BlackRock Releases Q4 Earnings Report
88% of New Funds Last Year Flowed into ETFs
AI ETFs Stand Out Amid "Everything Rally"
Larry Fink, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BlackRock Asset Management. Photo by AFP Yonhap News
Last year, the surging popularity of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) worldwide propelled the assets under management (AUM) of BlackRock Asset Management, the world's largest asset manager, past 2 quintillion won.
In its fourth-quarter earnings report released on January 15 (local time), BlackRock announced that its total AUM at the end of 2025 had reached 14 trillion dollars (approximately 2,050 trillion won), marking a 22% increase compared to the previous year.
Throughout last year, BlackRock saw a net inflow of 698 billion dollars across all segments, with 527 billion dollars (88.1%) flowing into its ETF division. The scale of ETF assets under management also grew significantly, reaching 5.5 trillion dollars by the end of the year, accounting for 39% of the company’s total assets under management.
BlackRock established itself as the "ETF powerhouse" after acquiring the ETF brand iShares from Barclays in 2009. In particular, the company has demonstrated strength in artificial intelligence (AI) themed ETFs, attracting over 8 billion dollars through its flagship AI ETF products alone. Furthermore, CNBC reported that in recent years, several AI ETFs managed by BlackRock have surpassed 1 billion dollars in assets.
The fact that last year was an "everything rally," with gold, stocks, and Bitcoin all rising simultaneously, also served as a favorable factor. According to Bloomberg, the MSCI All Country World Index (MSCI ACWI), which reflects stock markets in both developed and emerging countries, rose by 21% last year, marking its third consecutive year of gains. Not only did stock prices rise, but the prices of gold and silver also soared by over 70% and 180%, respectively. Bitcoin, the leading cryptocurrency, traded in the 88,000-dollar range at the end of the year, but in October reached an all-time high of over 120,000 dollars, demonstrating explosive popularity.
Matthew Bartolini, Head of SPDR Americas Research at State Street Global Advisors, told Reuters, "If a market correction occurs, the pace of fund inflows may slow somewhat, but this overall trend will not stop." He added, "Investors are moving their money into a wide range of ETF products, from traditional S&P 500 index funds to cryptocurrencies and gold."
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