The video explores the enormous power and influence wielded by Blackrock, a global asset management company, which holds more Assets than the GDP of nearly every country worldwide. Its extensive ownership of diverse industries and vast financial resources mean it impacts numerous aspects of our lives, often unbeknownst to the general public. Moreover, Blackrock is linked to detrimental environmental practices and media biases due to its stakes in various major companies and outlets.

Learning about this helps unveil the critical way in which capital ownership is centralized, revealing an 'Illusion of choice' in banking and investments deeply tied to Blackrock. The video urges viewers to understand that their financial choices indirectly fund and empower this enormous corporation. It presents the pervasive reach Blackrock has in entities globally, including the financial, insurance, real estate, and media sectors, creating conflicts of interest through Circular ownership structures.

Main takeaways from the video:

Please remember to turn on the CC button to view the subtitles.

Key Vocabularies and Common Phrases:

1. Asset Management [ˈæsɛt ˈmænɪʤmənt] - (n.) - The process of overseeing financial Assets, such as stocks and bonds, for investors.

First and foremost, BlackRock is the largest asset management firm on the planet.

2. Pension Fund [ˈpɛnʃən fʌnd] - (n.) - A fund that collects and invests money to provide retirement income for its contributors.

Chances are, if you've ever done any work before, you have a pension fund.

3. Circular ownership [ˈsɜːrkjʊlər ˈoʊnərʃɪp] - (n.) - A situation where two or more companies own shares in one another.

There is this thing called Circular ownership.

4. Trillion [ˈtrɪljən] - (n.) - The number 1,000,000,000,000; a million million.

At the time of recording, it has been said that BlackRock owns $9 trillion worth of Assets.

5. Autonomy [ɔːˈtɒnəmi] - (n.) - The right or state of self-governance.

We believe that prosperity is absolutely a human right.

6. Illusion of Choice [ɪˈluːʒən ʌv ʧɔɪs] - (phrase) - The perception that there are numerous different options when the reality is a lack of genuine alternatives.

You might think you have a choice with banking, but really it's an Illusion of choice.

7. Monopolies [məˈnɒpəliz] - (n.) - Predominance in an industry by a single entity.

Shadow monopolies on certain sectors of business without them having a direct Monopoly.

8. Decouple [dɪˈkʌpəl] - (v.) - To separate or disengage from a system or connection.

Meaning that if you're Singaporean, it's almost impossible for you to decouple yourself.

9. Investment Arm [ɪnˈvɛstmənt ɑːrm] - (n.) - A part or division of a larger company that is specifically focused on investments.

Meaning that if you're Singaporean, it's almost impossible for you to decouple yourself from links to Blackrock.

10. Infrastructure [ˈɪnfrəˌstrʌkʧər] - (n.) - The basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.

How much these countries and their citizens spend on infrastructure, trade, education...

Unveiling the Power Behind Blackrock's Global Influence

What if I told you that there was a company so powerful on the planet today that it affects almost every single aspect of our lives. A company that is so rich that they hold more Assets than the GDP of every single country in the world except for two. A company that is the single largest investor in the destruction of our planet's forests and the largest money contributor to the fossil fuels industry. And what if I also told you that it's very likely you are responsible for the funding of this company and allowing it to do what it does. And even if you tried your absolute hardest, it would almost be impossible for you to stop giving them money. The scary fact is that this company does exist and you have most likely never heard its name before. The company is Blackrock.

I'm splitting this video into two parts. The problem and the solution. This could be the most important video I've made on this channel because it gives you an insight into how the ownership of the planet works and who might be pulling the strings of almost everything in our entire lives. And that likely you are contributing to this whole mess by funding this whole entire show. There is so much to talk about in this video. So I'll just ask you to hit that like button and let's get into it.

Part one, the problem. Okay, so let's talk about Blackrock and some of the giant problems that are associated with this enormous company. First and foremost, BlackRock is the largest asset management firm on the planet. They hold stocks, ownership of companies, property and a ton of other stuff of course, with the main purpose of driving profit for themselves and their shareholders. And they own a part of almost everything. And when I say everything, I really mean everything. Let me explain how the names on the screen are the seven biggest banks in America. And in some way or another, if you are an american that gets loans, does your banking, has investments or has your pension fund, you are likely connected to one of these banks.

But who owns these banks? Well, in one way or another, Blackrock does. Blackrock is either the largest or one of the largest shareholders in all of these seven banks. All of them. So if you are part of the general american banking system, most likely you don't really have a choice whether or not to deal with Blackrock and you're putting your trust in them to hold some of your money. You might think you have a choice with banking, but really it's an Illusion of choice.

