BlackRock Aims to Put ETFs and Bonds in Your Phone Wallet

"BlackRock’s chief says the next big move for asset managers is to let investors buy and hold digital versions of stocks, bonds and other funds directly from a phone wallet. He points out that most people already have wallets on their phones, yet only a few basic financial tools are available there. The firm already manages almost $150 billion of digital‑asset money, including a huge reserve of stablecoins and many exchange‑traded products. Because BlackRock owns the largest dollar‑stablecoin reserve, runs a big tokenized Treasury fund and handles the biggest pile of digital asset funds, it believes it can plug a gap in how investors get access to these products.The idea is that one regulated wallet could hold everything from a tokenised U. S. Treasury to a share of an ETF and even tiny pieces of private‑market assets like infrastructure or credit. BlackRock’s digital‑asset leader says this would make it easier for people to trade and own these assets without needing a broker. In India, the company’s partnership with Jio has already drawn over a million investors in less than a year, showing that phone‑based access works. However, the firm has not yet announced a specific wallet product, the blockchain it will use, or when it might launch. The plan is still in a planning stage; the real test will be whether BlackRock can move from institutional infrastructure to everyday retail customers. "