BlackRock’s digital-asset business staged a strong recovery in the third quarter, helped by both renewed investor demand and rising cryptocurrency prices. Assets under management reached $79.6 billion at the end of September, up 63% from $48.8 billion three months earlier, according to the asset manager’s third-quarter earnings report, as reported by CoinDesk.
The rebound followed a weaker first half of 2026, when investors withdrew about $2.2 billion from BlackRock’s digital-asset products. During the third quarter, however, the funds attracted $7.9 billion in net inflows, more than reversing those earlier withdrawals.
Despite the improvement, BlackRock’s crypto holdings remain well below their level a year earlier. The company managed nearly $104 billion in digital assets 12 months ago, meaning the latest figure is still 23% lower. The results underline how changes in cryptocurrency prices can have a major effect on the value of funds, even when investors continue to add money.
Market gains drove most of the increase
BlackRock’s digital-asset assets rose by $30.8 billion during the quarter. Market appreciation accounted for $22.9 billion of that increase, while investor inflows contributed $7.9 billion.
The figures show that the rise in assets was driven primarily by the recovery in the value of the cryptocurrencies held by the funds. When the underlying assets gain value, an investment fund’s assets under management can increase even without new purchases. Conversely, falling prices can reduce assets under management while investors are still putting in additional capital.
That distinction is especially important in BlackRock’s crypto business. Over the past 12 months, investors added $6.3 billion in net new money to the company’s digital-asset funds. Yet the market value of those holdings fell by $30.6 billion over the same period, leaving total assets below the previous year’s level.
The third-quarter figures therefore point to a recovery in both market values and demand, but not a complete recovery from the broader downturn that affected crypto assets earlier in 2026.
BlackRock’s role in crypto funds
BlackRock is the manager behind the iShares Bitcoin Trust, known by the ticker IBIT. Its digital-asset range gives investors exposure to cryptocurrency-related products through funds rather than by directly holding tokens in a personal wallet.
The earnings release did not provide separate asset or flow figures for IBIT. Instead, BlackRock reported combined figures for its digital-asset products.
The company said those products generated $39 million in quarterly fees and securities-lending revenue. Securities lending generally involves temporarily lending assets to other market participants in return for revenue, although the release did not break down how much of the amount came from fees compared with lending activity.
The reported asset growth also illustrates the scale of the relationship between crypto-market performance and the financial results of fund managers. New subscriptions can increase assets, but price movements in the underlying cryptocurrencies can produce much larger changes in a relatively short period.
Moneyiar market picture
Moneyiar market data at the stated times showed the following prices and changes:
- Decentraland (MANA): $0.0894467268, up 0.11% over 24 hours and down 4.22% over seven days, as of October 15, 2026, at 21:09 +03:30.
- Billions Network (BILL): $0.0139971939, down 0.59% over 24 hours and up 10.04% over seven days, as of September 21, 2026, at 01:39 +03:30.
- REAL (ASSET): $0.1927052765, up 3.26% over 24 hours and down 2.28% over seven days, as of October 8, 2026, at 18:54 +03:30.
- Loaded Lions (LION): $0.0012672021, up 2.08% over 24 hours and down 7.72% over seven days, as of October 15, 2026, at 21:08 +03:30.
These figures cover individual digital assets and were recorded at different times, so they are not a direct measure of BlackRock’s portfolio or a like-for-like comparison with the company’s quarterly assets under management. They provide a snapshot of the mixed short- and medium-term performance visible across selected crypto tokens.