But if you don't live in America, don't think that you are safe because it's likely that you are within Blackrock's. Reach as well. For example, Blackrock owns shares in the four biggest australian banks, and it is the single largest Shareholder in all of these banks in Germany. They own part of Deutsche bank, the commers bank, as well as owning a big part of Germany's postal system. In the UK, they are the largest Shareholder in Lloyds bank. And throughout Europe there are almost no country that Blackrock doesn't own shares in at least one financial institution or bank. And even here in little old Iceland, from the digging we've done, it seems that every single bank in Iceland does some sort of business with Blackrock, or it invests its company's money into Blackrock's funds. So that is banking. But there are many other ways that your money finds its way to Blackrock as well.

Chances are, if you've ever done any work before, you have a pension fund. Pension funds could be called 401 superannuation or just a pension fund, depending where in the world you live. When you put your money into pension funds, your fund puts it into investment to help it grow for retirement. But it's probably likely you don't have a say where this money is actually going. But it doesn't really matter anyway because they're all basically investing with Blackrock. In the developed world, there is a very, very, very high chance that your money in your pension fund is being invested with Blackrock or in a fund connected to Blackrock in some way. So your money is finding its way there as well.

And what about insurance? Well, many of the largest insurance companies, such as AIG or Allianz, are either owned in part or invest with Blackrock's funds. And in America, more insurance companies hold their investments with BlackRock than with any other company. So it doesnt really matter where youre putting your money anyway, because in some way, shape or form, your money is finding its way to Blackrock. In places like America, it has been reported that Blackrock and pension funds are paying up to 50% higher than the asking price of single family homes in the attempt to buy as much of the real estate market as they can, and in turn massively driving up the prices of real estate and lowering the chances of the everyday person like you and I to buy those homes. Media outlets like Vox would like you to believe that the housing market problems and the reason that the average person can't buy a home is nothing to do with the fact that Wall street banks such as Goldman Sachs and Blackrock are flooding the market with money. But what they don't tell you in this article is that Vox is actually sponsored for a very long time by Wall street bank Goldman Sachs. And on top of that, Blackrock actually owns a part of Vox by owning shares in the parent company of Vox called Comcast.

So who can you trust? But it does get even crazier than this. To really show you Blackrock's reach, you don't just look directly at what they own, you also look what they own by association. Blackrock owns a stake in many investment firms and investment banks around the world. Let's take Goldman Sachs, for example, the one that I just mentioned. This investment bank has been at least partially considered to be responsible for the 2008 financial crisis. BlackRock is one of the largest shareholders in Goldman Sachs, meaning that they have very significant voting rights as to where Goldman Sachs invest its money. It means, by extension, that BlackRock also owns a lot more than what appears first on paper. And remember the example that I gave of Goldman Sachs sponsoring Vox? Well, considering that BlackRock owns a part of Goldman Sachs, they could also be considered as a sponsor of Vox.

Want to get even crazier? Okay, well, I thought you'd never ask. There is this thing called Circular ownership. Basically, it means when two companies own a part of one another. For example, let's take another of the world's largest investment banks, which is JPMorgan. JPMorgan is owned by shareholders and other large institutional investors. And yes, you guessed it, BlackRock owns a part of JPMorgan. But JPMorgan also owns a part of Blackrock. So they not only own a part of each other, but because they own a part of a company that owns a part of them, technically they kind of own themselves as well. Confused? Well, that might actually be the point. In a lot of cases, business structures like these are designed in order to make it a little bit more confusing as to who owns what.

The problem with Circular ownership is that it can cause huge conflicts of interest and allow companies to have shadow monopolies on certain sectors of business without them having a direct Monopoly. In fact, this type of business structure, Circular ownership, is actually illegal in parts of the world because of how this type of business ownership can be used or exploited.

But what about diversity and competition within business? Well, let's take Coca Cola, for example, arguably the largest drink manufacturer in the entire world. And yes, I know that, you know, I'm going to already say that BlackRock owns a huge portion of Coca Cola, but what about Coke's biggest competitor, Pepsico? They have been in drink wars for the years, constantly battling as to which one is better. So there wouldn't be a Conflict of interest, right? Oh, wait, no. Of course, BlackRock is one of the largest owners of PepsiCo as well.

But what about the news? I am sure that you think that there's a huge diversity in the media and the global landscape, but when you look at who owns the news, you might start to think about this a little bit differently. It doesn't really matter what side of the political spectrum that you fall on or what news source that you think is more truthful, because chances are Blackrock actually owns a portion of one of these news outlets. Fox News, the New York Times, CNN, the ABC, NBC, the New York Post, Sky News, the Sun, and on and on and on.

In one way or another, Blackrock owns a part of basically every media organization or major news outlet on the planet, from North America to Asia, Australia, and beyond. Social media as well. Twitter, Facebook, which means, by extension, WhatsApp and Instagram. Yep, Blackrock is one of the biggest owners of these platforms as well. In fact, it's estimated that in one way or another, Blackrock and vanguard, which is the second largest asset management in the world, owns part of more than 90% of the media that we consume on a daily basis.

