Press Release

BlackRock Expands Min Vol iShares ETF Suite with 3 New

MSCI Index-Based Funds

New York - July 3, 2014 - MSCI Inc(NYSE: MSCI), a leading provider of investment decision support tools worldwide, announced that BlackRock has licensed the MSCI AC Asia ex Japan Min Vol Index, the MSCI Japan Min Vol Index and the MSCI Europe Min Vol index as the basis for a new series of iShares exchange traded funds (ETFs):

iShares MSCI Europe Minimum Volatility ETF (NYSEArca: EUMV)

iShares MSCI Japan Minimum Volatility ETF(NYSEArca: JPMV)

iShares MSCI Asia ex Japan Minimum Volatility ETF (NYSEArca: AXJV)

Patrick Dunne, Head of iShares Global Markets and Investments at BlackRock, said, "These new funds expand the iShares minimum volatility suite of ETFs we started in 2011 with MSCI. Volatility has generally increased over the past decade and investors are wondering how to adjust their portfolios to help minimize this risk while still meeting their long-term goals. BlackRock, with its long heritage of product innovation, and MSCI, one of the world's largest and most well-established index providers and the gold standard for international indexes, are a perfect combination for investors seeking to minimize the market's peaks and valleys."

"We are pleased that iShares has once again expanded their ETF suite based on MSCI indexes, particularly their flagship minimum volatility offering," said Diana Tidd, Managing Director and Head of the MSCI Index Business in the Americas. "MSCI introduced the industry's first minimum volatility index and since then has defined factor indexing. Our indexes remain the industry standard and are increasingly used as the basis for ETFs even as the needs of the market shift."

Equity factor investing was pioneered in the 1970s based on research, data and analytics created by Barra - today an MSCI company. In recent years, MSCI has developed a range of indexes that provide institutional investors with a basis for implementing a transparent and efficient passive approach to seeking the excess returns historically obtained over long time horizons through active factor investing. In 2008, MSCI introduced the industry's first Minimum Volatility Index. More than USD 90 billion in assets are benchmarked to MSCI Factor Indexes1.

In a 2013 report, Greenwich Associates named MSCI the "benchmark of choice" for international equity

ETFs.2 More than 650 ETFs are linked to MSCI indexes.3

1 As of March 31, 2014 according to eVestment, Lipper and Bloomberg

2 Greenwich Report "Institutional Investors' Relationship with ETFs Deepens", May 2013, Greenwich Associates

3 As of December 31, 2013, as reported by BBG

-Ends-

About MSCI

MSCI Inc. is a leading provider of investment decision support tools to investors globally, including asset managers, banks, hedge funds and pension funds. MSCI products and services include indexes, portfolio risk and performance analytics, and ESG data and research.

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The company's flagship product offerings are: the MSCI indexes with over USD 9 trillion estimated to be benchmarked to them on a worldwide basis1; Barra multi-asset class factor models, portfolio risk and performance analytics; RiskMetrics multi-asset class market and credit risk analytics; IPD real estate information, indexes and analytics; MSCI ESG (environmental, social and governance) Research screening, analysis and ratings; and FEA valuation models and risk management software for the energy

and commodities markets. MSCI is headquartered in New York, with research and commercial offices around the world.

1As of March 31, 2014, as reported in June 2014, by eVestment, Lipper and Bloomberg

Media Enquiries:

Kristin Meza, MSCI, New York + 1.212.804.5330

Jo Morgan, MSCI, London + 44.20.7618.2224

Nick Denton | Christian Pickel, MHP Communications, London + 44.20.3128.8754/8208

MSCI Global Client Service:

EMEA Client Service + 44.20.7618.2222

Americas Client Service 1.888.588.4567 (toll free)/+ 1.212.804.3901

Asia Pacific Client Service + 852.2844.9333


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