Financial Intermediaries
On this website, Financial Intermediaries are investors that qualify as both a Professional Client and a Qualified Investor.
In summary, a person who can both be classified as a professional client under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive II (2014/65/EU, “MiFID”) and a qualified investor in accordance with the Prospectus Regulation ((EU) 2017/1129) will generally need to meet one or more of the following requirements:
(1) An entity required to be authorised or regulated to operate in the financial markets. The following list includes all authorised entities carrying out the characteristic activities of the entities mentioned, whether authorised by an EEA State or a third country and whether or not authorised by reference to a directive:
(a) a credit institution;
(b) an investment firm;
(c) any other authorised or regulated financial institution;
(d) an insurance company;
(e) a collective investment scheme or the management company of such a scheme;
(f) a pension fund or the management company of a pension fund;
(g) a commodity or commodity derivatives dealer;
(h) a local;
(i) any other institutional investor;
(2) a large undertaking that meets two of the following size requirements on a company basis: (i) a balance sheet total of EUR 20,000,000; (ii) an annual net turnover of EUR 40,000,000; (iii) own funds of EUR 2,000,000;
(3) a national or regional government, a public body that manages public debt, a central bank, an international or supranational institution (such as the World Bank, the IMF, the ECB, the EIB) or another similar international organization;
(4) a natural person resident in an EEA State that permits the authorisation of natural persons as qualified investors, who expressly asks to be treated as a professional client and a qualified investor and who meets at least two of the following criteria: (i) he/she has carried out transactions on securities markets at an average frequency of, at least, 10 per quarter over the previous four quarters before the application, (ii) the size of his/her financial instrument portfolio, defined as including cash deposits and financial instruments exceeds EUR 500.000, (iii) he/she works or has worked for at least one year in the financial sector in a professional position which requires knowledge of securities investment.
Please note that the above summary is provided for information purposes only. If you are uncertain as to whether you can both be classified as a professional client under the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive and classed as a qualified investor under the Prospectus Directive then you should seek independent advice.
Terms and conditions
Please read this page before proceeding, as it explains certain restrictions imposed by law on the distribution of this information and the countries in which our funds are authorised for sale. It is your responsibility to be aware of and to observe all applicable laws and regulations of any relevant jurisdiction.
Please note that you are required to read and accept the terms of our Privacy Policy before you are able to access our websites.
Once you have confirmed that you agree to the legal information in this document, and the Privacy Policy – by indicating your consent above – we will place a cookie on your computer to recognise you and prevent this page reappearing should you access this site, or other BlackRock sites, on future occasions. The cookie will expire after six months, or sooner should there be a material change to this important information.
By confirming that you have read this important information, you also:
(i) Agree that such information will apply to any subsequent access to the Individual investors (or Institutions / Intermediaries) section of this website by you, and that all such subsequent access will be subject to the disclaimers, risk warnings and other information set out herein; and
(ii) Warrant that no other person will access the Individual investors section of this website from the same computer and logon as you are currently using.
The offshore funds described in the following pages are administered and managed by companies within the BlackRock Group and can be marketed in certain jurisdictions only. It is your responsibility to be aware of the applicable laws and regulations of your country of residence. Further information is available in the Prospectus or other constitutional document for each fund.
This does not constitute an offer or solicitation to sell shares in any of the funds referred to on this site, by anyone in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or distribution would be unlawful or in which the person making such offer or solicitation is not qualified to do so or to anyone to whom it is unlawful to make such offer or solicitation.
Specifically, the funds described are not available for distribution to or investment by US investors. The units/shares will not be registered under the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") and, except in a transaction which does not violate the Securities Act or any other applicable US securities laws (including without limitation any applicable law of any of the States of the USA) may not be directly or indirectly offered or sold in the USA or any of its territories or possessions or areas subject to its jurisdiction or to or for the benefit of a US Person.
