BlackRock Announces Certain Changes to XHY and XIG

BlackRock Asset Management Canada Limited ("BlackRock Canada"), an indirect, wholly owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE:BLK), has determined to change the indices which the iShares U.S. High Yield Bond Index Fund (CAD-Hedged) ("XHY") and the iShares U.S. IG Corporate Bond Index Fund (CAD-Hedged) ("XIG") seek to replicate, in each case to a currency-hedged version of the fund's current index.

Effective on or about April 20, 2012, XHY will seek to replicate the performance of the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Total Return Index hedged in CAD, which is the Canadian dollar hedged version of XHY's current index, the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid High Yield Index.

Effective on or about April 20, 2012, XIG will seek to replicate the performance of the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade Total Return Index hedged in CAD, which is the Canadian dollar hedged version of XIG's current index, the Markit iBoxx USD Liquid Investment Grade Index.

Further information on iShares funds can be found at www.ishares.ca.

About BlackRock

BlackRock is a leader in investment management, risk management and advisory services for institutional and retail clients worldwide. At December 31, 2011, BlackRock's AUM was US $3.513 trillion. BlackRock offers products that span the risk spectrum to meet clients' needs, including active, enhanced and index strategies across markets and asset classes. Products are offered in a variety of structures including separate accounts, mutual funds, iShares® (exchange-traded funds), and other pooled investment vehicles. BlackRock also offers risk management, advisory and enterprise investment system services to a broad base of institutional investors through BlackRock Solutions®. Headquartered in New York City, as of December 31, 2011, the firm has approximately 10,100 employees in 27 countries and a major presence in key global markets, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and the Middle East and Africa. For additional information, please visit the Company's website at www.blackrock.com.

About iShares® ETFs

The iShares business is a global product leader in ETFs with over 460 funds globally across equities, fixed income and commodities, which trade on 19 exchanges worldwide. The iShares funds are bought and sold like common stocks on securities exchanges. The iShares funds are attractive to many individual and institutional investors and financial intermediaries because of their relative low cost, tax efficiency and trading flexibility. Investors can purchase and sell securities through any brokerage firm, financial advisor, or online broker, and hold the funds in any type of brokerage account. The iShares customer base consists of the institutional segment of pension plans and fund managers, as well as the retail segment of financial advisors and individual investors.

Contacts: Contact for Media: Veritas Communications Amanda Gun-Munro 416-955-4580 or C - [e-mail]