Blackstone Inc. (BX)

Item 2. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with Blackstone Inc.’s condensed consolidated financial statements and the related notes included within this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q.

In this report, references to “Blackstone,” the “Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” refer to Blackstone Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries.

Our Business

Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. We generate revenue from fees earned pursuant to contractual arrangements with funds, fund investors and fund portfolio companies (including management, transaction and monitoring fees), and from capital markets services. We also invest in the funds we manage and we are entitled to a pro-rata share of the income of the fund (a “pro-rata allocation”). In addition to a pro-rata allocation, and assuming certain investment returns are achieved, we are entitled to a disproportionate allocation of the income otherwise allocable to the limited partners, commonly referred to as carried interest (“Performance Allocations”). In certain investment fund structures, we receive a contractual incentive fee from the fund based on achieving certain investment returns (an “Incentive Fee,” and together with Performance Allocations, “Performance Revenues”). The composition of our revenues will vary based on market conditions and the cyclicality of the different business units we operate. Net investment gains and investment income generated by Blackstone Funds are driven by the performance of underlying investments in such funds as well as overall market conditions. Fair values are affected by changes in the fundamentals of our funds’ portfolio companies and other investments, the industries in which they operate, the overall economy and other market conditions.

Our business is organized into four segments:

Real Estate

Our Real Estate business is a global leader in real estate investing and operates as one globally integrated business with investments across the globe, including in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Our real estate investment teams seek to utilize our global expertise and presence to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for our investors.

Our Blackstone Real Estate Partners (“BREP”) business is geographically diversified and targets a broad range of opportunistic real estate and real estate-related investments. The BREP platform includes global funds as well as funds focused specifically on Europe or Asia investments. BREP seeks to invest thematically in high-quality, well-located assets where we see outsized growth potential driven by global economic and demographic trends. BREP has made significant investments in logistics, data centers, rental housing, hospitality, office and retail properties around the world, as well as in a variety of real estate operating companies.

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Our Core+ real estate strategy invests in substantially stabilized real estate globally, primarily through perpetual capital vehicles. The strategy includes our (a) Blackstone Property Partners (“BPP”) funds, which are focused on high-quality assets in the Americas, Europe and Asia, (b) a non-listed real estate investment trust (“REIT”), Blackstone Real Estate Income Trust, Inc. (“BREIT”) and Blackstone European Property Income Fund (“BEPIF”) vehicles, which provide income-focused individual investors access to institutional quality real estate primarily in the Americas and Europe, respectively, and (c) a NYSE-listed REIT focused on acquiring and owning data centers, Blackstone Digital Infrastructure Trust (“BXDC”).

Our Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies (“BREDS”) platform primarily targets real estate-related debt investment opportunities. BREDS invests in both public and private markets, primarily in the U.S. and Europe. BREDS’ scale and investment mandates enable it to provide a variety of lending options for our borrowers and investment options for our investors, including commercial real estate mortgage loans and liquid real estate-related debt securities. The BREDS platform includes high-yield real estate debt funds, liquid real estate debt funds, capital managed on behalf of our Credit & Insurance segment, and Blackstone Mortgage Trust, Inc. (“BXMT”), a NYSE-listed mortgage REIT.

Private Equity

Our Private Equity segment includes: (a) Private Equity Strategies (described below), (b) Infrastructure, which includes (1) our infrastructure-focused funds for institutional investors with a primary focus on the U.S. and Europe (Blackstone Infrastructure Partners or “BIP”) and (2) a private wealth-focused platform offering eligible individual investors access to our infrastructure capabilities (Blackstone Infrastructure Strategies or “BXINFRA”), (c) our secondaries business (“Secondaries”), which includes Strategic Partners Fund Solutions (“Strategic Partners”) and our GP Stakes business (“Blackstone GP Stakes” or “BXGP”), (d) our capital markets services business (Blackstone Capital Markets or “BXCM”) and (e) a private wealth-focused platform offering eligible individuals exposure to certain of Blackstone’s key illiquid investment strategies through a single commitment (Blackstone Total Alternatives Solution or “BTAS”).

Our Private Equity Strategies include: (a) our Corporate Private Equity business (described below), (b) our hybrid capital investment platform that invests flexibly across asset classes, industries and geographies (Blackstone Tactical Opportunities or “Tactical Opportunities”), (c) our life sciences investment platform (Blackstone Life Sciences or “BXLS”), (d) our growth equity investment platform (Blackstone Growth or “BXG”) and (e) a private wealth-focused platform offering eligible individual investors access to Blackstone’s private equity capabilities (Blackstone Private Equity Strategies Fund or “BXPE”).

