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LONDON & NEW YORK--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--BlackRock, Inc. (NYSE: BLK) today announced that seven emerging market specialists will be joining BlackRock from BNP Paribas Investment Partners to form a new Emerging Markets Debt team. The new team will be led by Sergio Trigo-Paz.

"We are very pleased that these seven individuals will be joining BlackRock"

At BNP Paribas, the seven individuals have overseen a growing book of business and managed several top performing funds in both emerging markets external and local debt, as well as emerging markets corporates and absolute return strategies.

aWe are very pleased that these seven individuals will be joining BlackRock,a remarked Peter Fisher, Senior Managing Director and Head of Fixed Income at BlackRock. aEmerging debt markets offer attractive growth opportunities and are a key focus area for our clients and BlackRock. When they join BlackRock, the new Emerging Markets Debt team, led by Sergio, will play a major role in further building out our emerging debt capabilities and positioning BlackRock to service our clients effectively.a

aWe are truly excited about the seven individuals joining BlackRock,a added Rich Kushel, Senior Managing Director and Head of Portfolio Management at BlackRock. aThe combination of our global reach and capabilities with their collective expertise in this increasingly important sector will be quite powerful. We are thrilled about this new team which, when they join BlackRock, will further enhance our ability to provide compelling offerings to our clients across the growing and increasingly important emerging market debt space."

The new BlackRock Emerging Markets Debt team will be based in London. Further announcements will be made in due course confirming when the new team will join BlackRock.

About Sergio Trigo-Paz

Sergio Trigo-Paz is currently CIO for Emerging Markets Fixed Income at BNP Paribas Investment Partners. He has over 17 years of experience in emerging markets fixed income, including in market making/proprietary trading and asset management. Before he joined BNP Paribas, he worked as a proprietary trader at a subsidiary of Banca Intesa in Paris, as a market maker in emerging market sovereign and corporate bonds at ANZ and Long Term Credit Bank in New York and as an exotic debt/non performing debt trader at Socit Gnrale. He has a master's degree in finance and a post graduate diploma in management from Paris Sorbonne University.

About BlackRock

BlackRock is a leader in investment management, risk management and advisory services for institutional and retail clients worldwide. At December 31, 2011, BlackRockas AUM was $3.513 trillion. BlackRock offers products that span the risk spectrum to meet clientsa 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 ]