BlackRock’s iShares exchange-traded funds (ETFs) helped power the asset manager to a strong quarter of earnings and revenue, underscoring the continued momentum behind its crypto-related products as institutional demand accelerates.
The iShares platform, which includes more than 1,400 ETFs globally, attracted a record $205 billion in total net inflows in the third quarter, according to the company’s quarterly financial statement. Those inflows fueled a 10% increase in organic base fee growth during the quarter and 8% growth over the past 12 months, chairman and CEO Larry Fink said in a statement.
Fink reiterated that BlackRock is “always preparing for the future,” highlighting ongoing offerings in emerging sectors such as technology, data analytics and digital assets.
The firm’s digital asset ETFs recorded $17 billion in net inflows during the quarter, bringing the year-to-date total to $34 billion. As of September, total crypto assets under management (AUM) stood at nearly $104 billion, representing about 1% of BlackRock’s overall assets.
The results come amid the breakout success of the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), which has generated $25 million more in fees than BlackRock’s second-most profitable ETF and was approaching $100 billion in net assets in early October.
IBIT was among the first wave of spot Bitcoin (BTC) ETFs approved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission in early 2024.
Later that year, BlackRock launched the iShares Ethereum Trust (ETHA) — a spot Ethereum ETF which, after a slow start, gained traction in 2025 to become the third-fastest fund to reach $10 billion in assets.
Overall, robust inflows contributed to a strong quarter for BlackRock, which reported total AUM of $13.46 trillion, a 17% increase from a year earlier. Both earnings and revenue exceeded analysts’ expectations for the period.
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Institutional momentum behind Bitcoin’s rally
The surge in crypto ETF inflows underscores not only BlackRock’s market leadership but also growing institutional appetite for digital assets.
On the Bitcoin side, BlackRock’s IBIT remains by far the largest Bitcoin ETF, holding more than 800,000 BTC, according to industry data.
Institutions are increasingly favoring ETFs for their regulatory clarity, custodial safeguards and simplified accounting, which allow for direct exposure to digital assets without the operational complexities of self-custody.
BlackRock is by far the largest Bitcoin ETF manager in the United States. Source: BitboThese ETFs have been a major driver behind Bitcoin’s sustained rally since early 2024, culminating in a new all-time high above $126,000 earlier this month.
Part of the momentum may also reflect the “debasement trade,” as investors seek refuge from the US dollar’s steepest decline in five decades, amid widening fiscal deficits, trade uncertainty and persistent inflation.
As Cointelegraph recently reported, Bitcoin’s correlation with gold has strengthened, suggesting that an increasing number of investors view BTC as a store of value and inflation hedge alongside traditional safe-haven assets.
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Source: https://cointelegraph.com/news/blackrock-etfs-record-inflows-institutional-bitcoin-demand?utm_source=rss_feed&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rss_partner_inbound
