Project Description
BlackRock – The company that owns the world?
May 6th, 2018
Summary
There’s a good chance you have never heard of BlackRock. In less than 30 years, this American financial firm has grown from nothing to becoming the world’s largest and most trusted manager of other people’s money.
The assets left in their care are worth a staggering 6.3 trillion US dollars – a figure with 12 zeroes.
How much and where does BlackRock invest in Europe?
How does this enormous financial power exert its influence and to what consequences for European companies and their employees?
And will BlackRock’s recently-announced social expectations – from companies it invests in – help make the business world a better place?
Together with the Dutch research platform “Follow the money“, Investigate Europe´s team has researched these questions.
BlackRock declined our requests for interviews. It also refused to answer IE’s questions submitted in writing.
However, economists, politicians, bankers, investors, researchers, managers and former BlackRock employees have contributed to describing a company like no other.
Their knowledge shows a global money giant with customers in 100 countries that:
– undermines competition through owning shares in competing companies;
– blurs boundaries between private capital and government affairs by working closely with regulators;
– advocates for privatisation of pensions schemes in order to channel savings capital into its funds;
Take a closer look with us.
BlackRock: The financial leviathan that bears down on Europe’s decisions
We have recently published an English translation of a report written by our colleague, Jordan Pouille, for Mediapart. We hope this will make our research on BlackRock – and with it our main findings – accessible to all our readers. The report looks at the financial and political influence of one of the most powerful investment companies in the world.
Media Partners


“Cos’è davvero Blackrock: la roccia invisibile che governa il mondo”
“Blackrock: The invisible rock that governs the world”


“Por qué BlackRock domina el presente y el futuro del mundo”
“Why BlackRock is dominating the present and the future of the world”


“Verdens mektigste mann du aldri har hørt om”
“The most powerful man in the world that you never heard of” (€)


“Dit is BlackRock: het bedrijf dat (steeds mer van) de wereld bezit”
“This is BlackRock: The company: That owns the world


“BlackRock: ce Léviathan de la finance qui pèse sur les choix européens”
“BlackRock: the Leviathan of finance who weighs on European choices”


“Banca. Onde começa, e acaba, o conflito de interesses?”
“Banking. Where the conflict of interests begins and ends”


“Dossier BlackRock: hoe (on)gezond is de dubbele rol van adviseur en aandeelhouder?”
“BlackRock File: how (un)healthy is the dual role of adviser and shareholder?”


“BlackRock, quel potere occulto che domina tutta la finanza europea”
“BlackRock, the hidden power that dominates European finance”


“Dit is de rol van ‘s werelds grootste geldbeheerder Blackrock in België”
“The role of the world largest cash manager in Belgium”


Series about BlackRock in Stavanger Aftenblad, Norway, May/June 2018
“Flybilletter blir dyrere når samme selskap eier konkurrenter”
“Flights become more expensive when the competitors are owned by the same company”
“Miljøaksjonærer presser på i Shell”
“Enviromental shareholders are pressing Shell”
“BlackRock-sjefens månedslønn er like stor som selskapets årlige skatt til Sokndal kommune”
“BlackRock boss’s monthly salary is as big as the company’s annual tax to Sokndal municipality”
“Oljefondet gjorde som BlackRock ville. Til i år”
Norway’s Oil Fund did what BlackRock wanted. Until now.


Series about BlackRock in Efsyn, Greece, May/June 2018
“Η εταιρεία που θέλει να σταματήσει να γυρίζει ο κόσμος”
“The company that wants to stop the world from turning”
“H BlackRock και ο θησαυρός των ελληνικών τραπεζών”
“BlackRock and the treasure of Greek banks”
“Η Blackrock, η Κομισιόν και ο θάνατος του κράτους πρόνοιας”
“BlackRock, the Commission and the death of the welfare state”
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Once a month we send out a newsletter with our newest investigations, reactions on our work from politicians and corporations, a new column from one of us and invitations to special events like webinars.
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