BlackRock Frontiers Investment Trust plc

About this investment trust

Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.

The Company’s investment objective is to achieve long term capital growth by investing in companies domiciled or listed in, or exercising the predominant part of their economic activity in, less developed countries. These countries (the “Frontiers Universe”) are any country which is neither part of the MSCI World Index of developed markets nor one of the eight largest countries by market capitalisation in the MSCI Emerging Markets Index as at 1 April 2018: being Brazil, China, India, Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, and Taiwan.

Why choose it?

Frontier markets are smaller countries at an early stage of economic and political development. These economies don’t simply follow global markets but are subject to their own internal dynamics. Their growth potential often depends largely on their domestic outlook, which means they can thrive independently of the wider global economy. This Trust targets smaller, under-researched markets such as Vietnam, Egypt, Romania, and Chile. For investors, this can be a source of diversifying long-term income and growth.

Capital growth values may fluctuate, and the level of income may vary from time and is not guaranteed.

Suited to…

Investors looking to target the world’s youngest economies, which present exciting opportunities but may be volatile. This Trust suits those with a high appetite for risk, able to invest for the medium to long term.

What are the risks?

• Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.
• Overseas investment will be affected by movements in currency exchange rates.
• Emerging market investments are usually associated with higher investment risk than developed market investments. Therefore the value of these investments may be unpredictable and subject to greater variation.
• Investment strategies, such as borrowing, used by the Trust can result in even larger losses suffered when the value of the underlying investments fall.
• Frontier markets are generally more sensitive to economic and political conditions than developed and emerging markets. Other factors include greater 'Liquidity Risk', restrictions on investment or transfer of assets and failed/delayed delivery of securities or payments to the Fund. There may be larger fluctuations to the value of your investment and increased risk of losing your capital.

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ESG Integration

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing is often conflated or used interchangeably with the term “sustainable investing”. BlackRock has identified sustainable investing as being the overall framework and ESG as a data toolkit for identifying and informing our solutions. BlackRock has defined ESG Integration as the practice of incorporating material ESG information and consideration of sustainability risks into investment decisions in order to enhance risk-adjusted returns. BlackRock recognises the relevance of material ESG information across all asset classes and styles of portfolio management. The Investment Manager may incorporate sustainability considerations in its investment processes across all investment platforms. ESG information and sustainability risks are included as a consideration in investment research, portfolio construction, portfolio review, and investment stewardship processes.

The Investment Manager considers ESG insights and data, including sustainability risks, within the total set of information in its research process and makes a determination as to the materiality of such information in its investment process. ESG insights are not the sole consideration when making investment decisions and the extent to which ESG insights are considered during investment decision making will also be determined by the ESG characteristics or objectives of the Company. The Investment Manager’s evaluation of ESG data may be subjective and could change over time in light of emerging sustainability risks or changing market conditions. This approach is consistent with the Investment Manager’s regulatory duty to manage the Company in accordance with their investment objectives and policies and in the best interests of the Company’s investors. The Investment Manager’s Risk and Quantitative Analysis group will review portfolios to ensure that sustainability risks are considered regularly alongside traditional financial risks, that investment decisions are taken in light of relevant sustainability risks and that decisions exposing portfolios to sustainability risks are deliberate, and the risks diversified and scaled according to the investment objectives of the Company.

BlackRock’s approach to ESG integration is to broaden the total amount of information the Investment Manager considers with the aim of improving investment analysis and understanding the likely impact of sustainability risks on the Company’s investments. The Investment Manager assesses a variety of economic and financial indicators, which may include ESG data and insights, to make investment decisions appropriate for the Company objectives. This can include relevant third-party insights or data, internal research or engagement commentary and input from BlackRock Investment Stewardship.

Sustainability risks are identified at various steps of the investment process, where relevant, from research, allocation, selection, portfolio construction decisions, or management engagement, and are considered relative to the Company’s risk and return objectives. Assessment of these risks is done relative to their materiality (i.e. likeliness of impacting returns of the investment) and in tandem with other risk assessments (e.g. liquidity, valuation, etc.).

ESG integration does not change the Company’s investment objective or constrain the Investment Manager’s investable universe, and does not mean that an ESG or impact focused investment strategy or exclusionary screens have been or will be adopted by the Company. Similarly, ESG integration does not determine the extent to which the Company may be impacted by sustainability risks.

Fund manager commentary

31 May 2024

Comments from the Portfolio Managers

Please note that the commentary below includes historic information in respect of the performance of portfolio investments, index performance data and the Company’s NAV and share performance.

