BlackRock's USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) is approaching $2 billion in assets under management (AUM), underscoring the growing institutional interest in tokenized financial products. Launched in March 2024 in partnership with Securitize, BUIDL offers qualified investors exposure to U.S. Treasury bills and cash equivalents through blockchain technology.
Initially deployed on the Ethereum blockchain, BUIDL has expanded its reach by integrating with multiple blockchain networks, including Solana, Aptos, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Optimism, and Polygon. This strategic expansion aims to enhance accessibility and operational efficiency for investors.
A significant contributor to BUIDL's growth was a $200 million allocation from the crypto protocol Ethena in March 2025, which propelled the fund's AUM past the $1 billion milestone. This investment reflects the increasing synergy between traditional financial instruments and decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms.
BUIDL's rapid ascent highlights the accelerating trend of asset tokenization, where traditional assets are represented as digital tokens on a blockchain. This approach offers benefits such as enhanced liquidity, transparency, and efficiency in asset management. BlackRock's initiative exemplifies how established financial institutions are embracing blockchain technology to innovate and meet evolving investor
