Cryptocurrency exchange Bitget is holding discussions with several premier global financial institutions to scale up their digital asset footprint across Asia, its chief executive informed CoinDesk.
Gracy Chen pointed to BlackRock, the globe’s biggest asset manager, as a prime example of an institution pursuing a wider regional release of its tokenized exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
“I’m talking to all the Wall Street giants to understand where they are coming from and how we could collaborate,” she conveyed to CoinDesk during an interview. “We have very close communication with BlackRock, for example, in terms of our distribution in the Asia market.”
A representative for BlackRock mentioned that the company’s crypto exchange-traded products (ETPs) are already accessible in Asia and noted that it consistently interacts with a diverse set of participants throughout the ecosystem. Nevertheless, the firm declined to address any specific regional expansion intentions in its response to an inquiry from CoinDesk.
Asia is assuming an increasingly vital role within worldwide cryptocurrency markets, displaying a 69% year-over-year surge in blockchain-driven crypto transactions as of June 2025, which marks the highest growth rate of any geographic area according to an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report.
BlackRock, overseeing $15.3 trillion in customer assets, has broadened its tokenized cash alternatives via novel blockchain-backed money market instruments. Robert Mitchnick, its head of digital assets, asserted last week that the macroeconomic narrative surrounding bitcoin continues to gain strength.
BlackRock has actively established its digital-asset foundation in Asia. During the Consensus Hong Kong 2026 conference, Nicholas Peach, who leads BlackRock’s APAC iShares group, remarked that a mere 1% allocation toward crypto in Asia could unlock nearly $2 trillion in fresh capital inflows. Peach derived this figure based on an estimated $108 trillion in total household wealth across Asia.
The corporation instituted a fresh digital-assets position in Singapore last December, explaining that the recruit would help shape its overarching Asian strategy and spot early-mover openings in the territory.
Bitget boasts 125 million registered accounts worldwide, with approximately half situated throughout East and Southeast Asia, Chen mentioned.
Over fifty percent of Bitget’s clientele—specifically 52% according to internal corporate figures from Q1 2026—currently maintain balances in both cryptocurrencies and conventional equities, Chen explained, transforming crypto platforms into practical distribution channels for asset managers trying to reach investors who no longer keep these asset classes separate.
Coinbase acts as the custodian for the vast majority of BlackRock’s bitcoin and Ethereum ETPs within the United States, as Keith Grose, Coinbase’s UK CEO, shared in a separate statement to CoinDesk. “Players like BlackRock are leading the way,” Grose stated. “They were the first to launch a Bitcoin at-scale ETP, and now they also have large funds onchain.”
CORRECTION (Sept. 3, 14:50 UTC): Amends BlackRock’s AUM from $11.6 trillion to $15.3 trillion.
