From CoinDesk · By Helene Braun
BlackRock said its digital asset funds attracted $7.9 billion in third-quarter inflows, reversing roughly $2.2 billion in outflows during the first half of 2026.
Rising crypto prices accounted for $22.9 billion of the $30.8 billion increase in assets under management during the quarter.
Despite the rebound, BlackRock's digital asset holdings remain 23% below year-ago levels, even as investors added $6.3 billion over the past 12 months.
BlackRock's crypto funds had a much better third quarter than first half of the year but they still have a long way to go to recover the assets lost during the broader crypto market downturn.
The asset manager reported $79.6 billion in digital assets under management at the end of September, a 63% jump from $48.8 billion at the end of June, according to its third-quarter earnings report released Wednesday.
Investors added $7.9 billion to BlackRock's digital asset products during the quarter, more than making up for the roughly $2.2 billion they withdrew during the first six months of 2026.
The reversal came as crypto markets recovered from a slump earlier this year. Bitcoin BTC$83,212.45 and other cryptocurrencies had faced pressure during the first half of the year, weighing on the value of funds that hold them. The third-quarter recovery gave those funds a lift, while renewed investor demand added to their assets.
Rising crypto prices did most of the heavy lifting. Of the $30.8 billion BlackRock added in digital assets during the quarter, $22.9 billion came from market gains, while investors contributed another $7.9 billion.
Even after the rebound, BlackRock's crypto holdings remain 23% below the nearly $104 billion it managed a year ago.
That gap isn't the result of investors abandoning its products. Over the past 12 months, BlackRock's digital asset funds attracted $6.3 billion in net new money. But declines in the market value of those assets erased $30.6 billion over the same period.
The figures offer a reminder of how much BlackRock's crypto business depends on the price of the assets its funds hold, even as investors continue to put money into them.
BlackRock, which operates the iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT), earned $39 million in quarterly fees and securities lending revenue from its digital asset products.
The asset manager did not provide separate asset or flow figures for its bitcoin fund in the earnings release.