The funds described have not been, nor will they be, qualified for distribution to the public in Canada as no prospectus for these funds has been filed with any securities commission or regulatory authority in Canada or any province or territory thereof. This website is not, and under no circumstances is to be construed, as an advertisement or any other step in furtherance of a public offering of shares in Canada. No person resident in Canada for the purposes of the Income Tax Act (Canada) may purchase or accept a transfer of shares in the funds described unless he or she is eligible to do so under applicable Canadian or provincial laws.
Applications to invest in any fund referred to on this site, must only be made on the basis of the offer document relating to the specific investment (e.g. prospectus, simplified prospectus, key investor information document or other applicable terms and conditions).
As a result of money laundering regulations, additional documentation for identification purposes may be required when you make your investment. Details are contained in the relevant Prospectus or other constitutional document.
If you are unsure about the meaning of any information provided please consult your financial or other professional adviser.
The information contained on this site is subject to copyright with all rights reserved. It must not be reproduced, copied or redistributed in whole or in part.
The information contained on this site is published in good faith but no representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by BlackRock (Netherlands) B.V. (“BNBV”) or by any person as to its accuracy or completeness and it should not be relied on as such. BNBV shall have no liability for any loss or damage arising out of the use or reliance on the information provided including without limitation, any loss of profit or any other damage, direct or consequential. No information on this site constitutes investment, tax, legal or any other advice.
Where a claim is brought against BlackRock by a third party in relation to your use of this website, you hereby agree to fully reimburse BlackRock for all losses, costs, actions, proceedings, claims, damages, expenses (including reasonable legal costs and expenses), or liabilities, whatsoever suffered or incurred directly by BlackRock as a consequence of improper use of this website. Neither party should be liable to the other for any loss or damage which may be suffered by the other party due to any cause beyond the first party's reasonable control including without limitation any power failure.
You acknowledge and agree that it is your responsibility to keep secure and confidential any passwords that we issue to you and your authorised employees and not to let such password(s) become public knowledge. If any password(s) become known by someone other than you and your authorised employees, you must change those particular password(s) immediately using the function available for this purpose on the Website.
You may leave the BNBV website when you access certain links on this website. In so doing, you may be proceeding to the site of an organisation that is not regulated. BNBV has not examined any of these websites and does not assume any responsibility for the contents of such websites nor the services, products or items offered through such websites.
BNBV shall have no liability for any data transmission errors such as data loss or damage or alteration of any kind, including, but not limited to, any direct, indirect or consequential damage, arising out of the use of the services provided herein.
Risk Warnings
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.
Past performance is not a reliable indicator of current or future results and should not be the sole factor of consideration when selecting a product or strategy.
Changes in the rates of exchange between currencies may cause the value of investments to diminish or increase. Fluctuation may be particularly marked in the case of a higher volatility fund and the value of an investment may fall suddenly and substantially. Levels and basis of taxation may change from time to time.
BlackRock has not considered the suitability of this investment against your individual needs and risk tolerance. The data displayed provides summary information. Investment should be made on the basis of the relevant Prospectus which is available from the manager.
For your protection, telephone calls and/or other electronic communications which result in, or are intended to result in, transactions will be recorded or saved.
Investors should read the offering documents for further details including the risk factors before making an investment.
Please note that while some of the BlackRock funds are "ring-fenced", others form part of a single company and are not. For BlackRock funds that do not have segregated liability status, in the event of a single BlackRock fund being unable to meet liabilities attributable to that BlackRock fund out of the assets attributable to it, the excess may be met out of the assets attributable to the other BlackRock funds within the same company. We refer you to the prospectus or other relevant terms and conditions of each BlackRock fund for further information in this regard.
The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of BlackRock as a whole or any part thereof, nor do they constitute investment or any other advice.
Any research found on these pages has been procured and may have been acted on by BlackRock for its own purposes.
