# EDGAR Filing Document

**Accession Number:** 0001100663
**File Stem:** 0001193125-23-079084
**Filing Date:** 2023-3
**Character Count:** 710599
**Document Hash:** 0e40ec9e001de272dc06ab5d6553a9ec
**Contains OCR:** False
**Source Format:** 

## Filing Content

## Filing Summary
**0001193125-23-079084.hdr.sgml**: 20230324

**ACCESSION NUMBER**: 0001193125-23-079084

**CONFORMED SUBMISSION TYPE**: 497

**PUBLIC DOCUMENT COUNT**: 5

**FILED AS OF DATE**: 20230324

**DATE AS OF CHANGE**: 20230324

**EFFECTIVENESS DATE**: 20230324

**FILER**: 

**COMPANY DATA:**
- **COMPANY CONFORMED NAME:** iSHARES TRUST
- **CENTRAL INDEX KEY:** 0001100663
- **IRS NUMBER:** 943351276
- **STATE OF INCORPORATION:** DE
- **FISCAL YEAR END:** 1231

**FILING VALUES:**
- **FORM TYPE:** 497
- **SEC ACT:** 1933 Act
- **SEC FILE NUMBER:** 333-92935
- **FILM NUMBER:** 23759800

**BUSINESS ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 400 HOWARD STREET
- **CITY:** SAN FRANCISCO
- **STATE:** CA
- **ZIP:** 94105
- **BUSINESS PHONE:** (415) 670-2000

**MAIL ADDRESS:**
- **STREET 1:** 400 HOWARD STREET
- **CITY:** SAN FRANCISCO
- **STATE:** CA
- **ZIP:** 94105

**FORMER COMPANY:**
- **FORMER CONFORMED NAME:** ISHARES TRUST
- **DATE OF NAME CHANGE:** 19991213

## Series and Classes Contracts Data

### iShares Breakthrough Environmental Solutions ETF (Series ID: S000079480)

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|  |  |  |
|:---|:---|:---|
| Class Name                                       | Ticker Symbol | Class ID   |
| iShares Breakthrough Environmental Solutions ETF | ETEC          | C000240517 |

---

## Series and Classes Contracts Data

### iShares Breakthrough Environmental Solutions ETF (Series ID: S000079480)

| Class ID   | Class Name                                       | Ticker Symbol   |
|:---|:---|:---|
| C000240517 | iShares Breakthrough Environmental Solutions ETF | ETEC            |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| ![](g407055ishares2019sm.jpg) | &nbsp;&nbsp;MARCH 14, 2023 <br> (as revised March 24, 2023) |

---

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| ![](g407055imgde05756c1.jpg) | 2023 Prospectus |

---

#### iShares Trust
• iShares Breakthrough
Environmental Solutions ETF \| ETEC \| NASDAQ<br>

The Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") has not approved or disapproved these securities or passed upon the adequacy of this prospectus. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

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**Table of Contents**

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| [Fund Overview](#xx_2e9670f7-4281-48d1-a8bf-02acc08020dc_1)<br>| &nbsp;&nbsp;S-1 |
| [More Information About the Fund](#xx_0fce6488-261e-46b0-9a82-9a9dbded5770_2)<br>| &nbsp;&nbsp;1 |
| [A Further Discussion of Principal Risks](#xx_0fce6488-261e-46b0-9a82-9a9dbded5770_4)<br>| &nbsp;&nbsp;3 |
| [A Further Discussion of Other Risks](#xx_0fce6488-261e-46b0-9a82-9a9dbded5770_24)<br>| &nbsp;&nbsp;23 |
| [Portfolio Holdings Information](#xx_0fce6488-261e-46b0-9a82-9a9dbded5770_26)<br>| &nbsp;&nbsp;25 |
| [Management](#xx_0fce6488-261e-46b0-9a82-9a9dbded5770_26)<br>| &nbsp;&nbsp;25 |
| [Shareholder Information](#xx_0fce6488-261e-46b0-9a82-9a9dbded5770_29)<br>| &nbsp;&nbsp;28 |
| [Distribution](#xx_0fce6488-261e-46b0-9a82-9a9dbded5770_37)<br>| &nbsp;&nbsp;36 |
| [Financial Highlights](#xx_0fce6488-261e-46b0-9a82-9a9dbded5770_38)<br>| &nbsp;&nbsp;37 |
| [Index Provider](#xx_0fce6488-261e-46b0-9a82-9a9dbded5770_38)<br>| &nbsp;&nbsp;37 |
| [Disclaimers](#xx_0fce6488-261e-46b0-9a82-9a9dbded5770_39)<br>| &nbsp;&nbsp;38 |

---

"Morningstar<sup>®</sup>," and "Morningstar Global Emerging Green Technologies Select Index" are trademarks or servicemarks of Morningstar, Inc. licensed for use for certain purposes by BlackRock Fund Advisors or its affiliates. iShares<sup>®</sup> and BlackRock<sup>®</sup> are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates. The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morningstar, Inc., and Morningstar, Inc. makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in the Fund.

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iSHARES<sup>®</sup> BREAKTHROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS ETF

Ticker: ETEC Stock Exchange: Nasdaq

#### Investment Objective
The iShares Breakthrough Environmental Solutions ETF (the "Fund") seeks to track the investment results of an index composed of U.S. and non-U.S. companies involved in breakthrough innovations and development of new technologies that address the climate transition.

#### Fees and Expenses
The following table describes the fees and expenses that you will incur if you buy, hold and sell shares of the Fund. The investment advisory agreement between iShares Trust (the "Trust") and BlackRock Fund Advisors ("BFA") (the "Investment Advisory Agreement") provides that BFA will pay all operating expenses of the Fund, except: (i) the management fees, (ii) interest expenses, (iii) taxes, (iv) expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, (v) distribution fees or expenses, and (vi) litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses.

**You may pay other fees, such as brokerage commissions and other fees to financial intermediaries, which are not reflected in the tables and examples below.**

---

| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br> (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br> percentage of the value of your investments)** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br> (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br> percentage of the value of your investments)** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br> (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br> percentage of the value of your investments)** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Annual Fund Operating Expenses<br> (ongoing expenses that you pay each year as a<br> percentage of the value of your investments)** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;**Management <br> Fees** | **Distribution and<br> Service (12b-1)<br> Fees** | **Other <br> Expenses<sup>1</sup>** | **Total Annual<br> Fund<br> Operating<br> Expenses** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;0.47% |  | 0.00% | 0.47%% |

---

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<sup>1</sup> The amount rounded to 0.00%.

**Example. This Example is intended to help you compare the cost of owning shares of the Fund with the cost of investing in other funds. The Example assumes that you invest $10,000 in the Fund for the time periods indicated and then sell all of your shares at the end of those periods. The Example also assumes that your investment has a 5% return each year and that the Fund's operating expenses remain the same. Although your actual costs may be higher or lower, based on these assumptions, your costs would be:**

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
| **1 Year** | **3 Years** |
| $48 | $151 |

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**Portfolio Turnover. The Fund may pay transaction costs, such as commissions, when it buys and sells securities (or "turns over" its portfolio). A higher portfolio turnover rate may indicate higher transaction costs and may result in higher taxes when Fund shares are held in a taxable account. These costs, which are not reflected in the Annual Fund Operating Expenses or in the Example, affect the Fund's performance.**

#### Principal Investment Strategies
The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Morningstar Global Emerging Green Technologies Select Index (the "Underlying Index"), which measures the performance of equity securities issued by U.S. and non-U.S. companies involved in breakthrough innovations and new technologies that seek to address or combat climate change, as determined by Morningstar or its affiliates ("Morningstar" or the "Index Provider").

To construct the Underlying Index, the Index Provider begins with securities from the Morningstar Global Markets ex India Index (the "Parent Index") and applies a number of exclusions. The Index Provider excludes constituents with an average three-month trailing daily trading volume of less than $2 million or a free float market capitalization of less than $300 million. The Index Provider also excludes the securities of companies that it identifies as being involved in the business of tobacco, companies involved with controversial weapons, producers and retailers of civilian firearms, and companies involved in thermal coal mining, thermal coal-based power generation or the extraction of oil

sands. Certain exclusions (*e.g.,* controversial and nuclear weapons or the production of tobacco products) are categorical, and other exclusions are based on percentage of revenue or ownership thresholds. Additionally, the Index Provider excludes companies that it determines are involved in controversies related to the ten United Nations Global Compact ("UNGC") principles, which are classified into four categories: human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption, as well as companies for which a third party data provider, Sustainalytics, has assigned a controversy score of 5 (indicating the company experienced an event with a severe impact on the environment and society), or for which the Index Provider has not assigned a controversy score. The Index Provider will apply a series of revenue screens on the resulting eligible constituents.

