BlackRock fined $2.5M by SEC for incorrect investment disclosure
The SEC’s charges for the world’s largest asset manager came on the same day as a DTCC listing of its spot Bitcoin ETF was spotted; however, a spokesperson from DTCC confirmed that the listing has been there since August. The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has fined investment adviser BlackRock Advisors $2.5 million, accusing it of failing to accurately describe investments in the entertainment industry that comprised a significant portion of a publicly traded fund it managed. According to the SEC’s filing, between 2015 and 2019, BlackRock Multi-Sector Income Trust (BIT) made sizeable investment s in a print and advertising business called Aviron Group that worked on one to two films annually through a loan facility. The SEC alleged that BlackRock incorrectly referred to Aviron as a company that provided “Diversified Financial Services” in a number of BIT’s annual and semi-annual reports that were made available to investors publicly. The SEC also alleged that BlackR...