Our history
Buoyed by a “never-finished” outlook, we’ve always focused on anticipating investor needs and innovating to stay ahead of new market realities.
iShares
by BlackRock
With a global lineup of 1,400+ Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), and 50+ locally, we are committed to unlocking opportunity across markets to match the ambition of our investors large and small.1
An industry leader
iShares has been a leader in the ETF marketplace for more than two decades, and as a part of BlackRock, our products are engineered by investment professionals with discipline and deep risk management expertise.
Increase20
years of experience
$164
million new ETF and index mutual fund assets2
$3.5
trillion global AUM3
iShares in Australia
iShares is committed to providing investors with the world's broadest range of ETFs and diverse global investment opportunities.
1973 - Our beginnings
Our predecessors at Wells Fargo pioneered the first index strategy. Their unit was later sold to Barclays which was then sold to BlackRock in 2009.4
1996 – 1st iShares ETF
Our first 17 ETFs launched in 1996, including the first international ETFs with exposure to Mexico, Canada, and Brazil, making us one of the earliest ETF innovators.5
2002 - A new way to trade bonds
We launched the first bond ETFs, modernising fixed income portfolios with low costs and deep liquidity.6
2005 – 1st iShares sustainable ETFs
We debuted sustainable ETFs, helping investors target Environmental, Social, and Governance-related priorities within their portfolios.7
2007 – 1st iShares ETF in Australia
We launched our first ETFs in Australia comprised of 19 U.S. cross-listed ETFs.
2010 – 1st Australian domiciled ETFs
We launched our first four locally domiciled Australian equity ETFs.
2017 – 1st sustainable fixed income ETFs
We launched the first sustainable fixed income ETFs, offering investors multiple approaches to fixed income investing.8
2019 - Launch of megatrend ETFs
We created thematic ETFs, offering investors access to companies focused on long-term innovation in industries including tech, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture.9
2022 – A provider with over 1,400 funds globally and over $3.3T AUM10
We began 2022 responsible for managing the assets of over 100 million people around the world, just 50 years after introducing our first index fund and 25 years after our first ETF client. By the end of 2022, another 5 million people chose to invest in our iShares ETFs.11
2024 – Largest fixed income ETF provider in Australia
We have more than 50 locally listed ETFs and are the largest fixed income ETF provider in the Australian market with 13 fixed income ETFs.12