First, Morningstar equity analysts evaluate each company's revenue that is derived from "sustainable products," as calculated by the Index Provider. Sustainable products could include the distribution and management of energy efficient materials or products, or pollution remediation services. The Index Provider determines whether a company has sustainable product revenue by breaking down the companywide revenue into the following eight sustainable themes: Energy Efficiency, Green Buildings, Green Transportation, Pollution Prevention & Reduction, Renewable Energy, Resource Efficiency Technologies & Services, Sustainable Agriculture, Food & Forestry, and Water. The Index Provider applies the first revenue screen, excluding companies with a total sustainable product revenue of less than 25% from the Underlying Index. Following the first revenue screen,<br>

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Morningstar equity analysts research the products or services identified within the eight sustainable themes to determine whether the products or services fall within the following categories, as defined by Morningstar: "green technologies", "green services" or "sustainability certified." Green technologies are products and services that are highly innovative toward sustainability. Green services are services which rely on innovative technologies developed by other companies. Sustainability certified means that an industry regulator or other third party has certified the product or service as sustainable or has certified the elements within the supply chain of the product or service as sustainable. Morningstar equity analysts consider various metrics to make this determination (*e.g*., research and development as a percentage of revenue and company-level patent application data). Morningstar excludes all revenue tied to products and services classified as "green services" or "sustainability certified." Morningstar reviews the green technologies and assess whether each qualifies as an "emerging green technology."

market and current market share to determine the adoption stage. Morningstar Equity Research classifies the products and services that are labeled Innovators, Early Adopters, and Early Majority as "emerging green technologies". Once Morningstar identifies the emerging green technologies, Morningstar applies a second revenue screen: companies with 25% or more of their revenue represented by emerging green technologies are eligible for inclusion in the Underlying Index.

Following the second revenue screen, the resulting constituents receive an innovation score based on their products' and/or services' adoption stage, as follows:

• Innovation Score of 1: Early
Majority

• Innovation Score of 2: Early
Adopters

• Innovation Score of 3:
Innovators

The Index Provider calculates a company-level aggregate score by multiplying the company's revenue percentage of each product and/or service identified as an emerging green technology within each of the eight sustainable themes, and the product and/or service's innovation score, creating a "product score". Each product score is summed across the company's products and/or services, resulting in the company's aggregate score. For example, suppose Morningstar analyzed Company A's products and services across the eight sustainable themes, and found that 71.7% of Company A's revenue is allocated to the Energy Efficiency theme from Product X, and 28.3% of its revenue is allocated to the Green Transportation theme from Product Y. Morningstar has determined both products are emerging green technologies and that Product X is an

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"innovator" on the Adoption Curve, earning an innovation score of 3, and Product Y is an "early adopter," earning an innovation score of 2. Each products' revenues are multiplied by their respective innovation scores to determine their product scores. Product X's resulting product score is 2.15 (71.7% times 3), and Product Y's resulting product score is 0.57 (28.3% times 2). Company A's resulting aggregate score is 2.72, resulting in a Tier 1 designation.

Once Morningstar calculates each constituent's aggregate score, Morningstar designates each constituent as either Tier 1 or Tier 2 based on their aggregate score. Tier 1 issuers are those with an aggregate score of 1.5 or higher. Tier 2 issuers are those with an aggregate score of less than 1.5. All Tier 1 constituents are selected for the Underlying Index. Morningstar ranks Tier 2 issuers with preference given to issuers with a higher aggregate score over a lower aggregate score, then a smaller market capitalization over a larger market capitalization. If there are fewer than 50 Tier 1 constituents, the shortfall is filled with Tier 2 constituents, and the Underlying Index is capped at 50 constituents.

Constituents are float market capitalization-weighted with a 6% cap for individual stocks and each industry is capped at 15%. Additionally, individual constituents with weights of 4.5% or greater in aggregate cannot compose more than 45% of the Underlying Index. The Underlying Index is reconstituted annually each December and rebalanced quarterly. The Index Provider does not require that each of the eight sustainable themes be included in the Underlying Index, nor

does it require the inclusion of a minimum number of Tier 1 constituents. In addition, constituents may operate business lines that generate revenues in industries in addition to those related to breakthrough innovations and new technologies and may be associated with multiple industries or sectors.

The Underlying Index includes small-, mid- and large-capitalization companies and may change over time. As of February 10, 2023, a significant portion of the Underlying Index is represented by securities of companies in the consumer cyclical, industrials and technology industries or sectors. As of February 10, 2023, the Underlying Index consisted of securities from the following countries: Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom (the "U.K.") and the U.S.

BFA uses a "passive" or indexing approach to try to achieve the Fund's investment objective. Unlike many investment companies, the Fund does not try to "beat" the index it tracks and does not seek temporary defensive positions when markets decline or appear overvalued.

Indexing may eliminate the chance that the Fund will substantially outperform the Underlying Index but also may reduce some of the risks of active management, such as poor security selection. Indexing seeks to achieve lower costs and better after-tax performance by aiming to keep portfolio turnover low in comparison to actively managed investment companies.

BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy to manage the Fund. "Representative sampling" is an

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indexing strategy that involves investing in a representative sample of securities that collectively has an investment profile similar to that of an applicable underlying index. The securities selected are expected to have, in the aggregate, investment characteristics (based on factors such as market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of an applicable underlying index. The Fund may or may not hold all of the securities in the Underlying Index.

The Fund generally will invest at least 90% of its assets in the component securities of the Underlying Index and in investments that have economic characteristics that are substantially identical to the component securities of the Underlying Index (*i.e*., depositary receipts representing securities of the Underlying Index) and may invest up to 10% of its assets in certain futures, options and swap contracts, cash and cash equivalents, including shares of money market funds advised by BFA or its affiliates, as well as in securities not included in the Underlying Index, but which BFA believes will help the Fund track the Underlying Index. Cash and cash equivalent investments associated with a derivative position will be treated as part of that position for the purposes of calculating the percentage of investments included in the Underlying Index. The Fund seeks to track the investment results of the Underlying Index before fees and expenses of the Fund.

The Fund may lend securities representing up to one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of any collateral received).

The Underlying Index is sponsored by Morningstar, which is independent of the Fund and BFA. The Index Provider determines the composition and relative weightings of the securities in the Underlying Index and publishes information regarding the market value of the Underlying Index.

**Industry Concentration Policy. The Fund will concentrate its investments (*i.e.*, hold 25% or more of its total assets) in a particular industry or group of industries to approximately the same extent that the Underlying Index is concentrated. For purposes of this limitation, securities of the U.S. government (including its agencies and instrumentalities) and repurchase agreements collateralized by U.S. government securities are not considered to be issued by members of any industry.**

#### Summary of Principal Risks
As with any investment, you could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund's performance could trail that of other investments. The Fund is subject to certain risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's net asset value per share ("NAV"), trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

***Asset Class Risk. Securities and other assets in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to the general financial markets, a particular financial market or other asset classes.***

#### Assets Under Management (AUM) Risk . From time to time, an Authorized

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Participant (as defined in the *Creations and Redemptions* section of this prospectus (the "Prospectus")), a third-party investor, the Fund's adviser or an affiliate of the Fund's adviser, or a fund may invest in the Fund and hold its investment for a specific period of time to allow the Fund to achieve size or scale. There can be no assurance that any such entity would not redeem its investment or that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels, which could negatively impact the Fund.

***Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and none of those Authorized Participants is obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (i.e., on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to create or redeem, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting. Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened for exchange-traded funds ("ETFs"), such as the Fund, that invest in securities issued by non-U.S. issuers or other securities or instruments that have lower trading volumes.***

**Breakthrough Innovations and New Technologies Risk. Breakthrough innovations and new technologies are products or services that fundamentally change the dynamics of an industry or market. The Fund's holdings may**

include equity securities of operating companies that focus on or have exposure to a wide variety of industries, and the economic success of certain of these companies may not be significantly tied to breakthrough innovations and new technologies. Companies involved in breakthrough innovations and new technologies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel that face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. These companies may not be exclusively or substantially exposed to breakthrough innovations and new technologies, but may be exposed, directly or indirectly, to the market and business risks of other companies, industries or sectors. In addition, these companies may depend on intellectual property or patent rights to protect their innovations or new technologies, which may be difficult to prevent the misappropriation of, and are susceptible to competitors that may develop substantially similar or superior products or services.

***Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund's investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector, market segment or asset class.***

***Consumer Cyclical Industry Risk. Consumer cyclical companies rely heavily on business cycles and economic conditions. Consumer cyclical companies may be adversely affected by domestic and international economic***

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downturns, changes in exchange and interest rates, competition, consumers' disposable income and preferences, social trends and marketing campaigns.

***Currency Risk. Because the Fund's NAV is determined in U.S. dollars, the Fund's NAV could decline if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currency. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund's NAV may change quickly and without warning.***

***Custody Risk. Less developed securities markets are more likely to experience problems with the clearing and settling of trades, as well as the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories.***

***Cybersecurity Risk. Failures or breaches of the electronic systems of the Fund, the Fund's adviser, distributor, the Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions, negatively impact the Fund's business operations and/or potentially result in financial losses to the Fund and its shareholders. While the Fund has established business continuity plans and risk management systems seeking to address system breaches or failures, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems of the Fund's Index Provider and other service providers, market makers, Authorized Participants or issuers of securities in which the Fund invests.***

#### ESG Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Index uses criteria related to
the ESG characteristics of issuers, this may limit the types and number of investment opportunities available to the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may underperform other funds whose underlying index does not use ESG criteria. The Underlying Index's use of ESG criteria may result in the Fund investing in, or allocating greater weight to, securities or market sectors that underperform the market as a whole or underperform other funds that use ESG criteria. In addition, the use of representative sampling may result in divergence of the Fund's overall ESG characteristics or ESG risk from those of the Underlying Index. The Index Provider may evaluate security-level ESG data and, if applicable, ESG objectives or constraints that are relevant to the Underlying Index only at index reviews or rebalances. Securities included in the Underlying Index may cease to meet the relevant ESG criteria but may nevertheless remain in the Underlying Index and the Fund until the next review or rebalance by the Index Provider. As a result, certain securities in the Underlying Index, or the Underlying Index as a whole, may not meet the relevant ESG objectives or constraints at all times.

***Equity Securities Risk. Equity securities are subject to changes in value, and their values may be more volatile than those of other asset classes. The Underlying Index is composed of common stocks, which generally subject their holders to more risks than preferred stocks and debt securities because common stockholders' claims are subordinated to those of holders of preferred stocks and debt securities upon the bankruptcy of the issuer.***

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***Geographic Risk. A natural disaster could occur in a geographic region in which the Fund invests, which could adversely affect the economy or the business operations of companies in the specific geographic region, causing an adverse impact on the Fund's investments in, or which are exposed to, the affected region.***

***Index-Related Risk. There is no guarantee that the Fund's investment results will have a high degree of correlation to those of the Underlying Index or that the Fund will achieve its investment objective. Market disruptions and regulatory restrictions could have an adverse effect on the Fund's ability to adjust its exposure to the required levels in order to track the Underlying Index. Errors in index data, index computations or the construction of the Underlying Index in accordance with its methodology may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, which may have an adverse impact on the Fund and its shareholders. Unusual market conditions or other unforeseen circumstances (such as natural disasters, political unrest or war) may impact the Index Provider or a third-party data provider, and could cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance. This could cause the Underlying Index to vary from its normal or expected composition.***

***Industrials Sector Risk. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by changes in the supply of and demand for products and services, product obsolescence, claims for environmental damage or product liability and changes in general economic conditions, among other factors.***

***Infectious Illness Risk. A widespread outbreak of an infectious illness, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may result in travel restrictions, disruption of healthcare services, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, business closures, lower consumer demand, layoffs, ratings downgrades, defaults and other significant economic, social and political impacts. Markets may experience temporary closures, extreme volatility, severe losses, reduced liquidity and increased trading costs. Such events may adversely affect the Fund and its investments and may impact the Fund's ability to purchase or sell securities or cause elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV. Despite the development of vaccines, the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects cannot be predicted with certainty.***

***Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Changes in the financial condition or credit rating of an issuer of those securities may cause the value of the securities to decline.***

***Large-Capitalization Companies Risk. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions. Large-capitalization companies may be more mature and subject to more limited growth potential compared with smaller capitalization companies. During different market cycles, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the overall performance of the broader securities markets.***

#### Large Shareholder and Large-Scale Redemption Risk. Certain

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shareholders, including an Authorized Participant, a third-party investor, the Fund's adviser or an affiliate of the Fund's adviser, a market maker, or another entity, may from time to time own or manage a substantial amount of Fund shares, or may invest in the Fund and hold their investment for a limited period of time. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder or large group of shareholders would not redeem their investment. Redemptions of a large number of Fund shares could require the Fund to dispose of assets to meet the redemption requests, which can accelerate the realization of taxable income and/or capital gains and cause the Fund to make taxable distributions to its shareholders earlier than the Fund otherwise would have. In addition, under certain circumstances, non-redeeming shareholders may be treated as receiving a disproportionately large taxable distribution during or with respect to such year. In some circumstances, the Fund may hold a relatively large proportion of its assets in cash in anticipation of large redemptions, diluting its investment returns. These large redemptions may also force the Fund to sell portfolio securities when it might not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Fund's NAV, increase the Fund's brokerage costs and/or have a material effect on the market price of the Fund shares.

***Management Risk. As the Fund will not fully replicate the Underlying Index, it is subject to the risk that BFA's investment strategy may not produce the intended results.***

#### Market Risk . The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged
market downturns. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV.

***Market Trading Risk. The Fund faces numerous market trading risks, including the potential lack of an active market for Fund shares, losses from trading in secondary markets, periods of high volatility and disruptions in the creation/redemption process. ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV.***

***Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Compared to large-capitalization companies, mid-capitalization companies may be less stable and more susceptible to adverse developments. In addition, the securities of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile and less liquid than those of large-capitalization companies.***

***National Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying securities and/or other assets held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges or in foreign markets that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund's shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of such an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (i.e., the Fund's quote from the closed foreign market). The impact of a closed foreign market on the Fund is likely to be greater where a large portion of the Fund's underlying securities and/or***

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other assets trade on that closed foreign market or when the foreign market is closed for unscheduled reasons. These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.

***Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as "non-diversified." This means that, compared with other funds that are classified as "diversified," the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund's performance may depend on the performance of a small number of issuers.***

***Non-U.S. Securities Risk. Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks associated with investing in those non-U.S. markets, such as heightened risks of inflation or nationalization. The Fund may lose money due to political, economic and geographic events affecting issuers of non-U.S. securities or non-U.S. markets. In addition, non-U.S. securities markets may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to changes in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times. The Fund is specifically exposed to Asian Economic Risk and European Economic Risk.***

***Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund's service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and BFA seek to reduce these operational risks***

through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.

***Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed, and BFA generally does not attempt to take defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.***

***Privatization Risk. Some countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. Privatized entities may lose money or be re-nationalized.***

***Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The Fund invests in countries or regions whose economies are heavily dependent upon trading with key partners. Any reduction in this trading may have an adverse impact on the Fund's investments. Through its holdings of securities of certain issuers, the Fund is specifically exposed to Asian Economic Risk, European Economic Risk and U.S. Economic Risk.***

***Risk of Investing in China. China subjects the Fund to risks specific to China. China may be subject to considerable degrees of economic, political and social instability. China is an emerging market and demonstrates significantly higher volatility from time to time in comparison to developed markets. Over the last few decades, the Chinese government has undertaken reform of economic and market practices and has expanded the sphere of private ownership of property in China. However, Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies resulting from governmental***

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influence, a lack of publicly available information and/or political and social instability.

Chinese companies are also subject to the risk that Chinese authorities can intervene in their operations and structure. Internal social unrest or confrontations with neighboring countries, including military conflicts in response to such events, may also disrupt economic development in China and result in a greater risk of currency fluctuations, currency non-convertibility, interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation.

China has experienced security concerns, such as terrorism and strained international relations. Additionally, China is alleged to have participated in state-sponsored cyberattacks against foreign companies and foreign governments. Actual and threatened responses to such activity and strained international relations, including purchasing restrictions, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Chinese government or Chinese companies, may impact China's economy and Chinese issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. Incidents involving China's or the region's security may cause uncertainty in Chinese markets and may adversely affect the Chinese economy and the Fund's investments. Export growth continues to be a major driver of China's rapid economic growth. Reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, institution of additional tariffs or other trade barriers or a downturn in any of the economies of China's key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy.

