Investors Turn to Gold and Cryptocurrency Amid Financial Concerns, Says BlackRock CEO

According to Cointelegraph, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has highlighted a growing trend among investors who are increasingly turning to gold and cryptocurrency due to fears over the potential devaluation of their assets. Speaking at the Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference in Saudi Arabia, Fink described these assets as "assets of fear," suggesting that investors are driven by concerns about the stability of their financial and physical assets. This sentiment comes in the wake of a recent decline in gold prices, which fell below $4,000 after reaching record highs of over $4,377 just a week prior. Fink also addressed significant issues facing the U.S. economy, particularly the country's reliance on selling dollars to international investors. He expressed concern over the U.S.'s need to sell 30% to 35% of its Treasury sales overseas, warning of the potential multiplier effect if this dependency were to change. Fink emphasized the importance of unlocking private capital to mitigate these risks. Additionally, he discussed the evolving role of global central banks, which have been increasingly accumulating gold, signaling a shift in global financial strategies this year. Central banks are grappling with questions about the impact of tokenization and digitization on the financial landscape, according to Fink. He noted the challenges central bankers face in adapting to the emerging tokenization industry, including decisions on how quickly to digitize currencies and the implications for the U.S. dollar and payment systems. Fink pointed out that gold's share of central bank reserves reached 24% in the second quarter of 2025, underscoring the growing importance of these assets in global finance. Fink further elaborated on the rapid pace of technological change, particularly the tokenization of financial assets, which he believes will occur worldwide at an accelerated rate. He expressed concern that many countries are unprepared for this shift and may underestimate the transformative impact of technology on financial systems. His insights align with his longstanding view that traditional financial assets will likely be tokenized in the coming decades. BlackRock, as the world's largest investment company, is also a significant holder of Bitcoin, managing substantial BTC holdings on behalf of its clients through its iShares Bitcoin Trust fund.