BlackRock ready to spread its web across Europe

Europe’s biggest fund manager is based not in the broad boulevards of Paris or in the winding streets of the City of London. Instead, the investment group that controls $1.7tn on behalf of European savers has its headquarters in East 52nd St in midtown Manhattan. BlackRock’s expansion in Europe over the past decade has been one of the most disruptive trends for the continent’s asset managers. Deals for Merrill Lynch Investment Managers in 2006 and Barclays Global Investors, including the iShares ETF range, in 2009 helped establish BlackRock in Britain. 

Its influence has since spread across Europe and into the Middle East and Africa.“BlackRock is fast establishing a very dominant presence in markets across Europe,” says Mauro Baratta, vice-president of global distribution at Broadridge, a consultancy.