***Risk of Investing in Developed Countries. The Fund's investment in developed country issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries. Developed countries tend to represent a significant portion of the global economy and have generally experienced slower economic growth than some less developed countries. Certain developed countries have experienced security concerns, such as war, terrorism and strained international relations. Incidents involving a country's or region's security may cause uncertainty in its markets and may adversely affect its economy and the Fund's investments. In addition, developed countries may be adversely impacted by changes to the economic conditions of certain key trading partners, regulatory burdens, debt burdens and the price or availability of certain commodities.***

***Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers may be subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. Emerging markets may be more likely to experience inflation, social instability, political turmoil or rapid changes in economic conditions than more developed markets. Companies in many emerging markets are not subject to the same degree of regulatory requirements, accounting standards or auditor oversight as companies in more developed countries, and as a result, information about the securities in which the Fund invests may be less reliable or complete. Emerging markets often have less reliable securities valuations and greater risk associated***

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with custody of securities than developed markets. There may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against companies and shareholders may have limited legal remedies. The Fund is not actively managed and does not select investments based on investor protection considerations.

***Risk of Investing in the U.S. Certain changes in the U.S. economy, such as when the U.S. economy weakens or when its financial markets decline, may have an adverse effect on the securities to which the Fund has exposure.***

***Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund.***

***Small Fund Risk. When the Fund's size is small, the Fund may experience low trading volume and wide bid/ask spreads. In addition, the Fund may face the risk of being delisted if the Fund does not meet certain conditions of the listing exchange. Any resulting liquidation of the Fund could cause the Fund to incur elevated transaction costs for the Fund and negative tax consequences for its shareholders.***

#### Sustainability Risk. Sustainability risk is an inclusive term to designate investment risk that relates to environmental, social or governance issues. Sustainability risk around
environmental issues includes, but is not limited to, climate risk, both physical and transition risk. Risks related to social issues can include, but are not limited to, labor rights and community relations. Governance-related risks can include, but are not limited to, risks around board independence, ownership and control, and audit and tax management. Sustainability risk can also manifest itself through different existing risk types including, but not limited to, market, liquidity, concentration, credit and asset-liability mismatch risk. These risks can impact an issuer's operational effectiveness and resilience as well as its public perception and reputation, affecting its profitability and, in turn, its capital growth and ultimately impacting the value of holdings in the Fund. As a result, sustainability risk factors may have a material impact on an investment, may increase volatility, may affect liquidity and may have an adverse impact on the value of shares of the Fund.

Sustainability risk factors do not solely determine the risk profile of the investment. The relevance, severity, materiality and time horizon of sustainability risk factors and other risks can differ significantly across funds. All or a combination of these factors may have an unpredictable impact on the Fund's investments. Under normal market conditions, such events could have a material impact on the value of shares of the Fund. The impacts of sustainability risk are likely to develop over time, and new sustainability risks may be identified as further data and information regarding sustainability factors and impacts become available.

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***Technology Sector Risk. Technology companies, including information technology companies, may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. Technology companies typically face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. They are also heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by the loss or impairment of those rights. Companies in the technology sector are facing increased government and regulatory scrutiny and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory action.***

***Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Underlying Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Underlying Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme-relevant exposures in the Underlying Index. There is no guarantee that the Underlying Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.***

***Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to "tracking error," which is the divergence of the Fund's performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund's portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security's price at the local market close and the Fund's***

valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the Fund's NAV), transaction costs incurred by the Fund, the Fund's holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual or the valuation of dividends or interest received by the Fund or distributions paid to the Fund's shareholders, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, acceptance of custom baskets, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements, among other reasons. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. Tracking error may occur due to differences between the methodologies used in calculating the value of the Underlying Index and determining the Fund's NAV. **INDEX ETFs THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN EMERGING MARKETS ISSUERS MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.**

***Valuation Risk. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security or other asset and from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. In addition, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund's portfolio may***

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change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the securities not been fair valued or been valued using a different methodology. The ability to value investments may be

impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

#### Performance Information
As of the date of the Prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations and therefore has no performance information to report.

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#### Management

#### Investment Adviser. BlackRock Fund Advisors.
**Portfolio Managers. Jennifer Hsui, Greg Savage and Paul Whitehead (the "Portfolio Managers") are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. Each Portfolio Manager supervises a portfolio management team. Ms. Hsui, Mr. Savage and Mr. Whitehead have been Portfolio Managers of the Fund since inception (2023).**

#### Purchase and Sale of Fund Shares
The Fund is an ETF. Individual shares of the Fund may only be bought and sold in the secondary market through a broker-dealer. Because ETF shares trade at market prices rather than at NAV, shares may trade at a price greater than NAV (a premium) or less than NAV (a discount). An investor may incur costs attributable to the difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay to purchase shares of the Fund (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept for shares of the Fund (ask) when buying or selling shares in the secondary market (the "bid-ask spread").<br>

#### Tax Information
The Fund intends to make distributions that may be taxable to you as ordinary income or capital gains, unless you are investing through a tax-deferred arrangement such as a 401(k) plan or an individual retirement account ("IRA"), in which case, your distributions generally will be taxed when withdrawn.

#### Payments to Broker-Dealers and Other Financial Intermediaries
If you purchase shares of the Fund through a broker-dealer or other financial intermediary (such as a bank), BFA or other related companies may pay the intermediary for marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems or other services related to the sale or promotion of the Fund. These payments may create a conflict of interest by influencing the broker-dealer or other intermediary and your salesperson to recommend the Fund over another investment. Ask your salesperson or visit your financial intermediary's website for more information.<br>

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More Information About the Fund

This Prospectus contains important information about investing in the Fund. Please read this Prospectus carefully before you make any investment decisions. Additional information regarding the Fund is available at www.iShares.com.

BFA is the investment adviser to the Fund. Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC ("Nasdaq"). The market price for a share of the Fund may be different from the Fund's most recent NAV.

ETFs are funds that trade like other publicly-traded securities. The Fund is designed to track an index. Similar to shares of an index mutual fund, each share of the Fund represents an ownership interest in an underlying portfolio of securities and other instruments intended to track a market index. Unlike shares of a mutual fund, which can be bought and redeemed from the issuing fund by all shareholders at a price based on NAV, shares of the Fund may be purchased or redeemed directly from the Fund at NAV solely by Authorized Participants and only in aggregations of a specified number of shares ("Creation Units"). Also unlike shares of a mutual fund, shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange and trade in the secondary market at market prices that change throughout the day.

The Fund invests in a particular segment of the securities markets and seeks to track the performance of a securities index that is not representative of the market as a whole. The Fund is designed to be used as part of broader asset allocation strategies. Accordingly, an investment in the Fund should not constitute a complete investment program.

### Additional Index Information
To construct the Underlying Index, the Index Provider begins with securities from the Morningstar Global Markets ex India Index (the "Parent Index") and applies a number of exclusions. The Index Provider excludes constituents with an average three-month trailing daily trading volume of less than $2 million or a free float market capitalization of less than $300 million. The Index Provider also excludes the securities of companies that it identifies as being involved in the business of tobacco, companies involved with controversial weapons, producers and retailers of civilian firearms, and companies involved in thermal coal mining, thermal coal-based power generation or the extraction of oil sands. Certain exclusions (*e.g.*, controversial and nuclear weapons or the production of tobacco products) are categorical, and other exclusions are based on percentage of revenue or ownership thresholds (as discussed below).

Categorical exclusions include any issuer that has any involvement in:

• the sale of assault or
non-assault weapons;

• the manufacture of small arms
components;

• the production of tobacco
products; and

• controversial and nuclear weapons (*e.g.*, antipersonnel mines, biological and chemical weapons, depleted uranium, nuclear weapons, or white phosphorus).

Additionally, the Index Provider categorically excludes companies that it determines are involved in controversies related to the ten United Nations Global Compact

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("UNGC") principles, which are classified into four categories: human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. The Index Provider relies on the assessment of a third party data provider, Sustainalytics, to determine whether an issuer has violated the principles of the UNGC. To make this determination, Sustainalytics analyzes publicly reported allegations of adverse impacts caused by businesses and provides assessments based on the UNGC principles, categorizing those businesses as either "Non-compliant," "Watchlist," or "Compliant." Companies that Sustainalytics determines are Non-Compliant typically are causing or contributing to severe and/or systemic violations of international norms and are not acting in accordance with the UNGC principles and their associated standards, conventions, and treaties. All companies that Sustainalytics determines to be Non-Compliant are excluded from the Underlying Index.

