Company Overview

Barclays Global Investors (BGI) made a name for itself in the ’70s when it helped pioneer index funds—funds whose holdings are selected by computer models rather than amply paid managers, Indexed funds remain one of BGI’s major products, accounting for about two-thirds of its business. But BGI also manages $281 billion in active and enhanced index funds. Nearly 80 percent of its 2,800 clients are either public entities or corporations, including corporate titans such as Citibank and Exxon Mobil. With $1.5 trillion in assets under management, BGI consistently places among the largest asset management firms in the world. Some of its recent success is due to the introduction of iShares, its brand of exchange traded funds (ETFs) that allow investors to buy and sell shares in what amounts to a tracking stock for a particular market sector, from Chinese Internet companies to U.S. biotech firms. In five years, iShares has grown to account for half of all assets invested in the U.S. ETF market. Headquartered in San Francisco, BGI’s investment researchers also have outposts in London, Tokyo, and Sydney. It also has recently opened client-services offices from Singapore to Amsterdam. The research arm, called the Advanced Strategies and Research Group in Barclay lingo, is responsible for creating the firm’s managed portfolios.