Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov has publicly praised BlackRock for its role in bringing blockchain into traditional finance. He focused on three areas: on-chain asset management, fund tokenization, and the growth of on-chain finance. The comments were reported across crypto outlets, including Crypto Briefing and crypto.news.
BlackRock’s BUIDL Fund
BlackRock’s main on-chain product is the USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund, known as BUIDL. The fund has grown and expanded across networks since launch. Nazarov has framed BUIDL’s arrival as a turning point for traditional finance, according to Chainlink Today. In 2024 he pointed to the fund as a sign that large asset managers were moving from study to execution. That view is not universal, perhaps, but it has found a hearing among crypto builders.
Where Chainlink Fits
Chainlink provides data and cross-chain connectivity for tokenized assets. In one example reported by The Defiant, the network supplied price data and messaging tools for a tokenized fund product. Nazarov has described the network’s role in broader terms, saying it can connect blockchains, data providers, and financial institutions. He also argued that BlackRock and other large institutions could benefit from the expanding set of infrastructure products built around LINK, the token of the Chainlink network. That does not mean BlackRock is using every product or that any formal partnership exists.
Shared Stages, No Formal Partnership
Nazarov and BlackRock executives have shared stages on the subject. In September, a press release distributed on OpenPR noted that the two sides had appeared together at an industry event. The release described the discussion as an exchange on tokenized funds and market infrastructure. No formal partnership is implied by Nazarov’s comments, and neither company has announced one.
What Comes Next
Looking ahead, Nazarov has told Cointelegraph that more large institutions will test tokenized funds and on-chain settlement over the next few years. He has also said the pace will depend on regulation and on whether firms can show clear operational gains. For Chainlink, the opportunity is to supply the data and connectivity layer that tokenized assets need. For BlackRock, BUIDL is a live test of whether a money market fund can work across multiple networks. The results will matter more than the praise.