Further, the Index Provider categorically excludes companies that Sustainalytics has assigned a controversy score of 5 (indicating the company experienced an event with a severe impact on the environment and society), or companies which have not been assigned a controversy score. Sustainalytics assesses companies' involvement in "incidents" with negative environmental, social, and governance implications and assigns a "controversy score", which reflects a company's level of involvement in issues and how it manages these issues. An incident is a company activity with unintended and/or undesired negative environmental and/or social impacts on stakeholders. Incidents are primarily assessed based on the negative environmental and/or social impact of the company activity as well as the reputational risk that this activity poses to the company and scored on a scale of 1 to 10. Incident scores serve as a guide to help Sustainalytics analysts determine the event rating. "Events" are series of isolated or related incidents that pertain to the same ESG issues. An event is assessed on a scale of 5 levels, with level 5 being severe, and the assessment takes into account the score of each incident comprising the event to determine the event level. A "controversy" is an event or aggregation of events relating to an ESG topic. The highest event rating under a controversy indicator automatically becomes the controversy score. Any company which receives either a controversy score of 5, or is not assessed at all, is excluded from the Underlying Index.

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
|  | The Index Provider also excludes issuers from the Underlying Index if they exceed any of the following revenue and ownership thresholds: |
| • | over 5% of an issuer's revenue is derived from thermal coal extraction or generation; |
| • | over 5% of an issuer's revenue is derived from oil sands extraction; |
| • | over 5% of an issuer's business is involved in the retail or distribution of assault or non-assault weapons; |
| • | over 5% of an issuer's business is involved in the retail of tobacco products or tobacco related products and services; or |
| • | an issuer owns over 20% of a business involved in antipersonnel mines, biological and chemical weapons, cluster weapons, depleted uranium, nuclear weapons, or white phosphorous. |

---

The Index Provider will apply a series of revenue screens on the resulting eligible constituents.

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### Additional Information
An index is a financial calculation, based on a grouping of financial instruments, and is not an investment product, while the Fund is an actual investment portfolio. The performance of the Fund and the Underlying Index may vary for a number of reasons, including transaction costs, non-U.S. currency valuations, asset valuations, corporate actions (such as mergers and spin-offs), timing variances and differences between the Fund's portfolio and the Underlying Index resulting from the Fund's use of representative sampling or from legal restrictions (such as diversification requirements) that apply to the Fund but not to the Underlying Index. From time to time, the Index Provider may make changes to the methodology or other adjustments to the Underlying Index. Unless otherwise determined by BFA, any such change or adjustment will be reflected in the calculation of the Underlying Index performance on a going-forward basis after the effective date of such change or adjustment. Therefore, the Underlying Index performance shown for periods prior to the effective date of any such change or adjustment will generally not be recalculated or restated to reflect such change or adjustment.

Because the Fund uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, it can be expected to have a larger tracking error than if it used a replication indexing strategy. "Replication" is an indexing strategy in which a fund invests in substantially all of the securities in its underlying index in approximately the same proportions as in the underlying index.

An investment in the Fund is not a bank deposit and it is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency, BFA or any of its affiliates.

The Fund's investment objective and the Underlying Index may be changed without shareholder approval.

A Further Discussion of Principal Risks

The Fund is subject to various risks, including the principal risks noted below, any of which may adversely affect the Fund's NAV, trading price, yield, total return and ability to meet its investment objective. You could lose all or part of your investment in the Fund, and the Fund could underperform other investments. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor. The Fund discloses its portfolio holdings daily at *www.iShares.com*.

**Asian Economic Risk. Many Asian economies have experienced rapid growth and industrialization in recent years, but there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. Other Asian economies, however, have experienced high inflation, high unemployment, currency devaluations and restrictions, and over-extension of credit. Geopolitical hostility, political instability, and economic or environmental events in any one Asian country may have a significant economic effect on the entire Asian region, as well as on major trading partners outside Asia. Any adverse event in the Asian markets may have a significant adverse effect on some or all of the economies of the**

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countries in which the Fund invests. In particular, China is a key trading partner of many Asian countries and any changes in trading relationships between China and other Asian countries may affect the region as a whole. Many Asian countries are subject to political risk, including political instability, corruption and regional conflict with neighboring countries. North Korea and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical tensions between the two countries present the risk of war. Escalated tensions involving the two countries and any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities, could have a severe adverse effect on the entire Asian region. Certain Asian countries have developed increasingly strained relationships with the U.S. or with China, and if these relations were to worsen, they could adversely affect Asian issuers that rely on the U.S. or China for trade. In addition, many Asian countries are subject to social and labor risks associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions. These risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of the Fund's investments.

**Asset Class Risk. The securities and other assets in the Underlying Index or in the Fund's portfolio may underperform in comparison to other securities or indexes that track other countries, groups of countries, regions, industries, groups of industries, markets, market segments, asset classes or sectors. Various types of securities, currencies and indexes may experience cycles of outperformance and underperformance in comparison to the general financial markets depending upon a number of factors including, among other things, inflation, interest rates, productivity, global demand for local products or resources, and regulation and governmental controls. This may cause the Fund to underperform other investment vehicles that invest in different asset classes.**

**Assets Under Management (AUM) Risk. From time to time, an Authorized Participant, a third-party investor, the Fund's adviser or an affiliate of the Fund's adviser, or a fund may invest in the Fund and hold its investment for a specific period of time to allow the Fund to achieve size or scale. There can be no assurance that any such entity would not redeem its investment or that the size of the Fund would be maintained at such levels, which could negatively impact the Fund.**

**Authorized Participant Concentration Risk. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund, and none of those Authorized Participants is obligated to engage in creation and/or redemption transactions. The Fund has a limited number of institutions that may act as Authorized Participants on an agency basis (*i.e.*, on behalf of other market participants). To the extent that Authorized Participants exit the business or are unable to proceed with creation or redemption orders with respect to the Fund and no other Authorized Participant is able to step forward to create or redeem Creation Units, Fund shares may be more likely to trade at a premium or discount to NAV and possibly face trading halts or delisting. Authorized Participant concentration risk may be heightened because ETFs, such as the Fund, that invest in securities issued by non-U.S. issuers or other securities or instruments that are less widely traded often involve greater settlement and operational issues and capital costs for Authorized Participants, which may limit the availability of Authorized Participants.**

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**Breakthrough Innovations and New Technologies Risk. Breakthrough innovations and new technologies are products or services that fundamentally change the dynamics of an industry or market. The Fund's holdings may include equity securities of operating companies that focus on or have exposure to a wide variety of industries, and the economic success of certain of these companies may not be significantly tied to breakthrough innovations and new technologies. Companies involved in breakthrough innovations and new technologies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel that face intense competition and potentially rapid product obsolescence. These companies may not be exclusively or substantially exposed to breakthrough innovations and new technologies, but may be exposed, directly or indirectly, to the market and business risks of other companies, industries or sectors. In addition, these companies may depend on intellectual property or patent rights to protect their innovations or new technologies, which may be difficult to prevent the misappropriation of, and are susceptible to competitors that may develop substantially similar or superior products or services.**

**Concentration Risk. The Fund may be susceptible to an increased risk of loss, including losses due to adverse events that affect the Fund's investments more than the market as a whole, to the extent that the Fund's investments are concentrated in the securities and/or other assets of a particular issuer or issuers, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, project types, group of project types, sector, market segment or asset class. The Fund may be more adversely affected by the underperformance of those securities and/or other assets, may experience increased price volatility and may be more susceptible to adverse economic, market, political or regulatory occurrences affecting those securities and/or other assets than a fund that does not concentrate its investments.**

**Consumer Cyclical Industry Risk. The success of consumer cyclical companies is tied closely to the performance of domestic and international economies, exchange rates, interest rates, competition, consumer confidence, changes in demographics and preferences. Companies in the consumer cyclical industry depend heavily on disposable household income and consumer spending, and may be strongly affected by social trends and marketing campaigns. These companies may be subject to severe competition, which may have an adverse impact on their profitability.**

**Currency Risk. Because the Fund's NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar or if there are delays or limits on repatriation of such currency, even if such currency value of the Fund's holdings in that market increases. Currency exchange rates can be very volatile and can change quickly and unpredictably. As a result, the Fund's NAV may change quickly and without warning.**

**Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades, as well as the holding of securities by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets may make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care**

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of their local markets. In general, the less developed a country's securities markets are, the higher the degree of custody risk.

