BlackRock, FIFA, Sony Embrace Blockchain Despite Tough EU Regulations

From BlackRock’s $150 billion blockchain integration to FIFA’s NFT migration and the EU’s regulatory shakeup, this press review spotlights the accelerating convergence of traditional finance, digital assets, and institutional innovation. Explore how global giants and regulators are shaping the future of blockchain adoption, tokenization, and compliance across finance, gaming, and healthcare.

BlackRock Expands Blockchain Integration in $150 Billion Treasury Fund

BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest asset manager, has taken a significant step toward integrating digital technology into mainstream institutional finance. According to Bloomberg.com, BlackRock has filed paperwork with the US Securities and Exchange Commission to launch a new share class of its $150 billion money market fund, the BlackRock BLF Treasury Trust Fund, that will be registered on a blockchain. This new share class is labeled DLT, standing for distributed ledger technology, and represents a cornerstone of BlackRock’s cash management strategy.

The move signals BlackRock’s growing ambition to bring blockchain technology to the forefront of institutional finance, potentially setting a precedent for other major asset managers. The DLT share class aims to enhance transparency, efficiency, and security in fund management by leveraging blockchain’s immutable ledger capabilities.

Fund	Value	Technology
BlackRock BLF Treasury Trust Fund	$150 billion	Blockchain (DLT share class)

Key Takeaway: BlackRock’s initiative to register a $150 billion fund share class on blockchain marks a pivotal moment in the adoption of digital ledger technology within traditional finance, as reported by Bloomberg.com.

FIFA Migrates NFT Platform to Ethereum-Compatible Blockchain

FIFA has announced the launch of its own EVM-compatible blockchain, which will host its NFT collections and fan experiences, according to Cointelegraph. The new “FIFA Blockchain” is designed to provide better performance, future features, and improved scalability. As part of this transition, FIFA Collect—its official NFT collection—will migrate from the Algorand blockchain to the new FIFA Blockchain, with the migration scheduled to begin no earlier than May 20.

Following the migration, external Algorand-based wallets such as Pera and Defly will no longer be supported. Instead, users will be able to connect to FIFA Collect via MetaMask or other EVM wallets that support WalletConnect. All listed collectibles will be automatically transferred to the new platform unless users delist them before the migration date. FIFA’s move underscores its growing interest in NFTs and Web3 gaming, with the upcoming release of the FIFA Rivals game, which is expected to attract over 100 million gamers, according to CEO John Linden.

Migration of FIFA Collect NFT platform from Algorand to FIFA Blockchain
Migration begins no earlier than May 20
MetaMask and other EVM wallets to be supported post-migration
FIFA Rivals pre-release in May 2025, full release in summer 2025

Key Takeaway: FIFA’s transition to an Ethereum-compatible blockchain for its NFT platform and gaming experiences highlights the organization’s commitment to leveraging blockchain for fan engagement and digital collectibles, as detailed by Cointelegraph.

European Union regulators have issued new guidance on blockchain technology in relation to personal data processing, as reported by The Daily Hodl. The European Data Protection Board (EDPB) states that to comply with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), blockchains may need to be completely deleted if the deletion of GDPR-relevant data was not considered during the network’s original creation.

The EDPB emphasizes that blockchains are not exempt from GDPR laws and must address how personal data is processed and stored. The guidance suggests that if personal data cannot be erased at the individual level due to blockchain’s immutable nature, the entire blockchain may need to be deleted to conform to the principle of storage limitation. This has raised concerns within the blockchain community, with James Smith of the Ethereum Foundation warning that such regulations could threaten the existence of public blockchains in Europe.

“Personal data must be erased once the purposes of the processing has been achieved and any regulatory periods for retention have expired in order to conform to the principle of storage limitation. Data deletion at the individual level in a blockchain can be challenging and requires ad-hoc engineered architectures. When deletion has not been taken into account by design, this may require deleting the whole blockchain.” — European Data Protection Board

Key Takeaway: The EDPB’s guidance introduces significant regulatory uncertainty for blockchain projects in Europe, potentially requiring entire blockchains to be deleted for GDPR compliance, as reported by The Daily Hodl.

Sony’s Soneium Blockchain and Plume Network Partner for RWA Yield Products

Sony’s Soneium blockchain platform has partnered with Plume Network to offer users access to asset-backed yield products, including yield from tokenized U.S. Treasuries and private credit, according to The Block. The mainnet of Soneium launched in January, and the integration with Plume’s SkyLink interoperability layer allows real-world asset value and yield to be streamed cross-chain securely.