So based on that, is it possible that BlackRock could have significant power in order to get any messages that they wanted to across the world? I'll let you decide that one for yourself. I think by now you're starting to get the picture. And when I said at the beginning of the video that there is a company that owns a huge chunk of the planet, I wasn't actually kidding. Whether it is through direct ownership or indirect ownership through companies that they own themselves, it seems that BlackRock has a finger in almost every single pie. And there doesn't seem to be an industry exempt from their management and their control.

And with so much ownership, BlackRock has a phenomenal amount of power. At the time of recording, it has been said that BlackRock owns $9 trillion worth of Assets. That is not 9 billion. That is not 9 million. That is 9 trillion. That is a very big number. And sometimes it's impossible to try to wrap your mind around that.

But to illustrate this point a little bit more, 9 trillion is more than the GDP of every single country on the planet except for two, United States and China. Think about that. Think about how much value a country like Germany or Japan or Russia or Canada or South Korea or Australia or the UK produces in a single year. How much these countries and their citizens spend on infrastructure, trade, education, their military, and the value of the goods and services they produced. In a year, Blackrock holds more in Assets than the GDP of every single one of these places.

And that is some serious power. And with great power comes great responsibility. So how responsible is blackrock? According to the data, Blackrock is the largest investor fossil fuels on the planet, as well as the main contributor to money flowing into the destruction of the planet's forest and ecosystems, including deforestation in the Amazon. There is so much more that I could talk about Blackrock. I could talk about how they have been accused of abuse of human rights towards the indigenous around the world. I could tell you that even if your bank or your pension fund doesn't directly fund Blackrock, they most likely still have access to your private information because of their own financial management system called Aladdin.

And I could tell you that Blackrock's main competitors, such as Vanguard and others, are also just as worrying towards the state of the world. Now, if any of this stuff scares you, it kind of should. Companies with this much power can single handedly sway the economic future of our world. But here is the worst part, is that it is your fault that these companies have this much power. It is all of our fault. It's our money flowing from our banks, our pension funds, our investments that are going directly to these companies. We might say that we don't want the Amazon to be destroyed, or that we don't want our planet to be degraded, but everything comes down to where the money is flowing. They couldn't do this. They couldn't do any of this without us. Because without us, they wouldn't have the financial strength to dip into almost every single industry in the entire world and dictate it according to exactly how they want it to be.

But there is something that we can do about this, and I'll share this in a moment in part two of the video called the solution.

There is a solution and thankfully it's a lot easier to handle than the problem itself. And the solution is just to follow the money. When you deposit your money into a bank or you put it into a pension fund, that pension fund or the bank uses that money in order to make investments. This is how a lot of these banks and institutions make a ton of their cash. The sad part is that most people have absolutely no idea how their money is actually being used within their banking or their pension funds, and they do not know what these institutions are supporting with their dollar.

So follow the money of what your bank, financial institution or insurance company is doing with the money, and if you don't like what they're doing, simply pull out that cash and invest it into a small credit union or a local banking alternative.

Also, it's not just focusing on where that money from your institutions is being invested, but who actually owns these institutions, such as the insurance companies or the banks or the pension funds. If you don't like where the money trail is leading to find a different bank to do business with, all of this information should be public. And if it is not, just get in touch with your bank and find out this information. When you hear a media outlet telling you something about the financial state of the world, just follow the money to see who is actually sponsoring this news article or this information. Because maybe there's someone behind there that has a specific interest in mind to make you believe a certain thing about the financial state of the world.

And follow the money when you're making any type of investments at all, stocks, property, whatever it might be, and find out what that money is actually supporting. Find out what kind of damage that money might be doing. Unfortunately, there will be cases where it will be impossible for you to stop the money flowing to Blackrock or similar companies. For example, the government of Singapore is one of the largest shareholders of BlackRock via their investment arm, Temasek holdings. Meaning that if you're singaporean, it's almost impossible for you to decouple yourself from links to Blackrock. Here in Iceland. I don't seem to have much of a choice as well, because the three, only three banks in this country all seem to have some sort of linkage to Blackrock.

The great news is though, that you don't have to these days. Stick to traditional banking systems. There are a ton of online banks, digital only banks that might be available in your own country. Again, you do have to do your research though, because there could be some online digital only banks that have some sort of linkages back to these enormous companies. And in some places like Australia, there might be some alternatives for you to do banking with, such as small credit unions or the bank of Australia that don't engage in any discussion. Destructive environmental practices. Follow the money and vote with your dollar. And I don't mean just how you spend your money on an everyday basis, but also where it is that you're putting your money into, what kind of foundations or funds you're putting your money into, which might be supporting these large behemoths that are controlling our world and destroying our planet.

None of us can really ever have zero negative impact on the planet and there will always be somebody at the top. But when you do follow the money and you choose not to stay ignorant as to where your money is flowing, you can actually make a significant change. Remember that we are the masses, and if all of us make a small effort, this tiny effort of just checking where the money is flowing, we can make huge differences on this world.

Economics, Finance, Global, Blackrock, Investment, Corporate Power