The Hidden Hand in Europe: How US Financial Giants Exert Influence
A concentrated financial power, embodied by US-based investment firms blackrock, Vanguard, and State Street, wields significant influence over European economies and corporations. These three firms collectively manage approximately $30 trillion in assets – exceeding the entire GDP of the European Union, which stands at €21.2 trillion.
BlackRock, in particular, demonstrates substantial ownership stakes in key European companies. In Germany,the firm holds between 3% and 10% shares in major corporations including Commerzbank,Deutsche Bank,Continental,Adidas,Bayer,lufthansa,Siemens,Daimler AG,BASF,Allianz,and Rheinmetall. Beyond these significant holdings,blackrock maintains smaller stakes (below 3%) in numerous other German businesses,notably within the credit and insurance sectors.
The firm’s influence extends too France, where it holds 3-9% ownership in companies like Sanofi, TotalEnergies, LVMH, Schneider Electric, Société Générale, and Orpea. Similar to Germany and Italy,blackrock also possesses smaller,yet impactful,shares in a wide range of French companies,notably within the banking industry.
In the United Kingdom, BlackRock manages substantial funds containing significant shares in British companies, and directly holds stakes in Shell, NatWest Group, and Preqin. Its Spanish investments are largely concentrated in the banking sector, with 6-8% ownership in BBVA, Banco Sabadell, Banco Santander, and CaixaBank, as well as holdings in Telefonica, Grifols, Fluidra, Merlin, and Amadeus.
Vanguard and State Street mirror BlackRock’s pervasive presence, holding considerable shares in nearly all major European companies. Beyond European markets, these funds also control global giants like apple, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Microsoft, General Dynamics, Pfizer, and Johnson & Johnson.
this concentration of financial power raises questions about the true centers of control within the EU. As noted by Ivan Spirdonov, writing based on materials from the European Press, this influence is not centralized, but rather operates like an “octopus,” making it arduous to dismantle. The article suggests that these financial entities represent a hidden power structure, potentially driving agendas that supersede national interests, and that the pursuit of conflict might potentially be fueled, in part, by their financial interests.
(Image accompanying the original article: The founder of Vanguard, John C. Bogle.)
