Tamara Stats

BlackRock Australia has announced its intent to launch the iShares Bitcoin ETF (ASX: IBIT), reinforcing its commitment to providing Australian investors with greater choice and easier access to cryptocurrency exposure in the local market.

IBIT is expected to be quoted on the ASX in mid-November 2025.

With a management fee of 0.39%, the fund wraps the US-listed iShares Bitcoin Trust (NASDAQ: IBIT), offering local investors a simple, cost-effective, and regulated way to access bitcoin without the technical and operational complexities of holding the asset directly.

Tamara Stats, Director of Institutional Client Business, BlackRock Australasia, said, “The introduction of IBIT in Australia highlights BlackRock’s ongoing efforts to innovate and reflects the growing interest from institutional investors seeking efficient, convenient access to bitcoin as a potential diversifier within their multi-asset portfolios.”

Steve Ead, Head of Global Product Solutions, BlackRock Australasia, said, “IBIT offers Australian investors a familiar ETF wrapper to access bitcoin, drawing on BlackRock’s global scale and infrastructure. By making IBIT available on the ASX, we’re focused on broadening access and democratising investment opportunities for more Australians.”

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Tamara Haban-Beer Stats

BlackRock Australia has announced its intent to launch its first active ETF in Australia, the iShares U.S. Factor Rotation Active ETF (ASX: IACT),1 underscoring its commitment to broadening access to global active investment capabilities for Australian advisers and investors.

Competitively priced at 0.45%, IACT offers a lower-cost entry point to an actively managed US equities strategy, compared to other active offerings currently available in the market. IACT is expected to list on the ASX in mid-June.

IACT seeks to outperform the broad U.S. equity market by tactically allocating across six key economic drivers of returns, or factors: value, quality, momentum, size, growth, and minimum volatility, based on evolving market conditions. By taking a bottom-up, data-driven stock selection approach, the portfolio is actively managed to favour stocks that exhibit these return characteristics, with the goal of reducing short-term cyclical volatility and delivering outperformance relative to the broader market over time.

IACT builds on the success of its U.S. counterpart, DYNF, which is managed by BlackRock’s global Systematic Active Equity team – Philip Hodges, PhD, He Ren, and Raffaele Savi. DYNF has delivered a 10.8% return over the past year and a 19.4% annualised return over five years2, outperforming its benchmark3 and the active large blend category average. As of 27 May 2025, DYNF has US$17.4 billion4 in AUM.

Philip Hodges, PhD, Head of Investments for Enhanced Factors, BlackRock, said, “We’re excited to launch BlackRock’s first active ETF in the Australian market. Drawing on our 40 years of systematic investment experience, IACT showcases the power of combining deep research, real-time data, and machine learning with BlackRock’s active management expertise – now delivered in a convenient, cost-effective ETF wrapper. This gives investors an accessible way to navigate shifting market conditions while aiming to deliver consistent outperformance over time.”

Tamara Haban-Beer Stats, iShares ETF Specialist, BlackRock, said, “U.S. equities remain a core allocation for many Australian advisers and investors, underpinned by the strength of U.S. corporates and the momentum of structural themes like AI.

“IACT offers a differentiated source of return across market cycles for Australian investors seeking a long-term holding that provides access to an active US equity strategy – at a lower cost than other active equity options available in Australia.”

BlackRock Systematic’s global platform manages over US$300 billion5 across equities, fixed income, and alternatives, supported by a team of more than 220 portfolio managers, researchers, and technologists, and backed by over 40 years of systematic investing experience.

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The ESMP offers six risk profiles: Conservative, Moderate, Balanced, Growth, Aggressive, and All Growth. The suite is built and managed by BlackRock’s Multi-Asset Strategies and Solutions (MASS) team, which has a 32-year track record of managing multi-asset portfolios in Australia.^[2]

Over the past ten years, the ESMP has delivered strong performance, with cumulative returns outperforming the peer group median. An investor who invested $100,000 in the Enhanced Strategic Growth Model Portfolio at the start of 2015 would have seen their investment double, reaching approximately $200,000 by 2024.^[3]

Katie Petering, Head of Multi-Asset Investment Strategy, BlackRock Australasia, said, “We are excited to commemorate the 10^th anniversary of the BlackRock Enhanced Strategic Model Portfolios, which have driven innovation in the Australian managed accounts industry. These portfolios deliver a market-aware, diversified investment solution^[4] and support advisers in building better portfolios for their clients. Over time, our Australian managed accounts franchise has grown from a single model family to ten, reflecting advisers’ and investors’ evolving investment preferences and risk tolerance.

