U.Today - BlackRock (NYSE: BLK ), already a $10 trillion force in traditional finance, continues to expand its presence in the digital asset space. This time, it is the BUIDL fund - a tokenized investment vehicle - that has surpassed $1.5 billion in AUM, as reported by Arkham Intelligence.

For those not familiar, BUIDL operates in a simple way, as it is backed entirely by cash, U.S. Treasury bills and repurchase agreements, and distributes daily returns directly to holders in the form of new BUIDL tokens. There are two variations: BUIDL, which accrues yield, and BUIDL-I, which does not - at least not yet.

Tokenized finance is not new, but institutional adoption is accelerating. BlackRock’s leap into the space comes alongside its already significant Bitcoin ETF holdings. Currently, the firm controls 575,856 BTC worth over $50 billion - a massive amount.

While many institutions remain hesitant to fully embrace on-chain assets (hello Vanguard), BlackRock is not waiting for a total consensus.

BlackRock, Bitcoin and BUIDL

The continued expansion of BUIDL and its role in on-chain financial structures suggests that tokenized assets are here to stay, at least in some form. The fund is growing, integrations are increasing and institutional involvement is becoming less about speculative interest and more about tangible, structured financial products.

In short, the lines between traditional and blockchain-based finance are blurring by the day, and BlackRock is once again at the center of it all.

This article was originally published on U.Today