BlackRock is rebranding all of its ETFs as iShares in a move to simplify its product offering and capitalise on the success of the brand.
An SEC filing shows the change will come into effect on 10 October, affecting 22 ETFs.
“As ETFs have become ubiquitous, BlackRock’s ETF platform has evolved to provide clients access to an ever-expanding choice of investments across index and active strategies,” the firm said in a statement. “To help clients better navigate BlackRock’s product offerings, we will be branding all our ETFs as iShares.”
iShares is a collection of ETFs managed by BlackRock. It was launched by Barclays in 2000, then acquired by BlackRock in 2009 as part of its purchase of Barclays Global Investors.
At this time the ETF market was much smaller, but has shown huge growth in recent years. In 2012, ETF assets stood at $1.7 trillion, and have increased nearly 400% since then to $8.3 trillion.
The iShares brand currently has $3.3 trillion in global AUM and has around 45% market share in European ETFs, significantly ahead of its nearest competitor Amundi.
In recent years BlackRock has undertaken significant marketing around iShares, including the “expect more with iShares” campaign, which aimed to tap into the brand’s market dominance while positioning it as a champion of investor progress and a market leader that raises industry standards.