The figures shown relate to past performance. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future results.

The Company’s NAV fell by 0.5 % in May, outperforming its benchmark the MSCI Emerging ex Selected Countries + Frontier Markets + Saudi Arabia Index (“Benchmark Index”) which returned -1.8%.¹

For reference, the MSCI Emerging Markets Index was up 0.6% while the MSCI Frontier Markets Index was up 3.8% over the same period. All performance figures are on a US Dollar basis with net income reinvested.¹

Emerging Markets posted flattish returns (+0.6%) in May, significantly underperforming Developed Markets (+4.5%). EMEA (-2.4%) underperformed against the broader index, with significant performance dispersion across markets. Egypt and Czech were the best performing EMEA markets in May up by 11.5% and 8.5%, respectively. Saudi Arabia (-7.4%) was the biggest laggard, mainly on oil price decline and news of government further selling down stake in Saudi Aramco. In Latin America, Argentina, Colombia and Peru all posted positive returns as rate cuts in Colombia and Peru were well received.

Several stock picks did well in May. The Polish supermarket chain Jeronimo Martins (+11.0%) was the best performing stock over the month, extending its strong run from April. Turkey exposure also added to performance through our holdings in gold mine operator Eldorado Gold (+13.3%) and Turkish commercial bank Türkiye İş Bankası (Isbank) (+12.5%). The former was supported by an increase in gold prices, as the commodity continues to rally despite a more hawkish Federal Reserve. Türkiye İş Bankası performed well on the back of investor confidence that Turkey will continue on its path of monetary orthodoxy. E-commerce company Kaspi (+9.0%) was another strong performer as it continues to find new pockets to expand its user base.

On the flipside, Bank of Georgia (-30.0%) was the worst performer. The stock detracted after the passing of the Georgian Foreign Agents bill, which requires media and non-governmental organisations with over 20% foreign funding to register as foreign agents, undergo strict audits or incur fines. We reduced our exposure to the name over the month and we are monitoring the situation closely. IT services company EPAM (-24.4%) was another detractor, as the weaker full year guidance continued to weigh on the stock. Indonesian retailer Mitra Adiperkasa (-19.3%) also detracted on concerns around earnings growth.

Over the course of May, we made some changes to the portfolio. We initiated a position in Isbank in Turkey as we believe the bank will benefit once disinflation starts coming through in the country. We exited Chilean lithium producer SQM given concerns of over-supply in the lithium market. We also reduced our exposure to the Philippines by exiting fast food restaurant chain Jollibee as we are cautious on their international growth ambitions.

As higher global rates continue to feed through into the real economy, we expect some moderation of demand in developed markets. We note slowing credit growth in particular in the US. In contrast, we continue to see improving activity levels in frontier and smaller emerging markets. With inflation falling across many countries within our universe, rate cuts have started to materialize in some areas of our universe. This is a good set up for domestically oriented economies to see a cyclical pick up. We remain positive on the outlook for small emerging and frontier markets versus developed markets, and we find significant value in currencies and equity markets across our investment opportunity set. Our investment universe, in absolute and relative terms, remains under-researched and we believe this should enable compelling alpha opportunities.

¹ MSCI as at 31 May 2024.

Unless otherwise stated all data is sourced from BlackRock as at 31 May 2024.

Risk: Reference to the names of each company in this communication is merely for explaining the investment strategy, and should not be construed as investment advice or investment recommendation of those companies

BlackRock Frontiers Investment Trust plc will not invest more than 10% of its gross assets in other closed-ended listed investment funds.

Portfolio manager biographies

Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. Investors may not get back the amount originally invested.

Sam Vecht, CFA, Managing Director, is Head of Emerging Europe, Frontiers and Alternative Strategies and a portfolio manager within BlackRock’s Fundamental Equity Group. Mr. Vecht is lead portfolio manager for the Emerging Markets Equity Strategies Fund and also co-manages the Latin America, Emerging Europe, Emerging Frontiers Hedge Fund, Frontiers, and Asia Pacific Absolute Return strategies. He is also a research pod leader of the EMEA & Frontiers pod.

Mr. Vecht's service with the firm dates back to 2000, including his years with Merrill Lynch Investment Managers (MLIM), which merged with BlackRock in 2006.

Mr. Vecht earned a BSc degree, with honours, in international relations and history from the London School of Economics.

