Blackstone
 Blackstone  (Investor, Private equity, Hedge fund)    | |
|---|---|
| Founder |  Peter Peterson |
| Type | Public |
| Staff | 5,285 (2,025) |
| Member of | Atlantic Council/Corporate Members, Business Roundtable, Council on Foreign Relations/Corporate Members |
| World's largest alternative investment firm with $1.2 trillion in total assets under management | |
Blackstone Inc., an American alternative investment management company based in New York City, was founded in 1985 as a mergers and acquisitions firm by Peter Peterson and Stephen Schwarzman, who had previously worked together at Lehman Brothers.
Blackstone's private equity business has been one of the largest investors in leveraged buyouts in the last three decades, while its real estate business has actively acquired commercial real estate across the globe. Blackstone is also active in credit, infrastructure, hedge funds, secondaries, growth equity, and insurance solutions.[1]
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World's largest
As of September 2025, Blackstone Inc. had $1.2 trillion in total assets under management, making it the world's largest alternative investment firm.
BlackRock partnership
In 1987 Blackstone entered into a 50–50 partnership with the founders of BlackRock, Larry Fink (current CEO of BlackRock), and Ralph Schlosstein (CEO of Evercore). The two founders, who had previously run the mortgage-backed securities divisions at First Boston and Lehman Brothers, respectively, initially joined Blackstone to manage an investment fund and provide advice to financial institutions. They also planned to use a Blackstone fund to invest in financial institutions and help build an asset management business specialising in fixed income investments.
In 1995, Blackstone sold its stake in BlackRock to PNC Financial Services for $240 million. Between 1995 and 2014, PNC reported $12 billion in pre-tax revenues and capital gains from BlackRock. Schwarzman later described the selling of BlackRock as his worst business decision ever.
Industrial portfolio
In 2023, Blackstone completed the acquisition of a vast Greater Manchester industrial portfolio, approximately seven million square feet of warehouse and logistics space, including substantial holdings at Trafford Park.[2] That portfolio was reported to be worth around £480 million. Through its portfolio company Indurent, formed from the merger of Industrials REIT and St Modwen Logistics, both taken private by Blackstone, the firm became the dominant industrial landlord across one of the city-region’s most strategically significant areas, the world’s first purpose-built industrial park, sitting directly adjacent to what would become the Old Trafford regeneration zone. The specific Trafford Park portion of that portfolio was separately reported to have cost Blackstone between £275 million and £280 million. Manchester United have not confirmed whether the 25-acre site sold to them is the same land.
Asset acquisition
Blackstone is not a passive investor. As of 2024, it holds more than $1 trillion in total assets under management, making it the world’s largest alternative investment firm. BlackRock, now Starmer’s formal government partner, with 80% stakes in three UK Freeports, was itself launched inside Blackstone before spinning out as its own firm. The two companies share more than a naming convention: they share an ideological orientation towards asset acquisition, deregulation, and the monetisation of public infrastructure.
Blackstone's record
Blackstone’s record is worth stating plainly. The firm has faced legal action over illegal child labour in its supply chains; it settled for $19.6 million after disclosing Motel 6 guest lists to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement without a warrant; in 2020 it acquired a majority stake in Ancestry.com, bringing millions of people’s genetic data under its control. It has faced sustained criticism for its role in deforestation of the Amazon rainforest.[3]
Employee on Wikispooks
| Employee | Job | Appointed | End | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marc Bolland | Senior Managing Director | 2016 | 2021 | Bilderberger |
References
This page imported content from Wikipedia on 3 July 2026.Wikipedia is not affiliated with Wikispooks. Original page source here
