iShares has announced the iShares MSCI ACWI ex US Financials Sector Index Fund (AXFN), the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Financials Sector Index Fund (EMFN), the iShares MSCI Europe Financials Sector Index Fund (EUFN), the iShares MSCI Far East Financials Sector Index Fund (FEFN) and the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Materials Sector Index Fund (EMMT), are to begin trading on NASDAQ.

Michael Latham, co-chief executive of iShares at BlackRock, said the funds seek to provide more modularity and focus in expressing regional differences in sector performance. "With the addition of these iShares MSCI International Sector Funds, individuals, financial professionals and institutions will now have access to one of the most comprehensive sector offerings, including US sector/subsector, global sector, and now international sector ETFs."

Blackrock has reported an increase of $21.2bn in the assets under management (AUM) on its iShares exchange-traded fund (ETF) platform.

The new owner of iShares also announced the ETF platform increased over the year by $170.9bn, to $495.5bn, and breaking $101.2bn in AUM outside the US for the year, with fourth-quarter net inflows notable for the strength of investor demand for equity and fixed-income offerings.