL fund.
The unprecedented success of these products has resulted in industry leaders forecasting long-term dominance for BlackRock’s ETFs.
Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy (formerly MicroStrategy), recently suggested that the firm’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) could become the largest ETF globally within the next ten years.
Beyond ETFs, BlackRock is also actively working on asset tokenization.
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has outlined a vision where all assets, including stocks and real estate, are digitized and transacted via blockchain.
According to him:
“Some investments produce much higher returns than others, but only big investors can get into them. One reason? Friction. Legal, operational, bureaucratic. Tokenization strips that away, allowing more people access to potentially higher returns.”
Notably, BlackRock is already utilizing these ideas through its blockchain-native BUIDL fund, which was launched in partnership with Securitize in 2024.
The fund manages over $2.5 billion in tokenized assets and has expanded operations to several blockchain networks, including Solana, Avalanche, and Ethereum layer-2 networks like Optimism.
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