BlackRock has held a high-level meeting with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Crypto Task Force to discuss key regulatory issues shaping the future of digital assets. The meeting, outlined in a memo, focused on staking, tokenization, and crypto ETF standards—topics critical to the ongoing evolution of the cryptocurrency market. The $10 trillion asset manager, which recently reported $32 million in Q1 revenue from its iShares Bitcoin Trust, is expanding its presence in crypto. BlackRock disclosed in its Q1 2025 13F filing that it held $5.4 billion in Bitcoin-related equities. Most of this exposure was tied to its investments in MicroStrategy, known for aggressively accumulating Bitcoin (BTC). Meeting details The meeting covered a broad range of topics central to BlackRock’s expanding digital asset strategy. Executives provided an overview of the firm’s crypto-related products, including the iShares Bitcoin Trust, the iShares Ethereum Trust, and the BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund. They also discussed regulatory considerations for staking, particularly how exchange-traded products with staking capabilities could be structured under current rules. The discussion centered on the tokenization of securities and how it fits within the federal securities regulatory framework, along with approval standards for crypto ETFs and compliance under the Exchange Act, according to the memo. Additionally, they explored options for crypto ETPs, including position and exercise limits and liquidity thresholds for the underlying digital assets. The meeting comes as Bitcoin surpassed $100,000 for the first time since February, riding a wave of optimism following a U.S.-U.K. trade agreement and broader crypto market gains.
