Which company operates the iShares family of exchange-traded funds?

BlackRock operates the iShares family of exchange-traded funds.

BlackRock is a global investment-management company founded in 1988. It manages money for institutions, governments, retirement plans, and individual investors through funds and other financial products. Its iShares business is one of the best-known providers of exchange-traded funds, which trade on stock exchanges like shares while generally tracking indexes or other baskets of assets.

BlackRock’s growth was strengthened by its acquisition of Barclays Global Investors in 2009. That transaction brought the iShares ETF business into BlackRock and significantly expanded its presence in index investing. The company also develops Aladdin, a technology platform used for investment risk analysis and portfolio management.

BlackRock is sometimes confused with Vanguard or State Street because all are major asset managers and ETF providers. The iShares name is the specific clue: iShares is BlackRock’s ETF brand, while Vanguard and State Street market their own competing fund families.