BlackRock

Overview

BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with approximately $14 trillion in assets under management — a sum larger than the GDP of every country except the United States and China. Founded in 1988 by Larry Fink and seven partners as a fixed-income risk management firm, BlackRock has grown through a series of transformative acquisitions into a financial powerhouse that touches virtually every corner of the global economy.

The company's most significant acquisition was the 2009 purchase of Barclays Global Investors (including iShares) for $13.5 billion, which made BlackRock the world's largest asset manager overnight. iShares is now the world's largest ETF brand with over $4.4 trillion in assets. BlackRock also operates Aladdin, a risk management and analytics platform used by institutional investors managing approximately $21.6 trillion in assets — meaning BlackRock's technology monitors far more money than it directly manages.

Unlike Vanguard (which is investor-owned), BlackRock is a publicly traded corporation (NYSE: BLK). Together with Vanguard and State Street, BlackRock forms part of the "Big Three" asset managers that collectively exercise roughly 25% of voting power over S&P 500 companies. This extraordinary concentration of corporate influence has made BlackRock a frequent subject of debate about the role of passive investing in capital markets.

Top Holdings

BlackRock's largest equity positions (13F filings, 2025):

Ownership Structure

BlackRock itself is a publicly traded company on the NYSE (ticker: BLK). Its largest shareholders include:

Notably, Vanguard is one of BlackRock's largest shareholders — and BlackRock is one of Vanguard's largest competitors. This circular ownership through index funds is characteristic of the modern passive investing ecosystem.

Frequently Asked Questions