“BlackRock is pleased to deliver institutional-quality portfolios to Australian investors that best meet their investment goals. ESMP’s success can be attributed to the robustness of BlackRock’s MASS investment process, which included over 50 rebalances across different market cycles in the past ten years, and the monitoring of over 3,000 risk factors through Aladdin, BlackRock’s proprietary risk management platform.”^[5]

James Waterworth, Director of Wealth, BlackRock Australasia, said, “Managed accounts have become the key wealth offering that Australian advisers use to scale their practices in order to serve their clients. BlackRock is proud to reach the 10-year milestone of our Enhanced Strategic Model Portfolio suite, which is now available on ten platforms, enhancing accessibility for advisers. 

“Our managed accounts offerings now incorporate a range of investment styles, including active, index, and ESG models, to support advisers to deliver multi-asset investment solutions that align with their clients’ specific risk/return investment goals.”

This milestone follows the launch of BlackRock Active Multi-Asset Model Portfolios (“Active Model Portfolios”) in July 2024 in response to evolving the managed accounts industry for the benefit of Australian advisers and their clients.

Established in 1992^[6], BlackRock’s MASS team today has over A$67 billion in assets under management ^[7]across its diversified funds range, model portfolios, absolute return strategies, and custom mandates.

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Notes:
[1] BlackRock model portfolios themselves are not funds issued by BIMAL. They are offered through third party platform providers which are no affiliated with BIMAL. Any potential investor should consider the latest PDS issued by the third-party platform provider before deciding whether to acquire, or continue to hold, an investment
[2] History includes predecessor firms
[3] Source: BlackRock and Lonsec’s iRate portal, as of 31 December 2024. Peer Group Median is proxied by the FE UT PG Multi-Asset Growth Index. The model portfolios have an inception date of 30 January 2015. Simulated past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. The model performance shown is hypothetical and for illustrative purposes only. The performance may not represent the performance of an actual account or investment product and is not the result of any actual trading. Model performance is estimated and net of underlying fund fees, but gross of platform fees and does not include brokerage and commissions that may be incurred in the trading of financial products within the model portfolio. Actual investment outcomes may vary. Material differences may exist between models and peer groups being compared, such as, investment objectives, fees and expenses, types of investments made, countries or markets covered.
[4] Diversification and asset allocation may not fully protect you from market risk.
[5] While proprietary technology platforms may help manage risk, risk cannot be eliminated.
[6] History includes predecessor firms.
[7] Source: BlackRock as at 30 September 2024. All figures in AUD.

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Tamara Stats

BlackRock Australia has announced its intent to launch the iShares 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Bond ETF (AUD Hedged) (ASX: ULTB) with a management fee of 0.15%. This latest addition extends the local iShares fixed income range, offering Australian advisers and investors more precise fixed income investment options for their portfolio.

The iShares 20+ Year U.S. Treasury Bond ETF (AUD Hedged) (ASX: ULTB) aims to provide Australian advisers and investors with targeted exposure to long-end U.S. Treasury bonds. Australian investors may consider ULTB for portfolio diversification, as adding duration can provide defence against potential market volatility and during periods of slowing growth. Benchmarked to the ICE US Treasury 20+Year Bond AUD Hedged index, ULTB represents the longest duration exposure available within the locally listed iShares product range.

ULTB is expected to list on the ASX in early September.

James Waterworth, Director, Wealth Distribution, BlackRock Australasia said, “We have added ULTB to our local iShares product range, responding to Australian advisers and investor demand for more choice when it comes to precise fixed income exposures.

“Bond yields globally are at decade-highs, and if inflation indicators continue to fall, central banks may proceed to cut official cash rates. We believe investors have a window of opportunity to move out of cash and into fixed income exposures to lock in these higher yields, because the market has tended to price in changes to cash rates well before they occur.

“This could be achieved by long-end bond exposures like ULTB, which enable Australian investors to add duration in a simple and low-cost way. Alongside our Australian long duration government bond exposure ALTB, we now offer investors one of the broadest ranges of Australian-listed fixed income and cash ETFs available to build a well-diversified fixed income allocation in their portfolios.”

Tamara Stats, iShares and Index Investments Specialist, BlackRock Australasia said, “BlackRock is pleased to now offer access to long-end U.S. Treasury bond exposures, like ULTB, to Australian portfolio builders and investors, bringing one of its flagship exposures to the Australian market.

“U.S. Treasury bonds are considered one of the highest quality assets due to their low level of default risk, offering defensive benefits to the broader portfolio. The historic inverse relationship between stocks and bonds has been challenged in recent years. As inflation starts to return to target, we may see the historic correlation restored. Therefore, ULTB could be a very useful tool for portfolio diversification.