**Cybersecurity Risk. The Fund, Authorized Participants, service providers and the relevant listing exchange are susceptible to operational, information security and related "cyber" risks both directly and through their service providers. Similar types of cybersecurity risks are also present for issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, which could result in material adverse consequences for such issuers and may cause the Fund's investment in such issuers to lose value. In general, cyber incidents can result from deliberate attacks or unintentional events. Cyber incidents include, but are not limited to, gaining unauthorized access to digital systems (*e.g.*, through "hacking" or malicious software coding) for purposes of misappropriating assets or sensitive information, corrupting data, or causing operational disruption. Cyberattacks may also be carried out in a manner that does not require gaining unauthorized access, such as causing denial-of-service attacks on websites (*i.e.*, efforts to make network services unavailable to intended users). Recently, geopolitical tensions may have increased the scale and sophistication of deliberate attacks, particularly those from nation-states or from entities with nation-state backing.** 

Cybersecurity failures by, or breaches of, the systems of the Fund's adviser, distributor and other service providers (including, but not limited to, index and benchmark providers, fund accountants, custodians, transfer agents and administrators), market makers, Authorized Participants or the issuers of securities in which the Fund invests have the ability to cause disruptions and impact business operations, potentially resulting in: financial losses, interference with the Fund's ability to calculate its NAV, disclosure of confidential trading information, impediments to trading, submission of erroneous trades or erroneous creation or redemption orders, the inability of the Fund or its service providers to transact business, violations of applicable privacy and other laws, regulatory fines, penalties, reputational damage, reimbursement or other compensation costs, or additional compliance costs. In addition, cyberattacks may render records of Fund assets and transactions, shareholder ownership of Fund shares, and other data integral to the functioning of the Fund inaccessible, inaccurate or incomplete. Substantial costs may be incurred by the Fund in order to resolve or prevent cyber incidents in the future. While the Fund has established business continuity plans in the event of, and risk management systems to prevent, such cyber incidents, there are inherent limitations in such plans and systems, including the possibility that certain risks have not been identified, that prevention and remediation efforts will not be successful or that cyberattacks will go undetected. Furthermore, the Fund cannot control the cybersecurity plans and systems put in place by service providers to the Fund, issuers in which the Fund invests, the Index Provider, market makers or Authorized Participants. The Fund and its shareholders could be negatively impacted as a result.

**European Economic Risk. The Economic and Monetary Union (the "eurozone") of the European Union (the "EU") requires compliance by member states that are members of the eurozone with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates and debt levels, as well as fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe, including those countries that are not members of the eurozone. Additionally, European countries outside of the eurozone may present economic risks**

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that are independent of the indirect effects that eurozone policies have on them. In particular, the U.K. economy may be affected by global economic, industrial and financial shifts. Changes in imports or exports, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro (the common currency of eurozone countries), the default or threat of default by an EU member state on its sovereign debt and/or an economic recession in an EU member state may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of other EU member states and their trading partners. The European financial markets have historically experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns or government debt levels in several European countries, including, but not limited to, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. These events have affected and may in the future adversely affect the exchange rate of the euro and may significantly affect European countries.

Responses to financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired results, may result in social unrest, may limit future growth and economic recovery or may have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU. The U.K. left the EU ("Brexit") on January 31, 2020. Brexit could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions and could contribute to instability in global political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets.

The national politics of countries in Europe have been unpredictable and subject to influence by disruptive political groups and ideologies, including, for example, secessionist movements. The governments of European countries may be subject to change and such countries may experience social and political unrest. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. The occurrence of terrorist incidents throughout Europe or war in the region could also impact financial markets. The impact of these events is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund's investments.

*Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The extent and duration of the military action, resulting sanctions and resulting future market disruptions, including declines in its stock markets and the value of the ruble against the U.S. dollar, are impossible to predict, but could be significant. Disruptions caused by Russian military action or other actions (including cyberattacks and espionage) or resulting actual and threatened responses to such activity, including purchasing and financing restrictions, boycotts or changes in consumer or purchaser preferences, sanctions, import and export restrictions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Russian government, Russian companies or Russian individuals, including politicians, may impact Russia's economy, Russian issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, or the economies of Europe as a whole. Actual and threatened responses to Russian military action may also impact the markets for certain Russian*

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commodities, such as oil and natural gas, as well as other sectors of the Russian economy, and are likely to have collateral impacts on such sectors across Europe and globally.

**ESG Risk. To the extent that the Underlying Index uses criteria related to the ESG characteristics of issuers, this may limit the types and number of investment opportunities available to the Fund and, as a result, the Fund may underperform other funds whose underlying index does not use ESG criteria. The Underlying Index's use of ESG criteria may result in the Fund investing in, or allocating greater weight to, securities or market sectors that underperform the market as a whole or underperform other funds that use ESG criteria. In addition, the use of representative sampling may result in divergence of the Fund's overall ESG characteristics or ESG risk from those of the Underlying Index.**

The Index Provider evaluates securities for inclusion and/or weighting in the Underlying Index based on ESG criteria and data provided by the Index Provider or third parties. The Index Provider's evaluation of securities' ESG characteristics depends on these criteria and data, which may vary by index provider, and no assurance can be given that they will be complete, accurate or current. In addition, the Index Provider may evaluate security-level ESG data (including ratings) and, if applicable, ESG objectives or constraints that are relevant to the Underlying Index only at index reviews or rebalances. Securities included in the Underlying Index may cease to meet the relevant ESG criteria but may nevertheless remain in the Underlying Index and the Fund until the next review or rebalance by the Index Provider. As a result, certain securities in the Underlying Index, or the Underlying Index as a whole, may not meet the relevant ESG objectives or constraints at all times. If the ESG assessment of a security in the Underlying Index or the Fund changes, neither the Fund nor BFA accepts any liability in relation to such change. BFA does not monitor securities in the Underlying Index with respect to ESG objectives or constraints applied by the Index Provider and is not responsible for changes to the ESG assessment of a security in the Underlying Index between rebalances. In addition, BFA does not assess the validity of the Index Provider's evaluation of the ESG characteristics of securities or the criteria and data used in such evaluation.

The impacts of risks related to ESG investing are likely to change over time, and new ESG risks may be identified as further data and information regarding ESG factors and impacts become available. In addition, methodologies for ESG investing continue to develop, and the ESG methodology applied by the Index Provider may change over time.

**Equity Securities Risk. The Fund invests in equity securities, which are subject to changes in value that may be attributable to market perception of a particular issuer or to general stock market fluctuations that affect all issuers. Investments in equity securities may be more volatile than investments in other asset classes. The Underlying Index is composed of common stocks, which generally subject their holders to more risks than preferred stocks and debt securities because common stockholders' claims are subordinated to those of holders of preferred stocks and debt securities upon the bankruptcy of the issuer.**

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**Geographic Risk. Some of the companies in which the Fund invests are located in parts of the world that have historically been prone to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, floods, hurricanes or tsunamis, and are economically sensitive to environmental events. Any such event may adversely impact the economies of these geographic areas or business operations of companies in these geographic areas, causing an adverse impact on the value of the Fund.**

**Industrials Sector Risk. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply and demand changes related to their specific products or services and industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Global events, trade disputes and changes in government regulations, economic conditions and exchange rates may adversely affect the performance of companies in the industrials sector. Companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by liability for environmental damage and product liability claims. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. Companies in the industrials sector, particularly aerospace and defense companies, may also be adversely affected by government spending policies because companies in this sector tend to rely to a significant extent on government demand for their products and services.**

**Index-Related Risk. The Fund seeks to achieve a return that corresponds generally to the price and yield performance, before fees and expenses, of the Underlying Index as published by the Index Provider. There is no assurance that the Index Provider or any agents that may act on its behalf will compile the Underlying Index accurately, or that the Underlying Index will be determined, composed or calculated accurately. While the Index Provider provides descriptions of what the Underlying Index is designed to achieve, neither the Index Provider nor its agents provide any warranty or accept any liability in relation to the quality, accuracy or completeness of the Underlying Index or its related data, and they do not guarantee that the Underlying Index will be in line with the Index Provider's methodology. BFA's mandate as described in this Prospectus is to manage the Fund consistently with the Underlying Index provided by the Index Provider to BFA. BFA does not provide any warranty or guarantee against the Index Provider's or any agent's errors. Errors in respect of the quality, accuracy and completeness of the data used to compile the Underlying Index may occur from time to time and may not be identified and corrected by the Index Provider for a period of time or at all, particularly where the indices are less commonly used as benchmarks by funds or managers. In addition, there may be heightened risks associated with the adequacy and reliability of the information the Index Provider uses given the Fund's exposure to emerging markets, as certain emerging markets may have less information available or less regulatory oversight. Such errors may negatively or positively impact the Fund and its shareholders. For example, during a period where the Underlying Index contains incorrect constituents, the Fund would have market exposure to such constituents and would be underexposed to the Underlying Index's other constituents. Shareholders should understand that any gains from Index Provider errors will be kept by the Fund and its shareholders and any losses or costs resulting from Index Provider errors will be borne by the Fund and its shareholders.**

