BlackRock

BlackRock, Inc. is an American multinational investment management corporation. Headquartered in New York City, it provides investment and technology services to institutional and individual investors around the world. The firm operates globally and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker BLK and is a constituent of the S&P 500 index.

BlackRock traces its origins to 1988, when Laurence D. Fink and several partners founded it as a risk management and fixed income division within the Blackstone Group. It became an independent company in 1994 through a management buyout and went public in 1999. In 2009, BlackRock acquired Barclays Global Investors (BGI), expanding its assets under management and its product lines.

The company offers a wide range of investment products and services, including active and passive funds, mutual funds, and its iShares family of exchange-traded funds, one of the largest ETF providers globally. It also manages separate accounts and outsourced investment solutions for institutional clients. A core technology platform, Aladdin, combines risk analytics, portfolio management, and trading tools and is used both internally and by external clients.

As of the early 2020s, BlackRock manages trillions of dollars in assets, making it one of the largest asset managers worldwide. It employs thousands of people and maintains a significant global footprint across regions and markets. The firm places emphasis on risk management and data-driven investment approaches.

BlackRock's size and influence have drawn scrutiny from policymakers and market observers regarding systemic risk, market concentration, and governance and climate-related investment policies. The company engages in lobbying and public policy efforts and faces ongoing debate about the role of large asset managers in corporate governance and financial markets.