BlackRock's Major Movements in Tokenized Assets and Bitcoin Holdings

By: Isha Das

BlackRock, the world’s leading asset manager, is making significant strides in the realm of digital assets, as evidenced by its recent milestones in both tokenized real-world assets (RWAs) and Bitcoin holdings. The company's USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund, BUIDL, has surpassed $1 billion in tokenized asset holdings as of March 2025. This achievement marks a monumental 56% increase within a single month, underscoring the growing institutional confidence in the expanding field of tokenized RWAs. BUIDL, launched in March 2024 through Securitize's digital issuance platform, focuses primarily on investments in U.S. Treasury debt and USD-denominated bank deposits, offering holders an attractive approximate annual percentage yield (APY) of 4.5%.

Despite a broader market downturn, the fund's rapid growth highlights the rising interest in blockchain-based financial instruments among institutional investors. Ethereum serves as the primary blockchain for the BUIDL fund, hosting approximately 825 million tokens, alongside smaller allocations on other popular networks like Avalanche, Aptos, and Polygon. This multi-chain strategy not only diversifies risk but also leverages the strengths of each blockchain, with Ethereum continuing to be the preferred network for institutional tokenization efforts.

In tandem with its accomplishments in RWAs, BlackRock also made headlines by amassing over 567,000 Bitcoin, currently valued at approximately $47.8 billion. This positions BlackRock as one of the world’s largest Bitcoin holders, reflecting CEO Larry Fink's previous statements that highlighted Bitcoin's role as digital gold. BlackRock's latest Bitcoin acquisition took place on March 14, with a significant transfer adding further to their holdings. This solidifies BlackRock's commitment to integrating digital assets into its portfolio, reinforcing its leadership role in financial innovation and digital asset management.

As the industry witnesses a broader surge in on-chain RWAs, with global figures reaching $18.34 billion, BlackRock's actions mirror a growing trend among financial institutions to adopt blockchain technology to optimize liquidity and yield in traditional asset management. The fast-paced growth of BlackRock's BUIDL fund and its substantial Bitcoin holdings not only solidify its market influence but also signify a shift towards recognizing the potential of blockchain as a mainstream infrastructure in managing traditional asset classes.