Monday 30 March 2026Afternoon Edition

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BlackRock CEO Pushes Tokenization Vision as Prediction Market Boom Draws 35 Million Dollar VC Fund

Larry Fink says blockchain will make investing as easy as payments while Polymarket and Kalshi CEOs back a dedicated fund

Zotpaper••2 min read•📰 3 sources
BlackRock CEO Larry Fink has laid out a vision for tokenization making investing as easy as mobile payments, while a new 35 million dollar venture fund backed by the CEOs of Polymarket and Kalshi signals growing institutional confidence in prediction markets. Meanwhile, biotech firm NovaBay jumped 19 per cent after rebranding as the Stablecoin Development Corporation.

Fink's comments come as Congress and regulators actively explore how blockchain-based tokenization could modernise financial markets. The BlackRock chief has been increasingly vocal about the potential for tokenising traditional assets like stocks and bonds, bringing them onto blockchain infrastructure where they can be traded and settled more efficiently.

Separately, the prediction market sector is attracting serious venture capital for the first time. The new fund, called 5c(c) Capital, aims to raise 35 million dollars to invest in startups tied to the rapid growth of event-based trading markets. The fund counts the CEOs of both Polymarket and Kalshi, the two largest prediction market platforms, among its backers.

In one of the more unusual crypto pivots, pharmaceutical company NovaBay surged 19 per cent after announcing it would rebrand as the Stablecoin Development Corporation. The company's new strategy centres on staking rewards tied to Sky's governance parameters, marking a complete departure from its biotech origins.

Analysis

Why This Matters

When the CEO of the world's largest asset manager champions tokenization while prediction markets attract dedicated VC funds, it signals that crypto infrastructure is moving firmly into mainstream finance.

Background

BlackRock has already launched a tokenised money market fund and is actively building blockchain infrastructure. Prediction markets gained mainstream attention during the 2024 US election and have continued growing since. Corporate pivots to crypto, like NovaBay's, recall the blockchain mania of 2017-18 but now involve more concrete business models.

What to Watch

Whether Fink's tokenization push translates into actual BlackRock product launches, how the prediction market VC fund deploys capital, and whether NovaBay's stablecoin pivot produces actual revenue.

Sources