Emily Fletcher, CFA, Managing Director, is a portfolio manager and a research analyst on the Global Emerging Markets Equities Team within BlackRock’s Fundamental Equity Group. She is responsible for co-managing the BlackRock Frontier Investment Trust, the Emerging Frontier hedge fund, Emerging Markets Sustainable Equity and the Emerging Market Equity Income strategies.

Mrs. Fletcher joined the Emerging Markets team in 2008 and since then has covered African, ASEAN, Frontier and Latam equities and is based in London.

Prior to moving to her current role in 2008, Ms. Fletcher was a member of the Multi-Asset Portfolio Strategies (MAPS) group and the UK Equity team. She joined BlackRock as an Analyst in 2006.

Mrs. Fletcher earned a BA degree and an MSc degree in experimental and theoretical physics, both from the University of Cambridge in 2005 and 2006, respectively.

Sudaif Niaz, Director, is a research analyst on the Global Emerging Markets Equities Team within the Fundamental Active Equity division of BlackRock's Active Equities Group. Sudaif covers Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Malaysia, and other emerging market equities based out of London. Sudaif has 14 years emerging markets investment experience.

He joined Blackrock in 2015 and previously worked in New York for Perella Weinberg and Caravel Management. Sudaif holds a BA in Economics from Northwestern University in Chicago and an MBA from INSEAD.

Board of directors

All the Directors are independent of the Investment Manager and are members of the Audit & Management Engagement Committee.

Katrina Hart (Chair with effect from 6 February 2024) (date of appointment 1 October 2019) currently a non-executive director of Keystone Positive Change Investment Trust plc, Montanaro Asset Management Ltd, JPMorgan UK Smaller Companies Investment Trust plc and of AEW UK REIT plc. She was formerly a non-executive director of Polar Capital Global Financials Trust Plc and Premier Miton Group plc. Mrs Hart spent her executive career in investment banking, advising, analysing and commentating on a broad range of businesses. Initially working in corporate finance at ING Barings and Hawkpoint Partners, she then moved into equities research at HSBC, covering the General Financials sector. Latterly, Mrs Hart headed up the Financials research teams at Bridgewell Group plc and Canaccord Genuity, specialising in wealth and asset managers.

Stephen White (Chairman of the Audit and Management Engagement Committee) (appointed 13 July 2016) qualified as a Chartered Accountant at PwC before starting a career in investment management. He has more than thirty five years' experience of managing investment portfolios, most notably twenty as Head of European Equities at F&C Asset Management and ten as Head of European and US equities at British Steel Pension Fund. Stephen is a Non-Executive Director of Henderson EuroTrust plc, JP Morgan European Smaller Companies Trust plc, Polar Capital Technology Trust plc, Henderson EuroTrust plc and Brown Advisory US Smaller Companies PLC. He was formerly a non-executive director of Aberdeen New India Investment Trust plc.

Hatem Dowidar (date of appointment 7 February 2024) is the Group CEO of e&. He joined the e& Group in September 2015 as Group Chief Operating Officer and was appointed as CEO, International in March 2016, before becoming Group CEO in 2020. He is currently a board member of Etihad Etisalat Company (Mobily), Maroc Telecom, e& Egypt, Careem Technologies, Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce & Industry and GSM Association. He is also a member of the United Nations International Governance Forum Leadership Panel.

Liz Airey (Senior Independent Director with effect from 6 February 2024) (date of appointment 10 December 2021) is currently Chairman of abrdn UK Smaller Companies Growth Trust plc, Chairman of Rolls-Royce UK Pension Fund Trustees Limited, a non-executive Director of Kirk Lovegrove & Company Limited and a member of the Investments Committee of the Royal Horticultural Society. Within the past five years, she has also been non-executive Chairman of Jupiter Fund Management plc, a non-executive Director of Tate & Lyle plc, a non-executive Director of Dunedin Enterprise Investment Trust plc and a member of the Investment Committee of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. In her executive career she was Finance Director of Monument Oil and Gas plc, a post she held from 1990 until the sale of the company to Lasmo plc in 1999.

Lucy Taylor-Smith (date of appointment 10 December 2021) was previously Global Head of Strategy with Standard Chartered Bank based in Singapore. Prior to this, she was Chief Strategy Officer and a member of the Executive Committee at Manulife Asia, and Chairman of Manulife Singapore, as well as Chief Strategy Officer and Board Director for Prudential Corporation Asia. She also spent 13 years with UBS advising companies on a wide range of strategic initiatives and corporate transactions encompassing mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt capital markets deals, culminating in her position as Executive Director of Corporate Broking.