Anish Jain, Founder of W Chain, a leading hybrid blockchain network, sees this as a defining moment for financial modernisation. He explains:

“We strongly believe that blockchain has the potential to transform the capital markets and enhance user experience in a significant way. Integration of blockchain technology with traditional finance can streamline the process of issuing, trading and settlement of securities. By deploying the blockchain technology, the transactions related to securities/bonds etc can be executed quickly and at a much lower cost. BlackRock’s and other financial giants are realising the importance and power of blockchain technology and this will serve as a template for rest of the world.”

This vision goes beyond efficiency. It points to a larger re-imagining of how capital markets can be democratised breaking down barriers to entry that have kept many retail and smaller institutional investors at arm’s length.

BlackRock’s blockchain pivot is part of a broader trend: financial giants increasingly see tokenisation as the key to unlocking liquidity in traditionally illiquid markets. In March 2024, BlackRock had already launched its first tokenized fund on the Ethereum blockchain demonstrating its long-term commitment to digital transformation.