This site is operated and issued by BNBV which is authorised and regulated by the Autoriteit Financiële Markten («AFM»). You can gain access to the AFM website from the following link: www.afm.nl. BlackRock (Netherlands) B.V. is a company registered in the Netherlands, No. 17068311. Registered Office: Amstelplein 1, 1096 HA, Amsterdam. BlackRock is a trading name of BlackRock (Netherlands) B.V. VAT No 007883250. General enquiries about this website should be sent to EMEAwebmaster@blackrock.com. This email address should not be used for any enquiries relating to investments.
© 2021 BlackRock, Inc. All Rights reserved. BLACKROCK, BLACKROCK SOLUTIONS, iSHARES, BUILD ON BLACKROCK and SO WHAT DO I DO WITH MY MONEY are trademarks of BlackRock, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and elsewhere. All other trademarks are those of their respective owners.
Through BlackRock Portfolio Analysis and Solutions’ (BPAS)1 interactions with clients, successful investors stand out because of their:
In line with this, we have seen an ongoing shift to index strategies amongst investors2, with both distributors and end investors changing their perception of the role and value of index vehicles.
Capital at risk. The value of investments and the income from them can fall as well as rise and are not guaranteed. You may not get back the amount originally invested.
At BlackRock we believe that actively evaluating your portfolio may lead to a greater role for ETFs and index funds. Download our guide to see examples of how indexing could help you build more efficient portfolios.
Constructing portfolios takes time. As the number of products increases, so does the effort required to scout the market and select the best ones.
Indexing can help to reduce the governance burden required to continually search and reassess managers; allowing you more time to focus on finding true alpha in select areas of the portfolio.
One of the keys to successful portfolio construction is understanding the risks of your investment, given that unlike returns, these can be more easily predicted and controlled.
Indexing gives you more control of your portfolio risk, reducing the potential for misalignment between the target portfolio (the strategic asset allocation or Chief Investment Officer (CIO) view) and the real, implemented portfolio.
Risk: While the investment approach described herein seeks to control risk, risk cannot be eliminated.
Increased cost transparency coupled with an improved understanding of portfolio return drivers has made indexing tools the more obvious choice for many investors.
Indexing is not only about lowering overall portfolio costs, but about finding potentially more efficient ways you can achieve similar outcomes.
BlackRock Portfolio Analysis and Solutions (BPAS) are a team of highly qualified investment consultants which seeks to provide industry leading tools, analysis and insights to empower our clients to make better investment decisions and gain new perspectives on portfolio construction.
Please note you will only be contacted subject to meeting certain BPAS criteria.
3Source: 2019 Greenwich Associates Institutional ETF Study, February 2019. Based on 127 responses.
MKTGQR0719E-898072
It takes time, skill and effort to determine which managers deliver true alpha, and to continually monitor and review their performance.
As the number of products available to investors increase, the cost compounds. There are currently 136,752 different funds within Europe1, a growth of 43% from 2009. There is also a large dispersion of assets under management (AUM), which suggests there is no single consistently performing manager.
Index for alpha
In reality, there is no ‘right’ choice, at least not in the long term. Based on an extensive study of 4,500 alpha managers across 21 asset classes between 1997 and 20172, BlackRock Investment Institute (BII) looked at performance persistency of alpha managers within the top quartile over 5 year periods. A meaningful persistency probability would be above 25%. Interestingly, this is only the case for a few asset classes based on the set of confidence bands. The probability highlighted that the selection of a ‘good’ manager could not be set apart from a random probability.
Research from SPIVA3 showed that few firms remain at the top over the long run. Over 5 years, only 27% US equity managers within the top quartile in 2013 remained in the top quartile in 2018. For high yield funds the figure was 28%.
In other words, to build portfolios with consistently top performing managers involves high turnover. This constant search, selection, performance assessment and reselection is a considerable governance cost that should be taken into consideration.
Investors who do not have the capacity to research and regularly monitor their alpha seeking managers may be better to consolidate the number of alpha seeking managers in their portfolio and consider greater index selection. These choices will help to make portfolio monitoring more efficient and minimise implementation, transaction and increasing governance costs.