Our Corporate Private Equity business consists of: (a) our global private equity funds (Blackstone Capital Partners or “BCP”), (b) our Asia-focused private equity funds (Blackstone Capital Partners Asia or “BCP Asia”), (c) our sector-focused funds, including our energy- and energy transition-focused funds (Blackstone Energy Transition Partners or “BETP”) and (d) our core private equity funds (Blackstone Core Equity Partners or “BCEP”).

We are a global leader in private equity investing. Our Corporate Private Equity business pursues transactions across industries on a global basis. It strives to create value by investing in great businesses where our capital, strategic insight, global relationships and operational support can drive transformation. Corporate Private Equity’s investment strategies and core themes continually evolve in anticipation of, or in response to, changes in the global economy, local markets, regulation, capital flows and geopolitical trends. We seek to construct a differentiated portfolio of investments with a well-defined, post-acquisition value creation strategy. Similarly, we seek investments that can generate strong unlevered returns regardless of entry or exit cycle timing. BCEP pursues control-oriented investments in high-quality companies with durable businesses and seeks to offer a lower level of risk and a longer hold period than traditional private equity.

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Tactical Opportunities pursues a thematically driven, hybrid capital investment strategy. Our flexible, global mandate enables us to find differentiated opportunities across asset classes, industries and geographies and invest behind them with the frequent use of structure to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns. Tactical Opportunities’ ability to dynamically shift focus to the most compelling opportunities in any market environment, combined with the business’ expertise in structuring complex transactions, enables Tactical Opportunities to invest in attractive market areas, often with securities that provide downside protection and maintain upside return.

BXLS invests across the life cycle of companies and products within the life sciences sector. BXLS primarily focuses on investments in life sciences products in late-stage clinical development within the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical technology sectors.

BXG seeks to deliver attractive risk-adjusted returns by investing in dynamic, growth-stage businesses, with a focus on the consumer, consumer technology, enterprise solutions, financial services and healthcare sectors.

BXPE invests primarily in privately negotiated, equity-oriented investments, leveraging Blackstone’s private equity talent and investment capabilities to create an attractive portfolio of alternative investments diversified across geographies and sectors.

BIP targets a diversified mix of core+, core and public-private partnership investments across all infrastructure sectors, including energy infrastructure, transportation, digital infrastructure and water and waste. BIP applies a disciplined, operationally intensive investment approach to investments, seeking to apply a long-term buy-and-hold strategy to large-scale infrastructure assets with a focus on delivering stable, long-term capital appreciation together with a predictable annual cash flow yield. BXINFRA invests primarily in infrastructure equity, secondaries and credit strategies, leveraging Blackstone’s infrastructure talent and investment capabilities to create an attractive portfolio of alternative infrastructure investments.

Strategic Partners is a total fund solutions provider. As a secondary investor, it acquires interests in high-quality private funds from original holders seeking liquidity. Strategic Partners focuses on a range of opportunities in underlying funds such as private equity, real estate, infrastructure, venture and growth capital, credit and other types of funds, as well as general partner-led transactions and primary investments and co-investments with financial sponsors. Strategic Partners also provides investment advisory services to separately managed account clients investing in primary and secondary investments in private funds and co-investments. Blackstone GP Stakes targets minority investments in the general partners of private equity and other private market alternative asset management firms globally, with a focus on delivering a combination of recurring annual cash flow yield and long-term capital appreciation.

Credit & Insurance

Our Credit & Insurance segment (“BXCI”) offers its clients and borrowers a comprehensive solution across corporate and asset based credit, including investment grade and non-investment grade debt. BXCI is one of the largest credit managers and CLO managers in the world. The investment portfolios BXCI’s credit platform manages or sub-advises consist primarily of loans and securities of non-investment and investment grade companies spread across the capital structure including senior debt, subordinated debt, preferred stock and common equity.

BXCI is organized into three overarching credit investing strategies: private corporate credit, liquid corporate credit and infrastructure and asset based credit. The private corporate credit strategies include mezzanine and direct lending funds, stressed/distressed strategies and SMAs. The direct lending funds include Blackstone Private Credit Fund (“BCRED”), Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (“BXSL”), both of which are business development companies (“BDCs”), as well as Blackstone European Private Credit Fund (“ECRED”).

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The liquid corporate credit strategies consist of CLOs, closed-ended funds, open-ended funds, systematic strategies and SMAs. The infrastructure and asset based credit strategies include private placement strategies, energy strategies (including our sustainable resources platform) and asset based finance strategies focused on privately originated, income-oriented credit assets secured by physical,

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Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

The following discussion and analysis should be read in conjunction with Blackstone Inc.’s consolidated financial statements and the related notes included within this Annual Report on
Form 10-K.