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Unusual market conditions or other unforeseen circumstances (such as natural disasters, political unrest or war) may impact the Index Provider or a third-party data provider, and could cause the Index Provider to postpone a scheduled rebalance to the Underlying Index. This could cause the Underlying Index to vary from its normal or expected composition. The postponement of a scheduled rebalance could mean that constituents of the Underlying Index that would otherwise be removed at rebalance due to changes in market capitalizations, issuer credit ratings, or other reasons may remain, causing the performance and constituents of the Underlying Index to vary from those expected under normal conditions. Apart from scheduled rebalances, the Index Provider or its agents may carry out additional ad hoc rebalances to the Underlying Index due to reaching certain weighting constraints, unusual market conditions or corporate events or, for example, to correct an error in the selection of index constituents. When the Underlying Index is rebalanced and the Fund in turn rebalances its portfolio to attempt to increase the correlation between the Fund's portfolio and the Underlying Index, any transaction costs and market exposure arising from such portfolio rebalancing will be borne directly by the Fund and its shareholders. Therefore, errors and additional ad hoc rebalances carried out by the Index Provider or its agents to the Underlying Index may increase the costs to and the tracking error risk of the Fund.

**Infectious Illness Risk. A widespread outbreak of an infectious illness, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, may adversely affect the economies of many nations and the global economy and may impact individual issuers and capital markets in ways that cannot be foreseen.**

An infectious illness outbreak may result in travel restrictions, closed international borders, disruption of healthcare services, prolonged quarantines, cancellations, supply chain disruptions, lower consumer demand, temporary and permanent closures of businesses, layoffs, defaults and other significant economic, social and political impacts, as well as general concern and uncertainty.

An infectious illness outbreak may result in extreme volatility, severe losses, credit deterioration of issuers, and disruptions in markets, which could adversely impact the Fund and its investments, including impairing any hedging activity.

Certain local markets may be subject to closures. Any suspension of trading in markets in which the Fund invests will have an impact on the Fund and its investments and will impact the Fund's ability to purchase or sell securities in such markets. Market or economic disruptions could result in elevated tracking error and increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV. Additionally, an outbreak could impair the operations of the Fund's service providers, including BFA, which could adversely impact the Fund.

Governmental and quasi-governmental authorities and regulators throughout the world may respond to an outbreak and any resulting economic disruptions with a variety of fiscal and monetary policy changes, including direct capital infusions into companies and other issuers, new monetary policy tools, and changes in interest rates. A reversal of these policies, or the ineffectiveness of such policies, is likely to increase market volatility, which could adversely affect the Fund's investments.

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An outbreak may exacerbate other pre-existing political, social and economic risks in certain countries or globally, which could adversely affect the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV.

Despite the development of vaccines, the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects cannot be predicted with certainty.

**Issuer Risk. The performance of the Fund depends on the performance of individual securities to which the Fund has exposure. Any issuer of these securities may perform poorly, causing the value of its securities to decline. Poor performance may be caused by poor management decisions, competitive pressures, changes in technology, expiration of patent protection, disruptions in supply, labor problems or shortages, corporate restructurings, fraudulent disclosures, credit deterioration of the issuer or other factors. Issuers may, in times of distress or at their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock prices to decline. An issuer may also be subject to risks associated with the countries, states and regions in which the issuer resides, invests, sells products, or otherwise conducts operations.**

**Large-Capitalization Companies Risk. Large-capitalization companies may be less able than smaller capitalization companies to adapt to changing market conditions. Large-capitalization companies may be more mature and subject to more limited growth potential compared with smaller capitalization companies. During different market cycles, the performance of large-capitalization companies has trailed the overall performance of the broader securities markets.**

**Large Shareholder and Large-Scale Redemption Risk. Certain shareholders, including an Authorized Participant, a third-party investor, the Fund's adviser or an affiliate of the Fund's adviser, a market maker, or another entity, may from time to time own or manage a substantial amount of Fund shares or may invest in the Fund and hold their investment for a limited period of time. These shareholders may also pledge or loan Fund shares (to secure financing or otherwise), which may result in the shares becoming concentrated in another party. There can be no assurance that any large shareholder or large group of shareholders would not redeem their investment or that the size of the Fund would be maintained. Redemptions of a large number of Fund shares by these shareholders may adversely affect the Fund's liquidity and net assets. To the extent the Fund permits redemptions in cash, these redemptions may force the Fund to sell portfolio securities when it might not otherwise do so, which may negatively impact the Fund's NAV, have a material effect on the market price of the Shares and increase the Fund's brokerage costs and/or accelerate the realization of taxable income and/or gains and cause the Fund to make taxable distributions to its shareholders earlier than the Fund otherwise would have. In addition, under certain circumstances, non-redeeming shareholders may be treated as receiving a disproportionately large taxable distribution during or with respect to such tax year. The Fund also may be required to sell its more liquid Fund investments to meet a large redemption, in which case the Fund's remaining assets may be less liquid, more volatile, and more difficult to price. To the extent these large shareholders transact in shares on the secondary market, such transactions may account for a large percentage of the trading volume for the shares of the Fund and may, therefore, have a material upward or downward effect on the market price of the Fund shares. In**

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addition, large purchases of Fund shares may adversely affect the Fund's performance to the extent that the Fund is delayed in investing new cash and is required to maintain a larger cash position than it ordinarily would, diluting its investment returns.

**Management Risk. Because BFA uses a representative sampling indexing strategy, the Fund will not fully replicate the Underlying Index and may hold securities not included in the Underlying Index. As a result, the Fund is subject to the risk that BFA's investment strategy, the implementation of which is subject to a number of constraints, may not produce the intended results.**

**Market Risk. The Fund could lose money over short periods due to short-term market movements and over longer periods during more prolonged market downturns. The value of a security, asset, or other instrument may decline due to changes in general market conditions, economic trends or events that are not specifically related to the issuer of the security or other asset, or factors that affect a particular issuer or issuers, exchange or exchanges, country, group of countries, region, market, industry, group of industries, sector or asset class. Local, regional or global events such as war, acts of terrorism, the spread of infectious illness or other public health issues, recessions, or other events could have a significant impact on the Fund and its investments and could result in increased premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV. During a general market downturn, multiple asset classes may be negatively affected. Changes in market conditions and interest rates generally do not have the same impact on all types of securities and instruments.**

#### Market Trading Risk.
*Absence of Active Market. Although shares of the Fund are listed for trading on one or more stock exchanges, there can be no assurance that an active trading market for such shares will develop or be maintained by market makers or Authorized Participants.*

*Risk of Secondary Listings. The Fund's shares may be listed or traded on U.S. and non-U.S. stock exchanges other than the U.S. stock exchange where the Fund's primary listing is maintained, and may otherwise be made available to non-U.S. investors through funds or structured investment vehicles similar to depositary receipts. There can be no assurance that the Fund's shares will continue to trade on any such stock exchange or in any market or that the Fund's shares will continue to meet the requirements for listing or trading on any exchange or in any market. The Fund's shares may be less actively traded in certain markets than in others, and investors are subject to the execution and settlement risks and market standards of the market where they or their broker direct their trades for execution. Certain information available to investors who trade Fund shares on a U.S. stock exchange during regular U.S. market hours may not be available to investors who trade in other markets, which may result in secondary market prices in such markets being less efficient.*

*Secondary Market Trading Risk. Shares of the Fund may trade in the secondary market at times when the Fund does not accept orders to purchase or redeem shares. At such times, shares may trade in the secondary market with more significant premiums or discounts than might be experienced at times when the Fund accepts purchase and redemption orders.*

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Secondary market trading in Fund shares may be halted by a stock exchange because of market conditions or for other reasons. In addition, trading in Fund shares on a stock exchange or in any market may be subject to trading halts caused by extraordinary market volatility pursuant to "circuit breaker" rules on the stock exchange or market.

