2. Scheduled news first: including global, how far will it go?

The world's largest asset manager BlackRock has begun hiring personnel to expand its crypto asset business. After launching a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) and operating an Ethereum-based tokenization fund, it is evaluated to have entered a stage of actively expanding its digital asset organization.

According to Crypto News on the 24th (local time), BlackRock posted multiple new digital asset-related job openings centered in New York, London and Singapore. Robert Mitchnick, head of BlackRock Digital Assets, said, "BlackRock has recently been hiring many leadership positions as part of organizational expansion covering tokenization, stablecoins and the overall crypto market structure."

According to the job postings, the roles range widely from junior-level to senior executive-level positions. They include functions covering the entire crypto asset business such as product strategy and research, fund services, and regulatory and compliance. In particular, the proportion of global roles responsible for the European and Asian markets stands out.

In New York, a top-level position for a managing director is being recruited. The position's annual salary range was listed as $270,000 to $350,000, and it will oversee company-wide digital asset strategy related to crypto assets, stablecoins and tokenization.

In Singapore, BlackRock is hiring a managing director to lead digital asset strategy for the Asia-Pacific region. The role includes multi-year business planning, cooperation with regulators, and designing distribution strategies through banks and brokers, crypto exchanges, and fintech platforms. BlackRock is also expanding tokenization-related fund services, financial crime compliance, and legal staff for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

This hiring follows BlackRock's leading role in bringing crypto assets into traditional portfolios. BlackRock drew institutional inflows through its spot Bitcoin ETF and expanded into on-chain finance by launching BUIDL, an institutional tokenization liquidity fund, on the Ethereum network.

BlackRock listed the iShares Bitcoin Trust as one of its core investment themes for 2025, mentioning it alongside short-term government bonds and a basket of large tech stocks. The BUIDL fund was recently accepted as collateral on Binance, attracting attention as an example of tokenized government bonds being incorporated into institutional financial infrastructure. Industry observers analyze that this personnel expansion is a move to establish crypto assets as long-term financial infrastructure rather than a one-off investment theme.