This section of this
Form 10-K
generally discusses 2025 and 2024 items and year to year comparisons between 2025 and 2024. For the discussion of 2024 compared to 2023, see “Part II. Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” of Blackstone’s Annual Report on Form
10-K
for the year ended December 31, 2024, which specific discussion is incorporated herein by reference.

Our Business

Blackstone is the world’s largest alternative asset manager. Our business is organized into four segments: Real Estate, Private Equity, Credit & Insurance and Multi-Asset Investing. For more information about our business segments, see “Part I. Item 1. Business — Business Segments.”

We generate revenue from fees earned pursuant to contractual arrangements with funds, fund investors and fund portfolio companies (including management, transaction and monitoring fees), and from capital markets services. We also invest in the funds we manage and we are entitled to a
pro-rata
share of the income of the fund (a
“pro-rata
allocation”). In addition to a
pro-rata
allocation, and assuming certain investment returns are achieved, we are entitled to a disproportionate allocation of the income otherwise allocable to the limited partners, commonly referred to as carried interest (“Performance Allocations”). In certain investment fund structures, we receive a contractual incentive fee from the fund based on achieving certain investment returns (an “Incentive Fee,” and together with Performance Allocations, “Performance Revenues”). The composition of our revenues will vary based on market conditions and the cyclicality of the different business units we operate. Net investment gains and investment income generated by Blackstone Funds are driven by the performance of underlying investments in such funds as well as overall market conditions. Fair values are affected by changes in the fundamentals of our funds’ portfolio companies and other investments, the industries in which they operate, the overall economy and other market conditions.

Business Environment

Blackstone’s businesses are materially affected by conditions in the financial markets and economic conditions in the U.S., Europe, Asia and, to a lesser extent, elsewhere in the world.

Most major equity markets appreciated in the fourth quarter of 2025, driven by positive economic data and accommodative central bank actions. The total return of the S&P 500 Index was 2.7% in the fourth quarter, led by the healthcare and telecommunications sectors, which gained 11.7% and 7.3%, respectively. The real estate and utilities sectors underperformed, declining 2.9% and 1.4%, respectively. Equity market volatility decreased, with the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) declining 8.2% at the end of the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter. In credit markets, the S&P Leveraged Loan Index generated a total return of 1.2% and the ICE Bank of America High Yield Bond Index returned 1.3%. At the beginning of 2026, however, concerns regarding impact of artificial intelligence-driven disruption weighed on equity capital markets. By
mid-February 2026,
the Dow Jones and S&P 500 Index had experienced declines for four out of five weeks, while the Nasdaq recorded its fifth straight negative week.

Capital markets activity levels in the U.S. expanded considerably in 2025, with U.S. initial public offering volumes and announced merger and acquisition volumes up approximately 73% and 60%, respectively, compared to 2024. In particular, the fourth quarter saw a

two-and-a-half

year-over-year increase in merger and acquisition and initial public offerings activity. High-yield spreads tightened by 21 basis points in 2025, while issuance increased 16.8% year-over-year.

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While the U.S. economy exhibited steady growth through most of 2025, the Bureau of Economic Analysis’ advance estimate of U.S. real GDP annualized growth was 1.4% in the fourth quarter. This was well below estimates, and the Bureau estimated, among other factors, that the U.S. government shutdown subtracted about 1.0% from such expected GDP growth. The labor market remained largely in balance, with an unemployment rate of 4.4% at year end, up moderately from 4.1% at year-end 2024. Inflation decreased over the course of 2025, with headline CPI of 2.7% in December 2025 compared to 3.0% in January 2025. The Federal Reserve decreased the federal funds target range three times in 2025 to
3.50-3.75%
by year end and held rates steady in January 2026, based on its view that inflation has remained above the target rate of 2%.

Outside of the U.S., most major central banks reduced interest rates in 2025 as inflation around the world continued to show signs of moderation. Inflation in the U.K. increased slightly to 3.4% in December 2025 compared to 3.0% in January 2025, but remained well below prior year peaks, and The Bank of England lowered its rate by 100 points over four reductions in 2025, ending the year at 3.75%. The European Central Bank lowered its deposit facility by 100 basis points during the year, with inflation in the Eurozone falling to 1.9% in December 2025 compared to 2.5% in January 2025. In China, the People’s Bank also lowered the required reserve ratio by 50 basis points in 2025 to 9%, continuing a rate-cutting cycle that began in 2021. By contrast, the Bank of Japan further increased its policy rate twice in 2025 to 0.75% by year end, the highest level since 1995.