“Hedged to the Australian dollar, ULTB also offers Australian investors an additional layer of stability without having to weather the ups and downs of foreign exchange risk.”

ULTB is the latest addition to BlackRock’s iShares fixed income ETF offering, which represents one of the broadest ranges of fixed income and cash ETFs in Australia. The range provides investors with low-cost index solutions for income generation, capital preservation, or portfolio diversification.

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BlackRock has appointed Tomoko Ueda to the position of Chief Operating Officer for Asia Pacific, effective September 3.

This appointment expands the role played by Ms. Ueda, who oversees all business operations in the region and leads the Finance, Corporate Strategy & Development teams to drive growth and operational efficiency. She reports to Head of Asia Pacific Susan Chan and will relocate to Hong Kong from Tokyo.

Ms. Ueda joined BlackRock in 2022 as Asia Pacific Head of Corporate Strategy & Development to formulate the firm’s strategy and execute against strategic priorities, while pursuing partnership opportunities in Asia Pacific. Before joining the firm, she was responsible for Strategy and Finance at Nikko Asset Management in Japan. She has had multiple leadership roles serving clients in the investment banking operations of Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch in the UK and Japan.

Tomoko succeeds James Raby, who is relocating to New York to take on the role of Global Head of Compliance.

Susan Chan, BlackRock’s Head of Asia Pacific, said: “As we power into our next chapter of growth in Asia Pacific, I’m thrilled to appoint Tomoko as Chief Operating Officer. She has demonstrated exceptional leadership in driving BlackRock’s growth initiatives throughout the region to align with the structural changes taking place in the global economy. These market forces – be they digital disruption, demographic divergence, transition to a low-carbon economy or geopolitical fragmentation – are presenting us with opportunities to share our expertise and insights with clients and investors, as they rethink their portfolios to generate returns. We are uniquely positioned to accelerate our momentum in this part of the world, and I’m confident Tomoko will have tremendous positive impact on our long-term success.”

Ms. Chan added: “James has been a dedicated and passionate leader. Beyond the direct impact he’s had on our business, he has mentored many of our young and talented professionals. On behalf of everyone in the BlackRock Asia-Pacific team, I wish to thank James for his great partnership over the past three years and wish him every success in the new role.”

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The iShares 15+ Year Australian Government Bond ETF (ASX: ALTB) is designed to provide Australian investors with a targeted exposure to long-duration Australian Treasury and semi-government bonds.

Australian investors and advisers may consider ALTB for portfolio diversification, as long-duration bonds can typically serve as a hedge during equity market downturns. Benchmarked to the Bloomberg AusBond Govt 15+ Year Index, ALTB is the longest duration exposure available within the Australian iShares product range.

Chantal Giles, Head of Wealth, BlackRock Australasia said, “With the introduction of ALTB, BlackRock is expanding its local iShares product range to provide Australian advisers and investors with more precise fixed income exposures.

“We expect ALTB to be a complementary exposure for advisers and clients looking to access a high-quality diversification option that will add defensive benefits to their whole portfolios. The transparency, liquidity, and portfolio efficiency of the bond ETF structure also allows for precise allocation between Australian and global interest rate regimes.”

Tamara Stats, iShares and Index Investments Specialist, BlackRock Australasia said, “With interest rates expected to remain higher for longer in Australia, it is pertinent for multi-asset investors to consider adding more specific parts of the yield curve within their fixed income allocations. The addition of a long-duration exposure like ALTB can be particularly relevant for those positioning for lower term rates.

“ALTB offers exposure to a portfolio of long-duration AAA-rated bonds, which have a track record of performing well when there’s an anticipation of falling Australian interest rates. With a yield between 4.5-5% so far this year, the Bloomberg AusBond 15+ Year Index also offers a regular source of income for investors.”

ALTB is the latest addition to BlackRock’s iShares fixed income ETF stable, which boasts the broadest range of fixed income ETFs in Australia. The range provides investors with low-cost index solutions for income generation, capital preservation, or portfolio diversification.

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EMXC will be available on the ASX later this month.

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ex China ETF (ASX: EMXC) aims to offer Australian investors a higher allocation to the emerging markets universe outside of China, providing the opportunity for greater global diversification. EMXC also seeks to mitigate the high concentration of China within the composition of the MSCI Emerging Markets Index. This enables investors to maintain their exposure to emerging markets while having greater flexibility in their China allocation.

Chantal Giles, Head of Wealth, BlackRock Australasia said, “EMXC will offer Australian advisers and investors with a more granular building block that provides greater flexibility in managing allocations to China and other emerging markets.

