BlackRock is looking to hire a blockchain VP with experience in crypto assets

BlackRock Financial Management Inc., the $7.8 trillion asset manager, appears poised to expand its presence in blockchain and digital assets. 

According to a new job posting, the company is recruiting for the position of vice president, blockchain lead for its New York office. The person hired for this role will be tasked with creating and implementing “strategies designed to drive demand for the firm’s offerings,” as well as “enhance the value proposition […] of the firm’s investments and technology offerings.”

The candidate must have at least one year of experience in blockchain business, including “cryptographic hash functions, distributed network consensus mechanisms, and public-private key cryptography.”

Although the job post doesn’t specify any blockchain-related products under development at the firm, it’s possible that BlackRock is positioning itself to meet growing institutional demand for digital assets.

As Forbes reported earlier this year, there’s some evidence to suggest that investors are fleeing BlackRock’s long-term investment products for crypto funds offered by Grayscale and others. This is part of a broader institutional pivot towards Bitcoin and other digital assets currently underway.

After their initial skepticism, BlackRock’s most senior executives have commented favorably on Bitcoin and the wider digital asset market. Larry Fink, the company’s CEO, says Bitcoin has “caught the attention and the imagination of many people,” including those who work at BlackRock.

Rick Rieder, BlackRock’s CIO of fixed income, says Bitcoin is not only here to stay, but that it will “take the place of gold to a large extent.”

BlackRock has indirect exposure to Bitcoin via MicroStrategy, the business intelligence firm that now holds 70,470 BTC following a series of purchases this year.