Bloomberg airs Schwarzman as Blackstone's AUM hits $1.37 trillion
Leaders with Francine Lacqua, back for a six-episode second season, hosts the Blackstone chief a day after the firm reported $228.9 billion of dry powder.
- Bloomberg's Leaders with Francine Lacqua began a six-episode second season on Oct. 8, with Blackstone's Stephen Schwarzman among the guests.
- Blackstone said total assets under management reached $1,368.3 billion on Sept. 30, up 10% from a year earlier.
- Blackstone pays a $1.12 quarterly dividend on Nov. 9 to holders of record on Nov. 2, the company said.
Bloomberg Media's Leaders with Francine Lacqua features Blackstone Chairman and CEO Stephen Schwarzman in its second season, with the episode listed on Bloomberg.com on Oct. 23, one day after Blackstone reported $1,368.3 billion in assets under management.
The episode puts the head of what Blackstone calls the world's largest alternative asset manager in front of a business audience as the firm names AI and energy infrastructure among its key investment themes.
Blackstone's assets climb 10% as dry powder reaches $228.9 billion
Blackstone's total assets under management reached $1,368.3 billion on Sept. 30, up 10% from a year earlier, according to its third-quarter SEC filing. That is $22.1 billion more than at June 30, our calculation.
Inflows were $63.3 billion in the quarter and $271.6 billion over 12 months, the filing shows. Dry powder, or capital available for future investments, stood at $228.9 billion, or 16.7% of assets, our calculation.
Infrastructure funds appreciated 6.4% in the quarter and 28.9% over 12 months, the highest of the strategies the firm reported. Opportunistic real estate funds declined 3.2% in the quarter.
By the numbers
| Metric | Value | As of | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total assets under management | $1,368.3 billion | Sept. 30, 2026 | Blackstone Q3 2026 filing |
| Inflows, quarter | $63.3 billion | Sept. 30, 2026 | Blackstone Q3 2026 filing |
| Dry powder | $228.9 billion | Sept. 30, 2026 | Blackstone Q3 2026 filing |
| Dry powder share of assets | 16.7% | Sept. 30, 2026 | Our calculation: 228.9 / 1,368.3 |
| Infrastructure appreciation, 12 months | 28.9% | Sept. 30, 2026 | Blackstone Q3 2026 filing |
| Quarterly dividend | $1.12 per share | Payable Nov. 9, 2026 | Blackstone Q3 2026 filing |
Leaders returns with six episodes and a long guest list
Bloomberg Media said the Emmy-nominated series premiered Oct. 8 on Bloomberg.com and reached Bloomberg Television on Oct. 12, according to its press release. The six-episode season rolls out biweekly on Thursdays.
The opening episode featured Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, director-general of the World Trade Organization. Other announced guests include Ruth Porat of Alphabet, Sunil Bharti Mittal of Bharti Enterprises, Kaja Kallas of the European Union and Jens Stoltenberg of Norway.
Bloomberg describes the Schwarzman episode, titled Blackstone's Early Bet on AI, as a conversation about how he spots investment opportunities and where the world will shift next.
A preview clip, Bloomberg said, covers a 2015 meeting with Alibaba founder Jack Ma that led Schwarzman to the AI revolution, by his own account.
"Blackstone delivered strong third-quarter results amid a volatile external environment," Stephen Schwarzman, chairman and CEO of Blackstone, said in the firm's Oct. 22 earnings release.
He added that Blackstone has established leading platforms for AI and energy infrastructure, which the release says give investors access to new opportunities.
How we got here
- Sept. 12, 2025: Leaders with Francine Lacqua premiered as a six-part Bloomberg Originals series.
- March 2026: Bloomberg launched the Leaders podcast, opening with Melinda French Gates.
- June 30, 2026: Blackstone's assets under management stood at $1,346.3 billion.
- Oct. 8, 2026: Season two premiered with Okonjo-Iweala.
- Oct. 22, 2026: Blackstone reported third-quarter results.
What to watch after the Schwarzman episode
Blackstone's $1.12 dividend per share has a record date of Nov. 2 and pays on Nov. 9, the company said. If the biweekly schedule holds, six episodes from Oct. 8 would end around Dec. 17, our calculation.
The press release gives no episode order, so it is unclear which announced guest appears next.
How we reported this: Bloomberg Media's press release supplied the series details and Blackstone's Oct. 22 SEC filing supplied the financial figures. Bloomberg blocks automated access to its video pages, so episode descriptions rely on Bloomberg's published page text and we did not review the episode. The $22.1 billion change is 1,368.3 minus 1,346.3 and the 16.7% share is 228.9 divided by 1,368.3, both our calculation.
Source: www.bloombergmedia.com