16. Commitments and Contingencies

Investment Commitments. At December 31, 2025, the Company had $2.4 billion of various capital commitments to fund sponsored investment products, including CIPs. These products include various private market products, including private equity funds, real assets funds and opportunistic funds. This amount excludes additional commitments made by consolidated funds of funds to underlying third-party funds as third-party noncontrolling interest holders have the legal obligation to fund the respective commitments of such funds of funds. Generally, the timing of the funding of these commitments is unknown and the commitments are callable on demand at any time prior to the expiration of the commitment. These unfunded commitments are not recorded on the consolidated statements of financial condition. These commitments do not include potential future commitments approved by the Company that are not yet legally binding. The Company intends to make additional capital commitments from time to time to fund additional investment products for, and with, its clients.

Contingencies

Contingent Consideration Liabilities. In connection with certain acquisitions, BlackRock is required to make contingent payments, subject to the achievement of specified performance targets or satisfaction of certain post-closing events. The fair value of this contingent consideration is estimated at the time of acquisition closing and is included in contingent consideration liabilities on the consolidated statements of financial condition. The fair value of the remaining aggregate contingent payments at December 31, 2025 totaled $8.4 billion, including $4.8 billion and $3.5 billion related to the GIP and HPS Transactions, respectively. The contingent payments related to the GIP Transaction, if any, will be settled all in stock, for a number of shares ranging from 4.0 million to 5.2 million shares, subject to achieving certain performance targets. The contingent payments related to the HPS Transaction, if any, will be delivered all in Subco Units of approximately 2.8 million to 4.4 million, subject to achieving certain post-closing conditions and financial performance milestones. See Note 3, Acquisitions, for more information.

Legal Proceedings. From time to time, BlackRock receives subpoenas or other requests for information from various US federal and state governmental and regulatory authorities and international governmental and regulatory authorities in connection with industry-wide or other investigations or proceedings. It is BlackRock’s policy to cooperate fully with such matters. The Company, certain of its subsidiaries and employees have been named as defendants in various legal actions, including arbitrations and other litigations arising in connection with BlackRock's activities. Additionally, BlackRock-advised investment portfolios may be subject to lawsuits, any of which potentially could harm the investment returns of the applicable portfolio or result in the Company being liable to the portfolios for any resulting damages.

BlackRock is currently defending a lawsuit filed by thirteen state Attorneys General in Federal Court in the Eastern District of Texas against BlackRock, State Street, and Vanguard, alleging antitrust violations on the theory that the three companies conspired to artificially suppress coal supply. Four states are also pursuing alleged violations of state consumer protection laws regarding statements on BlackRock fund websites. In 2025, the court largely denied defendants' motion to dismiss.

Management, after consultation with legal counsel, currently does not anticipate that the aggregate liability arising out of regulatory matters or lawsuits will have a material effect on BlackRock’s results of operations, financial position, or cash flows. However, there is no assurance as to whether any such pending or threatened matters will have a material effect on BlackRock’s results of operations, financial position or cash flows in any future reporting period. Due to uncertainties surrounding the outcome of these matters, management cannot reasonably estimate the possible loss or range of loss that may arise from these matters.

Indemnifications. In the ordinary course of business or in connection with certain acquisition agreements, BlackRock enters into contracts pursuant to which it may agree to indemnify third parties in certain circumstances. The terms of these indemnities vary from contract to contract and the amount of indemnification liability, if any, cannot be determined or the likelihood of any liability is considered remote. Consequently, no liability has been recorded on the consolidated statements of financial condition.

In connection with securities lending transactions, BlackRock has agreed to indemnify certain securities lending clients against potential loss resulting from a borrower’s failure to fulfill its obligations under the securities lending agreement should the value of the collateral pledged by the borrower at the time of default be insufficient to cover the borrower’s obligation under the securities lending agreement. The amount of securities on loan as of December 31, 2025 and subject to this type of indemnification was approximately $353 billion. In the Company’s capacity as lending agent, cash and securities totaling approximately $375 billion were held as collateral for indemnified securities on loan at December 31, 2025. The fair value of these indemnifications was not material at December 31, 2025.

Historical Timeline

Fiscal YearFiled
2025Feb 25, 2026Showing above
2024Feb 25, 2025

About Commitments Disclosures

Commitments and contingencies disclosures catalog a company's off-balance-sheet obligations and legal exposures — purchase commitments, guarantee arrangements, pending litigation, and regulatory proceedings. These items represent potential future cash outflows that may not appear as liabilities on the balance sheet until they become probable and estimable.

Key signals: litigation reserves and disclosed loss ranges quantify management's estimate of legal exposure, but unquantified "reasonably possible" losses often represent the larger risk. Watch for changes in language around pending cases — shifts from "remote" to "reasonably possible" or increases in estimated loss ranges signal deteriorating outcomes. Unconditional purchase obligations and take-or-pay contracts create fixed cost structures that reduce operational flexibility. Guarantee arrangements for subsidiaries or joint ventures can create cascading obligations. Compare the total commitment schedule against projected free cash flow to assess whether the company can meet its obligations without additional financing.