Plume, an EVM-compatible Layer 2 network, specializes in tokenizing real-world assets and boasts over 18 million wallets on its testnet. Soneium’s testnet, launched in August, had over 15 million active wallet addresses and more than 50 million total transactions by the time of its mainnet debut. The partnership aims to accelerate yield opportunities for over 5.1 million users in the Soneium ecosystem. Additionally, Soneium has expanded into digital identity, anime, and gaming experiences through collaborations with Moca Network and LINE.

Platform	Active Wallets (Testnet)	Total Transactions	Users (Ecosystem)
Soneium	15 million+	50 million+	5.1 million+
Plume (Testnet)	18 million+	-	-

Key Takeaway: The partnership between Sony’s Soneium and Plume Network brings tokenized real-world asset yield products to millions of users, marking a significant step in the integration of blockchain with traditional finance, as reported by The Block.

Blockchain Adoption in European Healthcare Faces Regulatory and Institutional Barriers

Despite global enthusiasm for blockchain, Europe faces significant challenges in adopting the technology, particularly in healthcare, according to Forbes. The European Union’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation aims to standardize digital asset laws but has also created hesitation among developers and investors due to high compliance burdens. The lack of a unified stance on decentralized finance (DeFi), NFTs, and DAOs further complicates the legal landscape, discouraging innovation.

Market fragmentation is another major obstacle, with different countries pursuing their own strategies. For example, Germany has focused on identity and financial services, Estonia on e-governance, and Switzerland has become a hub for crypto companies. However, these efforts lack cohesion, making cross-border interoperability and scalability difficult. Institutional skepticism, especially among banks and large corporations, and strong data privacy frameworks add to the complexity. The European Blockchain Services Infrastructure (EBSI) initiative aims to build cross-border public services using blockchain, but Europe remains at a crossroads between caution and embracing blockchain’s potential.

MiCA regulation creates both clarity and compliance burdens
Fragmented national strategies hinder cross-border adoption
Institutional skepticism and strong data privacy laws slow innovation
EBSI aims to build cross-border blockchain public services

Key Takeaway: Europe’s blockchain adoption, especially in healthcare, is hampered by regulatory uncertainty, market fragmentation, and institutional caution, as detailed by Forbes.

BlackRock is preparing to offer a digital share class of its Treasury Trust Fund through the Bank of New York Mellon (BNY), according to ETF.com. The new distributed ledger technology (DLT) shares will not hold crypto but will be purchased and held through BNY, which will use blockchain to maintain a “mirror record of share ownership.” The DLT shares can only be bought through BNY, and the management fee for these shares is 0.18%.

BlackRock has previously launched the BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL), which offers cash and U.S. Treasury bills as electronic copies transferred to a crypto network. In the case of the Treasury Trust Fund, BNY will tokenize the shares for its clients. Industry experts believe that tokenization could eventually replace ETFs within a decade, but significant operational and regulatory development is still required. The move is seen as part of a broader trend toward the tokenization of traditional financial assets.

Product	Management Fee	Intermediary	Technology
BlackRock Treasury Trust Fund (DLT Shares)	0.18%	BNY Mellon	Blockchain (DLT)

Key Takeaway: BlackRock and BNY Mellon’s blockchain-based share class represents a major step in the tokenization of traditional financial products, with industry experts predicting further growth in this area, as reported by ETF.com.

Einschätzung der Redaktion

BlackRock’s decision to integrate blockchain technology into its $150 billion Treasury fund is a landmark development for institutional finance. This move demonstrates a clear commitment to modernizing traditional asset management by leveraging the transparency, efficiency, and security benefits of distributed ledger technology. The scale of the fund involved signals that blockchain is no longer a niche experiment but is being positioned as a core infrastructure for mainstream financial products. Such a step is likely to accelerate industry-wide adoption, encourage regulatory engagement, and set new standards for operational best practices in fund management. The initiative also positions BlackRock as a leader in the digital transformation of finance, potentially influencing competitors and shaping the future landscape of asset management.

BlackRock’s blockchain integration marks a pivotal shift in institutional finance.
The move is expected to drive broader adoption and innovation across the industry.
Operational and regulatory frameworks will need to evolve to support this transformation.

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