blackrock solutions and advisory BlackRock offers investment management
In the face of increasing regulatory scrutiny, clients
technology systems, risk-management services
have increased their focus on risk management and
and advisory services on a fee basis under the
demand for BRS services continues to be robust.
BlackRock Solutions (“BRS”) brand name. In 2011,
During the year, BRS added 50 net new assignments
approximately $10.199 trillion of positions were
and ended the year with record revenues of
processed on our Aladdin proprietary technology
$510 million, an increase of $50 million, or 11%,
platform, which serves as the investment system
from 2010. This was driven by strong demand for
for both BlackRock and a growing number of
our FMA, Aladdin and risk-management services,
sophisticated institutional investors around
particularly in EMEA and in Asia-Pacific, where
the world. BRS also offers comprehensive risk
we added a number of new clients. Aladdin as-
reporting capabilities via the Green Package
signments are long-term contracts that provide
and risk management advisory services;
significant levels of recurring revenue. At year-end,
interactive fixed-income analytics through our
BRS served 166 clients, including banks, insurance
Web-based calculator, AnSer®; middle- and
companies, official institutions, pension funds,
back-office outsourcing services; and investment
asset managers and other institutional investors
accounting. The Financial Markets Advisory
across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
®
(“FMA”) group within BRS provides services for a wide range of global clients, such as valuation
In FMA, the growing financial crisis in Europe led
and risk assessment of illiquid assets, portfolio
to several short-term risk analytics assignments
restructuring, workouts and dispositions of
including a few high-profile engagements. Overall,
distressed assets and financial and balance
the nature of FMA assignments is shifting to longer-
sheet strategies.
term advisory and risk-monitoring engagements. Advisory AUM decreased 20% to $120.1 billion, driven by $29.9 billion of planned client distributions reflecting our continued success in disposing of assets for clients at, or above, targeted levels.
BlackRock Data Points*
$10.199 Trillion
22
* See Important Notes on page 122
Positions on Aladdin