Profile: BlackRock Inc (BLK.N)

BlackRock, Inc. (BlackRock), incorporated on February 13, 2006, is an investment management firm. The Company provides a range of investment and risks management services. The Company's clients include retail, high net worth (HNW) and institutional investors, consists of pension funds, official institutions, endowments, insurance companies, corporations, financial institutions, central banks and sovereign wealth funds. The Company's platform enables the Company to offer active (alpha) investments with index (beta) products and risk management to develop tailored solutions for clients. Its product range includes single- and multi-asset class portfolios investing in equities, fixed income, alternatives and/or money market instruments. In March 2012, it acquired Claymore Investments, Inc. from Guggenheim Partners, LLC. On February 14, 2013, BlackRock Inc sold its entire interest in Avocet Mining plc.

The Company offers its products directly and through intermediaries in a range of vehicles, including open-end and closed-end mutual funds, iShares exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and other exchange-traded products, collective investment funds and separate accounts. The Company also offers its BlackRock Solutions (BRS) investment systems, risk management and advisory services primarily to institutional investors.

Multi-Asset Class

BlackRock’s multi-asset class team manages a range of bespoke mandates for a diversified client base that leverages its investment expertise in global equities, currencies, bonds and commodities, and its extensive risk management capabilities. The Company’s s multi-asset strategies include Asset allocation and balanced products, Target date and target risk products and Fiduciary management services.

iShares

The Company’s product range offers investors a precise, transparent way to tap market returns and gain access to a full range of asset classes and global markets that have been difficult or expensive for many investors to access until now, as well as the liquidity required to make adjustments to their exposures quickly and cost-efficiently. iShares offers the diverse product set in the industry with 621 ETPs as of December 31, 2012 and serves the client base, covering 27 countries on five continents, including North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Clients

The Company serves a diverse mix of institutional and retail investors worldwide. Clients include tax-exempt institutions, such as defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans, charities, foundations and endowments; official institutions, such as central banks, sovereign wealth funds, supranationals and other government entities; taxable institutions, including insurance companies, financial institutions, corporations and third-party fund sponsors; and retail and HNW investors. The Company also serve both institutional and retail and HNW investors who acquire iShares on exchanges worldwide.

Securities Lending

Securities lending, which is offered as a potential source of incremental returns on long-term portfolios, is managed by a dedicated team, supported by quantitative analysis, technology and disciplined risk management. The cash management team invests the cash it receives as collateral for securities on loan in other portfolios. Fees for securities lending can be structured as a share of earnings and/or as a management fee based on a percentage of the value of the cash collateral.

Risk & Quantitative Analysis

Across all asset classes, in addition to the efforts of the portfolio management teams, the Risk & Quantitative Analysis (RQA) group at BlackRock draws on extensive analytical systems and third-party data to identify, measure and manage a range of risks. RQA provides risk management advice and independent risk oversight of the investment management processes, identifies and helps manage counterparty and operational risks, coordinates standards for firm investment performance measurement and determines risk management-related analytical and information requirements.