“Historically, investors have often viewed emerging markets as a single asset class. However, this perspective has evolved. There is now growing interest in country-specific allocations, such as China or India, in addition to broad emerging market exposures. This shift enables investors to make more precise investment decisions, considering macroeconomic factors, risk management, and portfolio diversification.

“EMXC offers investors the opportunity to better reflect their individual preferences and convictions regarding China within their emerging markets allocation.”

Tamara Stats, iShares ETF and Index Investments Specialist, BlackRock Australasia said, “While investors often have specific investment views on China, there is a broad range of opportunities across Emerging Markets outside China that may warrant a separate allocation. As supply chains are globally rewired, countries such as India, Mexico, and Brazil are capitalising on reshoring or friendshoring, while South Korea has increased its market share in battery manufacturing. This represents a structural long-term change which has traditionally favoured China only, but now we see a broader base of EM countries benefiting from this shift.

“EMXC offers Australian advisers and investors the choice to capture this opportunity set, providing the potential for higher returns that are uncorrelated to developed markets and serving as a source of portfolio diversification.”

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Will Thomson

BlackRock has appointed Will Thomson as Managing Director, a Portfolio Manager in the Climate Infrastructure team in New Zealand, effective July 2024. This follows BlackRock’s announcement to launch a New Zealand-focused strategy, via its Climate Infrastructure franchise, last year.

Based in Auckland, Will will be responsible for sourcing climate infrastructure investment opportunities and managing the diligence, structuring, and closing of transactions in New Zealand.

With over 15 years’ experience in private capital investment, portfolio management and corporate finance, Will joins BlackRock from Jarden, where he was responsible for the origination, structuring, execution, and management of direct private capital investments in New Zealand. He also served as a board director and Jarden’s representative for its investee companies. Prior to this, Will held roles at Global Infrastructure Partners in Sydney and London and worked in the investment banking divisions of Credit Suisse and Jarden.

This senior appointment follows BlackRock’s decision to open an office in Auckland this year. BlackRock has been investing and managing the retirement savings of New Zealanders for over a decade, serving a broad set of clients including sovereign entities, KiwiSaver providers, wealth and asset managers, as well as institutional and broking firms.

Charlie Reid, Asia Pacific Co-Head of Climate Infrastructure, BlackRock, said, “We are pleased to welcome Will to BlackRock. Will brings valuable expertise and industry knowledge that aligns well with our global experience in developing and managing climate infrastructure assets. We look forward to collaborating with Will to invest on behalf of our clients in New Zealand companies that are at the forefront of enabling the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

Andrew Landman, Deputy Head of Asia Pacific, BlackRock, said, “BlackRock’s New Zealand-focused strategy aims to meet local client demand for direct investment opportunities within the New Zealand climate finance ecosystem. We are thrilled to have Will as a senior investor to spearhead our efforts alongside our established Climate Infrastructure team to contribute to the growth of the New Zealand economy while enhancing energy security and resilience for the local community.”

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Jason Collins

BlackRock has announced the appointment of Jason Collins as Head of Australia. Jason will continue to report to Andrew Landman, who was appointed Deputy Head of APAC, Head of Southeast Asia and Oceania, and Head of APAC Wealth at BlackRock in January this year.

As Head of Australia, Jason will have oversight of all commercial and operational aspects of the Australian business. He will continue to serve as an executive director on the board of BlackRock Australia and BlackRock New Zealand.

Jason was previously Deputy Head of BlackRock Australasia. He joined BlackRock in 2013 and has held multiple senior roles including as Head of iShares and Index Investments for Australia and New Zealand and Head of Client Business, Australasia. Prior to that, Jason held leadership roles in Australia and Asia including at BT Financial Group and Deutsche Bank.

Andrew Landman, Deputy Head of APAC, Head of Southeast Asia and Oceania, Head of APAC Wealth, BlackRock, said, “Following his highly successful contribution to the firm in his previous leadership roles, I am delighted to see Jason take on a broader remit to lead the Australian business.

“BlackRock’s strong local team has enabled us to deliver consistency of leadership for our clients throughout Australia and New Zealand which supports them in achieving positive investment outcomes for their respective member and client base over the long term.”

Commenting on his appointment, Mr Collins said, “I am excited to take on the role of leading a diverse and experienced Australian team and leveraging BlackRock’s global scale and expertise to the benefit of our partner firms and end investors.

“BlackRock seeks to make a meaningful impact in the markets we operate in, and we remain committed to furthering the development of the local industry in our role as a fiduciary to clients.”

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