BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited (BlackRock Canada), an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc., today announced that its iShares business is launching three unhedged exchange traded funds (ETFs) to the Canadian marketplace. The new funds - iShares S&P 500 Index ETF (TSX:XUS), iShares MSCI EAFE IMI Index ETF (TSX:XEF) and iShares MSCI Emerging Markets IMI Index ETF (TSX:XEC) - will begin trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange today.

"With a slowing economy here at home and a rebounding US dollar, investors are looking beyond our border for better returns. Today, iShares is filling the gap for cost-effective access to these markets with the added opportunity to gain exposure to foreign market currencies including the US dollar," said Mary Anne Wiley, Managing Director, Head of iShares, BlackRock Canada. "This gives investors more choice within our suite of products when looking to enter global markets with the crucial advantages of liquidity, transparency and cost efficiency."

The addition of these three ETFs complements iShares' existing offering of Canadian-dollar hedged US and international funds. Many investors choose currency-hedged products as a way to mitigate the impact of, or to avoid taking on currency risk. Others prefer unhedged options as a way to do just the opposite - to actively manage the currency exposure and potential upside in their portfolios.

"In the past, investors have been hard-pressed to find efficient international investment vehicles, but by leveraging BlackRock's unmatched global scale, iShares is uniquely positioned to provide investors with flexible, low-cost access to markets outside of Canada," added Wiley.

The new iShares ETFs are:

iShares S&P 500 Index ETF (XUS) - Delivers access to the S&P 500 Index - a market capitalization-weighted index of securities of 500 of the largest U.S. public issuers provided by S&P and a measure of broad U.S. stock market performance. MER - 0.14%

iShares MSCI EAFE IMI Index ETF (XEF) - Seeks to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the MSCI EAFE Investable Market Index. This market capitalization-weighted index includes securities from Europe, Australasia and the Far East and is commonly used as a measure of broad international stock performance. MER - 0.30%

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets IMI Index ETF (XEC) - Seeks to replicate, before fees and expenses, the performance of the MSCI Emerging Markets Investable Market Index - an equity benchmark for international stock performance. MER - 0.35%.

Each of the new funds is the lowest cost fund option available in their respective asset classes in the Canadian market and seeks to provide long-term capital growth by replicating, to the extent possible, the performance of its index, net of expenses.

For the product prospectus or more information about the new iShares funds, please visit www.iShares.ca.

All other inquiries: 1-866-iShares (1-866-474-2737) or email iSharesCanada@blackrock.com.

About BlackRock

BlackRock is a leader in investment management, risk management and advisory services for institutional and retail clients worldwide. At December 31, 2012, BlackRock's AUM was $3.792 trillion. BlackRock offers products that span the risk spectrum to meet clients' needs, including active, enhanced and index strategies across markets and asset classes. Products are offered in a variety of structures including separate accounts, mutual funds, iShares® (exchange traded funds), and other pooled investment vehicles. BlackRock also offers risk management, advisory and enterprise investment system services to a broad base of institutional investors through BlackRock Solutions®. Headquartered in New York City, as of December 31, 2012, the firm has approximately 10,500 employees in 30 countries and a major presence in key global markets, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East and Africa. For additional information, please visit the Company's website at www.blackrock.com.

About iShares

iShares is the global product leader in exchange traded funds with over 600 funds globally across equities, fixed income and commodities, which trade on 20 exchanges worldwide. The iShares Funds are bought and sold like common stocks on securities exchanges. The iShares Funds are attractive to many individual and institutional investors and financial intermediaries because of their relative low cost, tax efficiency and trading flexibility. Investors can purchase and sell shares through any brokerage firm, financial advisor, or online broker, and hold the funds in any type of brokerage account. The iShares customer base consists of the institutional segment of pension plans and fund managers, as well as the retail segment of financial advisors and high net worth individuals.

iShares® Funds are managed by BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited. Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investing in iShares Funds. Please read the relevant prospectus before investing. The indicated rates of return are the historical annual compounded total returns including changes in unit value and reinvestment of all distributions and do not take into account sales, redemption, distribution or operational charges or income taxes payable by any security holder that would have reduced returns. The ETFs are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. Tax, investment and all other decisions should be made, as appropriate, only with guidance from a qualified professional.

Contacts: Veritas Communications Maeve Hannigan Media Contact 416-955-4570 C - 647-618-8621hannigan@veritasinc.com

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