BlackRock has been appointed to manage a segregated $1 billion tax aware quantitative Australian equities portfolio from Mercer Global Investments (MGI).
The appointment by MGI is the latest in a series of Australian institutional mandates won by the BlackRock Quantitative Equity team since the beginning of this year.
Mandates from the Local Government Superannuation Scheme (LGSS), Tasplan, and Prime Super were worth a combined $700 million, and there were two mandates from unnamed clients worth a combined $100 million.
The appointment is further recognition of the strength of BlackRock’s quantitative approach to investing, according to Ken Liow, head of quantitative investments in Australia.
“We have built a very strong team in Australia over the past four years and developed systems specially for the Australian market to suit the needs of our clients.”
The other reason the market is “recognising the value of our offering” is because investors have come to appreciate the benefits of tax aware investing, he said.
