Blackrock, the giant who moves the world from Wall Street

Panama, A small country without army, even feared the extreme possibility of a military intervention. No option seemed far -fetched in the case of Trump, who came to ask for military mobilization plans in Central America to the Pentagon. But then it appeared, once again, Blackrock.

With an operation of 22.8 billion dollars, This asset management giant announced that it will be made with 90% of Panama Ports Company, Operating company of the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal, at both ends of the channel. The agreement ends years of uncertainty about the control of the terminals and was held in Washington with champagne and repudiated in Beijing as an affront that will obtain an answer to its fair time.

The Blackrock operation, which is still formalized, momentarily cleared US concerns about Chinese channel control and reinforced the power of this firm in strategic geopolitical scenarios. But … What is Blackrock, that stranger that has the ability to outrak China and appease Trump, delays of undoubted merit?

More than an investment fund, it is an international global entity capable of influencing world markets, press governments and modify the destination of entire industries with a single movement. With more than 11 billion dollars in assets, it has the financial capacity to acquire companies in any sector and in any country. Panama’s case made it clear: Blackrock Do not compete, but buy, control, dominate.

It was as a signature ‘woke’

This movement allowed Trump to ensure that control over a sea road that joins the two continental coasts returned to the US and that in turn has led many Republicans to reconsider the animosity they felt for this financial firm. Because, strange as it may seem, until a few weeks ago He had it for a firm ‘woke’.

Republican legislators, prosecutors and governors accused the company of using its immense influence to promote a supposedly leftist agenda in matters such as climate change or racial and gender diversity, contrary to the conservative line. States like Texas and Florida came to prohibit their pension funds managed by the New York firm.

The controversy around Blackrock came from afar. In 2022, New York was filled with black trucks that circulated on Times Square with an image: a bald man in dark suit. Below, a simple question: «Who is Larry Fink?

Fink is, in effect, one of the most influential men of Wall Street. Since its foundation in 1988, directs Blackrock and manages assets for a value greater than the GDP of most countries. Its fortune amounts to 1.2 billion dollars. Your salary exceeds 25 million annually.

That campaign, funded by Consumers’ Research, a group linked to conservative sectors, portrayed Fink as a visible face of the so -called ‘Woke Capitalism’. They accused him of using his financial power to impose progressive agendas, be linked to China and profit from the financial crises that harmed the most vulnerable.

Columnists of the tabloid ‘New York post

Just two years ago, Congress investigated Blackrock investments in Chinese companies related to national security. The Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party indicated that funds managed by the company ended up in firms related to the military and technological development of Beijing. In a letter to Fink, republican legislators said that millions of Americans financed without knowing it strategic industries for China through Blackrock. This criticism represented a blow to the credibility of a company that for years promoted its image of transparency and commitment to good corporate governance. But it was something temporary.

Blackrock managed to quickly overcome that crisis. After Trump’s victory, he settled his department of diversity and inclusion. Then he left the business group that had promised to reach 2030 emission free. And the purchase in Panama has allowed Fink to present himself as an ally of the Trump administration in his pulse against Chinese expansion in Latin America.

Inside and outside Wall Street, Larry Fink generates extreme opinions. For some it is the brain behind the world’s greatest financial giant; For others on the left, a symbol of power without face. What is clear is that Fink knows how to adapt to the political climate. His name circulated as a possible secretary of the Treasury with Hillary Clinton and as an economic advisor with Joe Biden. He now plays a key role in the American geopolitical strategy without subordinating to Trump. In Wall Street it is often said that Fink does not lose, he only adapts. His influence is such that when he speaks, executives, governments and central banks listen.

The political turn is so remarkable that Republicans as Daniel Elliott, Treasurer of Indiana, who contributed to expel Blackrock from public fund management, now admit that the proximity to Trump “opens new doors.” In Texas, Comptroller Glenn Hegar, who in 2022 included Blackrock in a blacklist for his “hostility” towards the industry, described the investment in Panama as “good news for Texas.”

The reality is that Blackrock has never been an ideological actor. Its commitment is to capital and strategic expansion. Fink made it clear after the agreement in Panama: “We are the first option for those who seek patient capital and long term.”

Since its creation, Blackrock has grown rapidly thanks to acquisitions such as the purchase in 2009 of Barclays Global Investors, which allowed him to lead in indexed funds. Its presence covers more than 18,000 companies in more than thirty countries, even advising the US government during the 2008 financial crisis.

Beyond Wall Street

So powerful is this firm that its influence reaches important geopolitical conflicts. Before Panama, he played a key role in Ukraine. In May 2023, the President Volodimir Zelenski He announced an agreement with Blackrock to create an investment fund dedicated to the reconstruction of the country. It was something unprecedented: a private firm managed the strategy of a nation at war with Washington’s support. With Biden, the priority was Ukraine. With Trump, it is to contain China, and Blackrock adapts precisely.

In 2024, after acquiring Global Infrastructure Partners for 12.5 billion dollars, he consolidated his position in sectors such as transport, energy and telecommunications in Europe, Asia and Latin America. In addition, he invested in technology, including artificial intelligence and data analysis with participations in companies such as NVIDIA, Microsoft and OpenAi.

The current Blackrock growth is not just for acquisitions. In the last quarter he recorded a record figure: 221,000 million in new investment flows. Of these, 62,000 million were allocated to bonds and fixed income, taking advantage of the monetary flexibility of the Federal Reserve. Great movements for its customers.

In short, Blackrock not only participates in global financial markets: defines themconsolidating a power whose influence goes beyond any ideology.