1 Source: Morningstar, as at March 2019. The number includes share classes.
2 Source: BlackRock Investment Institute, “Blending alpha-seeking, actor and indexing strategies: a new framework”, July 2018
3 Source: S&P Persistence Scorecard, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, CRSP as at September 2018. High yield surveyed 144 different managers; whilst US equity managers surveyed 1988 managers.
One of the keys to successful portfolio construction is understanding the risks of your investment, because these can be more easily predicted and controlled. This goes beyond looking at product in a siloed approach but understanding the risk in the whole portfolio.
Often, portfolio construction practices separate asset allocation decisions from product choices. This assumes that by fitting products into an asset allocation, the risk of the portfolio will be controlled. In reality, two of the exact same asset allocations can have different risk profiles. For example, a 60/40 stock and bond portfolio4 based on index asset allocation, this would have 5 year annualised risk 7.2% in usd terms, while product implementation could cause this risk to vary from 3.5% to 11.5%5 (depending on the manager).
The blackrock portfolio analysis and solutions (bpas) team leverage the power of blackrock’s risk management platform, Aladdin to help clients understand the risk factor exposures within their portfolios. Through these interactions, we identify that often there is misalignment between risks, the bets that clients have stated they want to take and those they are actually taking. This can be because:
Index for control
When it comes to implementing a strategic asset allocation view on a specific market or asset class, indexing can help to control risk and reduce the misalignment between the target portfolio and the implemented portfolio. It allows investors to free up risk budget to express potentially riskier tactical views and to efficiently balance risk with the potential reward.
4 Source: 60/40 Portfolio based on 60% MSCI World Index and 40% Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index. Source: BlackRock, Morningstar from April 2014 - April 2019. Assumes USD-based investor. Data frequency = Monthly. 5 Source: Analysis based on all European domiciled active managers, with a 5-year track record and benchmarked to MSCI World and Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index. Source: BlackRock, Morningstar from 30 April 2014 – 30 April 2019. Assumes USD-based investor. Data frequency = Monthly.
There is more pressure than ever to reduce portfolio costs. Transparency and increased scrutiny on fees are changing revenue models, while technology is creating ‘robo’ advisers and automated offerings that deliver simple and cost-efficient solutions.
“I think costs are a huge issue – clients talk about Value for Money now, that’s something that we didn’t use to have conversations around, but it’s just because costs are under the microscope across every part of the value chain. So clients squeeze us, we squeeze managers.”
- UK Wealth Manager
There is no surprise that indexing is chosen to help lower costs. The average underlying management fees are:
Beyond this, it is also important to consider the cost efficiencies of indexing. By this we refer to the concept of strategic market and style factor tilts that account for a large portion, often more than 90%, of returns generated by traditional long only equity managers. Unless a manager can capture idiosyncratic returns in excess of their management fee, it can often be more cost efficient to implement through indexing.
This is also relevant in large fund-of-fund portfolios where there are multiple active funds - often several within the same asset class. The diversification across many managers have unintendedly cancelled out positions and the potential for idiosyncratic returns, resulting in ultimately a more expensive version of the benchmark.
Index for returns
In the end, what matters most is the returns net of fees. The latest SPIVA8 report states that, net of fees, many alpha managers can underperform if they do not express strong conviction in tilts or exposures different to the benchmark.
Indexing can be an efficient way to express strategic views and control how you tilt between asset classes and factors, whilst freeing up fee budget to invest in high octane alpha and alternatives where true alpha is more likely to be rewarded.
Overall, we see that a portfolio with greater indexing coupled with true alpha-seeking and alternative managers’ results in better returns for investors.
6 Source: BlackRock Portfolio Analysis and Solutions (BPAS) Insights. Based on portfolios received from Jan 2018 – December 2018.
7 Source: BlackRock Global Business Intelligence Report, as at April 2019. Based on ETFs listed in Europe only.
8 Source: S&P Persistence Scorecard, S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, CRSP as at September 2018.