According to BitMEX Research data on January 18th, just 4 days after the launch of Bitcoin spot ETF trading, the assets under management of the BlackRock Bitcoin spot ETF (IBIT) exceeded $1 billion, reaching $1.069 billion.

Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas stated on X platform that 500 ETFs were launched in 2023, and their total trading volume now stands at $450 million. The best performer has a trading volume of $45 million, while the trading volume of BlackRock's Bitcoin ETF (IBIT) alone exceeds the total of these 500 ETFs. The analyst explained that "it is difficult to obtain trading volume, even more difficult than liquidity. Half of the trading volume of these 500 new ETFs today is less than $1 million. Because trading volume must naturally form in the market and cannot be forged, it gives ETFs the ability to continue operating."

BlackRock announced on the 13th that it has appointed Chen Huilan as head of the Asia-Pacific region, and at the same time appointed Andrew Landman and Hiroyuki Shimizu as deputy heads of the Asia-Pacific region, effective immediately. Chen Huilan will replace Rachel Lord, who will be relocated to London to serve as BlackRock's head of international business. Chen Huilan will be based in Hong Kong, responsible for leading the Asia-Pacific region's business, and managing the overall development of various businesses, clients, investment teams, and operational platforms, providing investment solutions such as active investment, index investment, ETF products, alternative investment, and technology solutions to wealth and institutional investors.

BlackRock has agreed to acquire infrastructure investment fund company Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for about $12.5 billion, making it one of the top long-term investors in energy, transportation, and digital infrastructure. It is reported that BlackRock will pay $3 billion in cash and about 12 million shares of stock, worth about $9.5 billion based on Thursday's closing price. The transaction is expected to be completed in the third quarter.

BlackRock (BLK.N) had a Q4 2023 revenue of $4.63 billion, compared to $4.34 billion in the same period last year, with market expectations at $4.633 billion.

BlackRock (BLK.N), the world's largest asset management company, announced on Wednesday that it plans to reduce the fee for its proposed bitcoin ETF from 0.30% to 0.25%.

On January 7th, Forbes quoted sources as saying that BlackRock plans to announce a global workforce reduction of about 3%, or approximately 600 employees, in the coming days. According to insiders, the plan has not been announced publicly and is referred to internally as a routine operation.

On January 6th, as of now, 11 Bitcoin spot ETF applicants, including BlackRock, Valkyrie, Ark Invest, Fidelity, Bitwise, Grayscale, Hashdex, Invesco, WisdomTree, Franklin Templeton, and VanEck, have all submitted revised 19b-4 documents, according to Bloomberg information.

According to Bitcoin News, documents reveal that BlackRock has chosen a primary execution agent (PEA) to handle the buying and selling of Bitcoin for its upcoming ETF. Bloomberg analyst James Seyffart suggests that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may not accept a PEA purchasing Bitcoin in cash mode.

BlackRock introduced six major changes and cash holdings in its Bitcoin management and operation structure in the amendment to the iShares Bitcoin Trust S-1 form. BlackRock's last update introduced 21 core amendments, but the content shown in the December 18th document is much less, which may indicate the final improvements before release, and Coinbase has transitioned to Prime as the executing agent.