BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager with $10T+ in assets under management - more than the GDP of every country except the US and China combined. Its iShares ETF franchise is the largest in the world. Its Aladdin risk management platform is used by central banks, pension funds, and insurers to manage $21T+ in assets. When BlackRock speaks, markets listen.
Key relationships in depth
BlackRock & Apple
BlackRock is Apple's largest institutional shareholder, holding approximately 4.3% of outstanding shares through its index and active fund products. The position is held primarily in passive iShares ETFs tracking the S&P 500, Nasdaq 100, and other broad market indices where Apple is consistently among the largest constituents by weight.
Why it matters: BlackRock's Apple position is largely mechanical, driven by index weighting rather than active conviction. Apple's roughly 7% weight in the S&P 500 means virtually every US equity index product BlackRock runs holds a meaningful AAPL position. As the world's largest asset manager with over $10T in AUM, BlackRock votes these shares on governance matters including executive compensation, board elections, and shareholder proposals.
BlackRock is one of Microsoft's largest institutional shareholders, holding billions in Microsoft equity across its index fund products. Beyond ownership, BlackRock and Microsoft launched Aladdin Copilot, integrating Microsoft Azure AI and Copilot capabilities into BlackRock's Aladdin risk management platform, which manages $21T+ in assets for institutional clients.
Why it matters: Aladdin is the risk management platform used by pension funds, sovereign wealth funds, and insurance companies globally. Bringing Microsoft's AI capabilities into Aladdin accelerates risk analysis, portfolio optimization, and reporting workflows for BlackRock's institutional clients. The partnership validates Azure AI for the most demanding financial risk use cases.
BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager with $14T in AUM at end of 2025, holds a large institutional position in NVIDIA across its index funds, ETFs (particularly iShares), and actively managed strategies. BlackRock is one of NVIDIA's top three institutional shareholders, with its position growing proportionally as NVIDIA's weighting in the S&P 500 and Nasdaq increased dramatically from 2023 to 2025.
Why it matters: NVIDIA entered 2024 as a top-5 S&P 500 constituent by market cap, meaning any S&P 500 index fund automatically holds NVIDIA. BlackRock's iShares S&P 500 ETF (IVV) and iShares Nasdaq ETF (QQQ alternatives) hold NVIDIA automatically. BlackRock's $14T AUM means even a 2% S&P 500 weighting for NVIDIA translates to tens of billions in BlackRock's NVIDIA holdings.
BlackRock holds a large institutional position in Alphabet across its index fund products, automatically reflecting Google's index weighting. BlackRock and Google Cloud also have a technology partnership where Google Cloud AI tools are integrated into BlackRock's investment and risk management workflows, and BlackRock has committed to using Google Cloud for specific Aladdin workloads.
Why it matters: Alphabet is consistently a top-5 S&P 500 constituent, meaning BlackRock's iShares index products automatically hold significant Google equity. The Google Cloud partnership extends the relationship beyond passive ownership, bringing Gemini AI capabilities into BlackRock's portfolio analysis tools.
Relationships are compiled by VexMap from company filings, announcements and reporting, and last reviewed September 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us. Not investment advice.