BlackRock, Inc. is an American global investment management corporation based in New York City. Founded in 1988, initially as a risk management and fixed income institutional asset manager, BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager with $6.5 trillion in assets under management as of April 2019. BlackRock operates globally with 70 offices in 30 countries and clients in 100 countries. Due to its power and the sheer size and scope of its financial assets and activities, BlackRock has been called the world's largest shadow bank.

In May 2019, BlackRock received widespread criticism for the environmental impact of its holdings. It is counted among the top three shareholders in every oil “supermajor” except Total, and is among the top 10 shareholders in seven of the 10 biggest coal producers. In its 2018 annual letter to shareholders, chief executive Larry Fink said that his overriding duty is to make customers money, whatever the environmental consequences.