Blackrock: Digital Assets reach «Phase of Mass Adoption»

Blackrock is placing digital assets at the centre of its long-term strategy as crypto markets enter a new phase of institutional adoption, driven by the convergence of tokenisation, stablecoins and regulation. Tony Ashraf, Managing Director and Global Head of Digital Asset Transformation at the world’s largest asset manager, made these remarks during Binance Blockchain Week in Dubai.

Stablecoins: «The Evolution of Money»

Speaking on a panel, Ashraf said the recent momentum in the digital asset sector «didn’t happen overnight». Over the past decade, Blackrock has analysed the market intensively and aligned its strategy consistently with the needs of institutional clients. «Today, we simply view crypto assets as another asset class,» he said. Institutional inflows had grown significantly, particularly with the rise of crypto ETFs.

Ashraf emphasised that stablecoins had become a central element of modern financial infrastructure and would shape the future of payments and value transfer. BlackRock had already played an important role for years as a trusted reserve manager. «Stablecoins are the evolution of money, the evolution of value transfer,» the digital asset expert said.

Tokenization as a Transformative Shift

According to the cyrpto currencies expert, the third pillar of Blackrock’s digital asset strategy is tokenisation, which has the potential to fundamentally transform capital markets. The company is observing both native on-chain issuances and the tokenisation of traditional assets. «The key area where we are investing is using tokenisation as a means to distribute our products,» he explained.

Blackrock follows a «duality»: On one hand, crypto assets are being embedded into traditional structures such as ETFs; on the other hand, classical investment instruments—such as money market funds—are being issued in tokenised form. «We are building bridges and making crypto and digital assets more accessible to the wider public.»

Regulatory Momentum and a Maturing Market Infrastructure

Ashraf also pointed to new regulatory clarity in the United States, which acts as a global catalyst and encourages other jurisdictions to take their own steps. This is creating new opportunities for traditional financial institutions to become active in the digital asset sector.

At the same time, the market infrastructure is maturing further: established financial firms are developing new solutions, while providers like Binance increasingly prioritise institutional services. Investors are also seeking more diversification, as crypto often behaves «somewhat uncorrelated» to traditional markets.

Demographics: The Next Wave of Adoption

A forthcoming generational shift will accelerate this development, Ashraf said. The next generation of investors expects to use digital wallets and on-chain applications for financial services. «Wallet infrastructure will be critical to how people interact with financial services in the future,» he noted. Ashraf concluded by saying that the combination of regulation, infrastructure, demographics and technology forms the foundation of a new financial architecture.

«A stronger and stronger bridge is emerging between traditional and digital finance,» he added. «Much of what we are doing today is laying the groundwork for the financial world of the future.»

BlackRock will be present at the upcoming 4th Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW), 8-11 December 2025, of which finews is an official media partner.