Umair
On April 1, 2025, BlackRock became the 51st company approved by the FCA to register as a crypto asset firm. The company now joins well-known names like Coinbase, PayPal, and Revolut, which have also met the regulator’s strict compliance requirements.
BlackRock can now operate its iShares Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Product (ETP) in the UK thanks to this approval. The ETP was introduced on the Paris and Amsterdam Euronext stock exchanges with the goal of giving institutional and individual investors a controlled means of becoming familiar with Bitcoin.
To attract investors, BlackRock initially cut the product’s expense ratio to 0.15%, with a plan to raise it to 0.25% by 2026. Its move into the European crypto market suggests its growing focus on digital assets.
Meanwhile, the FCA has maintained its tight crypto regulation approach, only granting approval to around 9% of applicants. The regulator attributed this to the fact that most of the submissions lacked essential compliance details.
BlackRock, with some $12 trillion under management, continues to develop its crypto operations. In the US, BlackRock’s iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) has become the largest spot Bitcoin ETF, with nearly $49 billion in assets. As institutional demand for Bitcoin ETFs grows, BlackRock’s latest approval strengthens its position as a leader in global crypto investing.
