Core Definition and Technology
The BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) represents BlackRock's strategic expansion into the cryptocurrency domain, launched in March 2024, integrating blockchain technology with traditional money market funds. BUIDL functions as a tokenized money market fund, providing a stable, dollar-denominated digital asset that combines the efficiency of blockchain technology with the stability of traditional financial instruments.
Blockchain Architecture and Multi-Chain Deployment
Initially launched on Ethereum, BUIDL has since expanded and now operates across eight blockchains, including Solana and BNB Chain, allowing investors to leverage blockchain's ledger and payment capabilities. The fund now operates on seven blockchains: Ethereum (holding 95% of assets), Aptos, Arbitrum, Avalanche, Optimism, Polygon, and Solana.
To support multi-chain access, BUIDL uses Wormhole, a cross-chain messaging protocol that lets BUIDL tokens move between different blockchains. The BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund operates on a permissioned blockchain network, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements while leveraging distributed ledger technology for enhanced transparency and efficiency.
Primary Use Cases and Real-World Applications
BUIDL offers qualified investors access to U.S. dollar yields on-chain with flexible custody, daily dividend payouts, and near real-time 24/7/365 peer-to-peer transfers, unlocking innovative utility for institutions spanning treasury management, stablecoin backing, DeFi access, and collateral for trading.
The tokenized shares can be used as off-exchange collateral for institutional trading on exchanges like Binance, which increases capital efficiency for traders. Ethena Labs' USDtb stablecoin allocates over 90% of its reserves to BUIDL tokens, contributing approximately ~ $1.29 billion to the fund's total assets.
Founding Team and Project History
Developed by BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, BUIDL aims to bridge traditional finance with digital assets in a regulated, secure environment. Securitize, LLC, a registered transfer agent, manages the fund's tokenization or issuance, compliance, and trading of BUIDL tokens.
Since its launch in March 2024, BUIDL has scaled rapidly, surpassing $1 billion in assets under management by early 2025. The fund achieved several remarkable milestones: reaching $500 million in assets within four months, crossing the $1 billion threshold in less than nine months.
Tokenomics and Supply Structure
Each BUIDL token maintains a stable $1.00 value and represents a share in the underlying fund, which invests 100% of its assets in short-term U.S. government securities and cash equivalents. The fund's inception date is 03/20/2024, with a total value of $1,718,426,344 and token supply of 1,718,426,343.74.
The fund's architecture enables investors to earn ~ 4.5% annual yield through daily dividend accruals distributed directly to investor wallets as new tokens each month. Over its first months, BUIDL cumulatively distributed about $7 million in dividends to token holders.
Consensus Mechanism and Network Security
Unlike proof-of-work cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, BUIDL does not involve traditional mining, and it differs from typical proof-of-stake cryptocurrencies in its approach to rewards distribution. BUIDL utilizes an institutional participation framework where qualified participants can contribute to network validation and governance, with rewards derived from the fund's overall performance rather than inflation-based token emissions.
Bank of New York Mellon serves as the fund's custodian for cash and securities, while digital custody solutions are provided by leading firms including Anchorage Digital, BitGo, Copper, and Fireblocks.
Key Partnerships and Ecosystem Integrations
Ondo Finance has partnered with BlackRock's BUIDL to enhance liquidity within blockchain ecosystems, aiming to increase investor participation and leverage blockchain technology for improved asset management and liquidation.
In early 2025, Frax Finance introduced a new stablecoin, frxUSD, structured to be backed by tokenized assets held in the BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL), marking a use case in which on-chain stable value was collateralized by shares in a traditional asset fund managed by a regulated institution.
Ripple and Securitize announced a smart contract that would allow holders of BlackRock's BUIDL to exchange their shares to Ripple for Ripple USD (RLUSD), with BUIDL and VBILL holders able to instantly exchange their shares for RLUSD 24/7.
BlackRock BUIDL is now available for qualified investors on BNB Chain and can be used as collateral on Binance, expanding institutional access and utility for tokenized US dollar yields.
Competitive Advantages and Unique Value Proposition
BUIDL has achieved a commanding ~ 39% market share in the tokenized treasury sector, significantly outpacing competitors such as BENJI, OUSG and other major players. BUIDL is built on blockchain technology, enabling faster settlement times, enhanced transparency, and improved operational efficiency compared to traditional financial instruments.
Unlike many digital assets, BUIDL is specifically designed for institutional investors, with appropriate compliance, security, and reporting features; the fund operates within existing regulatory frameworks for money market funds while leveraging blockchain technology; as a money market fund, BUIDL aims to maintain a stable value, making it less volatile than many cryptocurrencies; and the fund provides institutional-grade liquidity management with the efficiency benefits of blockchain technology.
Current Development Activity and Roadmap
As tokenization of real-world assets gains significant momentum, BUIDL will continue to expand to new blockchain ecosystems, with more use cases on the way to continue pushing on-chain finance forward. The expansion to Solana in March' 25 was designed to leverage the network's speed, scalability, and cost efficiency for high-frequency trading applications.
Tokenization platform Securitize is looking to integrate with the XRP Ledger (XRPL), a step that could bring BlackRock's USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL) directly onto the blockchain network, signaling a deepening link between institutional finance and blockchain infrastructure.
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