BlackRock Completes Acquisition of Aperio

Combination Sets a New Standard for Personalized Whole Portfolio Solutions in the Separately Managed Account Market

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) has completed the acquisition of Aperio, a pioneer in customizing tax-optimized index equity separately managed accounts (SMAs), from Golden Gate Capital and Aperio employees. The combination expands the breadth of BlackRock’s personalization capabilities via tax-managed strategies across factors, broad market indexing, and investor ESG preferences.

“Completion of the Aperio transaction accelerates BlackRock’s ambition to lead the industry from ‘one size fits all’ to ‘one size fits one’ – a portfolio that is hyper-personalized to reflect an investor’s unique risk, tax, and personal values preferences,” said Martin Small, head of BlackRock’s U.S. Wealth Advisory business. “We are excited to welcome the talented Aperio team to BlackRock.”

“Working with BlackRock, we will be able to enhance Aperio’s bespoke problem-solving capabilities for our current clients and expand our reach across wealth managers serving ultra-high net worth families and institutions,” said Aperio Co-heads, Liz Michaels and Ran Leshem. “We look forward to Aperio’s next chapter as part of BlackRock.”

About BlackRock

BlackRock’s purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to investors and a leading provider of financial technology, we help millions of people build savings that serve them throughout their lives by making investing easier and more affordable. For additional information on BlackRock, please visit www.blackrock.com/corporate | Twitter: @blackrock | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/blackrock

About Aperio

Aperio Group LLC is based in Sausalito, California. Its mission is to reconfigure wealth management by embracing the unique needs of each investor, including the impact s/he may want to have on the world while incorporating the impact of taxes so much of the investment industry would prefer to ignore. Aperio is a pioneer in custom index equity portfolios delivering tax optimization, targeted risk factors or ESG (environmental, social, and governance) values and shareholder engagement. As an investment manager, Aperio provides high-touch client service to both taxable and tax-exempt investors across a broad range of US and international strategies. For additional information on Aperio, please visit www.Aperiogroup.com | Blog: https://www.Aperiogroup.com/blogs | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/Aperio-group-llc