An overall resilient economic backdrop, alongside moderating interest rates in several major economies, supported a gradual improvement in capital markets and transaction activity in the latter part of 2025. Uncertainty regarding the trajectory of inflation and interest rates in the U.S., continued geopolitical turbulence and concerns regarding the potential impact of artificial intelligence-related disruptions across a number of industries, however, have more recently adversely impacted investor sentiment and the market environment.

For additional information on the potential impact on each of our business segments of the conditions described above see “—Segment Analysis.”

Notable Transactions

On October 16, 2025, Blackstone entered into an amended and restated $4.325 billion revolving credit facility (the “Revolving Credit Facility”). The Revolving Credit Facility amends and restates Blackstone’s existing revolving credit facility to, among other things, extend the maturity date from December 15, 2028 to October 16, 2030 and increase the aggregate required minimum amount of fee generating assets under management. For additional information see Note 12. “Borrowings” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” in “—Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data.”

On November 3, 2025, Blackstone, through its subsidiary Blackstone Reg Finance Co. L.L.C., issued $600 million aggregate principal amount of 4.300% senior notes due November 3, 2030 (the “Registered 2030 Notes”), and $600 million aggregate principal amount of 4.950% senior notes due February 15, 2036 (the “Registered 2036 Notes”) and, together with the Registered 2030 Notes, (the “Registered Notes”), pursuant to a Registration Statement on Form
S-3.
Blackstone intends to use the net proceeds from the sale of the Registered Notes for general corporate purposes. For additional information, see Note 12. “Borrowings” in the “Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements” in “—Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” and “—Liquidity and Capital Resources — Sources and Uses of Liquidity.”

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Organizational Structure

The simplified diagram below depicts our current organizational structure. The diagram does not depict all of our subsidiaries, including intermediate holding companies through which certain of the subsidiaries depicted are held.

Key Financial Measures and Indicators

We manage our business using certain financial measures and key operating metrics since we believe these metrics measure the productivity of our investment activities. We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“GAAP”). See “—Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data — Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements — Note 2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies” and “—Critical Accounting Policies.” Our key
non-GAAP
financial measures and operating indicators and metrics are discussed below.

Distributable Earnings

Distributable Earnings is derived from Blackstone’s segment reported results. Distributable Earnings is used to assess performance and amounts available for dividends to Blackstone stockholders, including Blackstone personnel and others who are limited partners of the Blackstone Holdings Partnerships. Distributable Earnings is the sum of Segment Distributable Earnings plus Net Interest and Dividend Income (Loss) less Taxes and Related Payables. Distributable Earnings excludes unrealized activity and is derived from and reconciled to, but not equivalent to, its most directly comparable GAAP measure of Income (Loss) Before Provision (Benefit) for Taxes. See
“—Non-GAAP
Financial Measures” for our reconciliation of Distributable Earnings.

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Net Interest and Dividend Income (Loss) is presented on a segment basis and is equal to Interest and Dividend Revenue less Interest Expense, adjusted for the impact of consolidation of Blackstone Funds, and interest expense associated with the Tax Receivable Agreement.

Taxes and Related Payables represent the total GAAP tax provision adjusted to include only the current tax provision (benefit) calculated on Income (Loss) Before Provision (Benefit) for Taxes and including the payable under the Tax Receivable Agreement. Further, the current tax provision utilized when calculating Taxes and Related Payables and Distributable Earnings reflects the benefit of deductions available to the company on certain expense items that are excluded from the underlying calculation of Segment Distributable Earnings and Total Segment Distributable Earnings, such as equity-based compensation charges and certain Transaction-Related and
Non-Recurring
Items where there is a current tax provision or benefit. The economic assumptions and methodologies that impact the implied income tax provision are the same as those methodologies and assumptions used in calculating the current income tax provision for Blackstone’s Consolidated Statements of Operations under GAAP, excluding the impact of divestitures and accrued tax contingency-related liabilities or refunds which are reflected when paid or received. The Payable under the Tax Receivable Agreement reflects the expected amount of tax savings generated in the period that parties to the Tax Receivable Agreement are entitled to receive in future periods. Management believes that including the amount payable under the Tax Receivable Agreement and utilizing the current income tax provision adjusted as described above when calculating Distributable Earnings is meaningful as it increases comparability between periods and more accurately reflects earnings that are available for distribution to stockholders.

Segment Distributable Earnings

Segment Distributable Earnings is Blackstone’s segment profitability measure used to make operating decisions and assess performance across Blackstone’s four segments. Blackstone believes it is useful to stockholders to review the measure that management uses in assessing segment performance. Segment Distributable Earnings represents the net realized earnings of Blackstone’s segments an

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