US Asset Manager BlackRock has announced that its iShares business led the global industry by winning $130bn in new flows in 2015.
BlackRock set new growth records in the U.S. ($97 billion vs. $82 billion in 2014) and Europe ($34 billion vs. $20 billion in 2014), and won 42% of flows in both markets. The overall industry expanded at a record-breaking $347bn in 2015.
Susan Chan, Head of Asia Pacific iShares at BlackRock, said: «Across the Asia Pacific region, every type of institution increased usage of iShares – insurers, sovereign wealth funds, asset and wealth managers. Retail demand deepened in our fast- growing Australian business. Asia Pacific investors continued to turn to our two global product lines for liquidity and access to global markets. Asia Pacific investors purchased $12 billion in U.S.- and European-domiciled iShares in 2015.»
She added: «2015 is also the year our domestic Japanese iShares business came of age, with the onshore franchise clearing $2bn in assets for the first time, and our total Japanese franchise hitting $20bn.»
iShares global AUM exceeded $1.1 trillion as of December 31, 2015.