Shares of the Fund, similar to shares of other issuers listed on a stock exchange, may be sold short and are therefore subject to the risk of increased volatility and price decreases associated with being sold short. In addition, trading activity in derivative products based on the Fund may lead to increased trading volume and volatility in the secondary market for the shares of the Fund.

*Shares of the Fund May Trade at Prices Other Than NAV. Shares of the Fund trade on stock exchanges at prices at, above or below the Fund's most recent NAV. The NAV of the Fund is calculated at the end of each business day and fluctuates with changes in the market value of the Fund's holdings. The trading price of the Fund's shares fluctuates continuously throughout trading hours based on both market supply of and demand for Fund shares and the underlying value of the Fund's portfolio holdings or NAV. As a result, the trading prices of the Fund's shares may deviate significantly from NAV during periods of market volatility. **ANY OF THESE FACTORS, AMONG OTHERS, MAY LEAD TO THE FUND'S SHARES TRADING AT A PREMIUM OR DISCOUNT TO NAV**. However, because shares can be created and redeemed in Creation Units at NAV, BFA believes that large discounts or premiums to the NAV of the Fund are not likely to be sustained over the long term (unlike shares of many closed-end funds, which frequently trade at appreciable discounts from, and sometimes at premiums to, their NAVs). While the creation/redemption feature is designed to make it more likely that the Fund's shares normally will trade on stock exchanges at prices close to the Fund's next calculated NAV, exchange prices are not expected to correlate exactly with the Fund's NAV due to timing reasons, supply and demand imbalances and other factors. In addition, disruptions to creations and redemptions, including disruptions at market makers, Authorized Participants, or other market participants, and during periods of significant market volatility, may result in trading prices for shares of the Fund that differ significantly from its NAV. Authorized Participants may be less willing to create or redeem Fund shares if there is a lack of an active market for such shares or its underlying investments, which may contribute to the Fund's shares trading at a premium or discount to NAV.*

*Costs of Buying or Selling Fund Shares. Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange involves two types of costs that apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling shares of the Fund through a broker, you will likely incur a brokerage commission and other charges. In addition, you may incur the cost of the "spread"; that is, the difference between what investors are willing to pay for Fund shares (the "bid" price) and the price at which they are willing to sell Fund shares (the "ask" price). The spread, which varies over time for shares of the Fund based on trading volume and market liquidity, is generally narrower if the Fund has more trading volume and market liquidity and wider if the Fund has less trading volume and market liquidity. In addition, increased market volatility may cause wider spreads. There may also be regulatory and other charges that are incurred as a result of trading activity. Because*

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of the costs inherent in buying or selling Fund shares, frequent trading may detract significantly from investment results and an investment in Fund shares may not be advisable for investors who anticipate regularly making small investments through a brokerage account.

**Mid-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of large-capitalization companies and, therefore, the Fund's share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger percentage of their assets in stocks issued by large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of mid-capitalization companies are also more vulnerable than those of large-capitalization companies to adverse business or economic developments, and the stocks of mid-capitalization companies may be less liquid than those of large-capitalization companies, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell shares of mid-capitalization companies. In addition, mid-capitalization companies generally have less diverse product lines than large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments related to their products.**

**National Closed Market Trading Risk. To the extent that the underlying securities and/or other assets held by the Fund trade on foreign exchanges or in foreign markets that may be closed when the securities exchange on which the Fund's shares trade is open, there are likely to be deviations between the current price of an underlying security and the last quoted price for the underlying security (*i.e.*, the Fund's quote from the closed foreign market). The impact of a closed foreign market on the Fund is likely to be greater where a large portion of the Fund's underlying securities and/or other assets trade on that closed foreign market or when the foreign market is closed for unscheduled reasons. These deviations could result in premiums or discounts to the Fund's NAV that may be greater than those experienced by other ETFs.**

**Non-Diversification Risk. The Fund is classified as "non-diversified." This means that, compared with other funds that are classified as "diversified," the Fund may invest a greater percentage of its assets in securities issued by or representing a small number of issuers. As a result, the Fund may be more susceptible to the risks associated with these particular issuers or to a single economic, political or regulatory occurrence affecting these issuers.**

**Non-U.S. Securities Risk. Investments in the securities of non-U.S. issuers are subject to the risks of investing in the markets where such issuers are located, including heightened risks of inflation, nationalization and market fluctuations caused by economic and political developments. As a result of investing in non-U.S. securities, the Fund may be subject to increased risk of loss caused by any of the factors listed below:**

■ Government intervention in
issuers' operations or structure;

■ A lack of market liquidity and
market efficiency;

■ Greater securities price
volatility;

■ Exchange rate fluctuations
and exchange controls;

■ Less availability of public
information about issuers;

■ Limitations on
 foreign ownership of securities;

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■ Imposition of withholding or
other taxes;

■ Imposition
of restrictions on the expatriation of the funds or other assets of the Fund;

■ Higher transaction and
custody costs and delays in settlement procedures;

■ Difficulties in enforcing
contractual obligations;

■ Lower levels of regulation of
the securities markets;

■ Weaker
accounting, disclosure and reporting requirements and the risk of being delisted from U.S. exchanges; and

■ Legal
 principles relating to corporate governance, directors' fiduciary duties and liabilities and stockholders' rights in markets in which the Fund invests may differ from or may not be as extensive or protective as those that apply in the
U.S.

*Withholding Tax Reclaims Risk. The Fund may file claims to recover withholding tax on dividend and interest income (if any) received from issuers in certain countries where such withholding tax reclaim is possible. Whether or when the Fund will receive a withholding tax refund in the future is within the control of the tax authorities in such countries. Where the Fund expects to recover withholding tax based on a continuous assessment of probability of recovery, the NAV of the Fund generally includes accruals for such tax refunds. The Fund continues to evaluate tax developments for potential impact to the probability of recovery. If the likelihood of receiving refunds materially decreases, for example due to a change in tax regulation or approach, accruals in the Fund's NAV for such refunds may need to be written down partially or in full, which will adversely affect that Fund's NAV. Investors in the Fund at the time an accrual is written down will bear the impact of any resulting reduction in NAV regardless of whether they were investors during the accrual period. Conversely, if a Fund receives a tax refund that has not been previously accrued, investors in the Fund at the time the claim is successful will benefit from any resulting increase in the Fund's NAV. Investors who sold their shares prior to such time will not benefit from such NAV increase.*

**Operational Risk. The Fund is exposed to operational risks arising from a number of factors, including, but not limited to, human error, processing and communication errors, errors of the Fund's service providers, counterparties or other third parties, failed or inadequate processes and technology or systems failures. The Fund and BFA seek to reduce these operational risks through controls and procedures. However, these measures do not address every possible risk and may be inadequate to address significant operational risks.**

**Passive Investment Risk. The Fund is not actively managed and may be affected by a general decline in market segments related to the Underlying Index. The Fund invests in securities included in, or representative of, the Underlying Index, regardless of their investment merits. BFA generally does not attempt to invest the Fund's assets in defensive positions under any market conditions, including declining markets.**

**Privatization Risk. Some countries in which the Fund invests have privatized, or have begun the process of privatizing, certain entities and industries. Newly privatized companies may face strong competition from government-sponsored competitors that have not been privatized. In some instances, investors in newly privatized entities have**

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suffered losses due to the inability of the newly privatized entities to adjust quickly to a competitive environment or changing regulatory and legal standards or, in some cases, due to re-nationalization of such privatized entities. There is no assurance that similar losses will not recur.

**Reliance on Trading Partners Risk. The economies of the countries included in the Underlying Index are dependent on one another and on the U.S. as key trading partners. Reduction in spending on the products and services of these countries by any of their key trading partners, institution of tariffs or other trade barriers or a slowdown in the economies of any of their key trading partners may cause an adverse impact on the economies of the Underlying Index.**

**Risk of Investing in China. China subjects the Fund to risks specific to China. The Chinese economy is subject to a considerable degree of economic, political and social instability.**

*Political and Social Risk. The Chinese government is authoritarian and has periodically used force to suppress civil dissent. Disparities of wealth and the pace of economic liberalization may lead to social turmoil, violence and labor unrest. In addition, China continues to experience disagreements related to integration with Hong Kong and religious and nationalist disputes in Tibet and Xinjiang. There is also a greater risk in China than in many other countries of currency fluctuations, currency non-convertibility, interest rate fluctuations and higher rates of inflation as a result of internal social unrest or conflicts with other countries. Unanticipated political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. China's growing income inequality, rapidly aging population and significant environmental issues also are factors that may affect the Chinese economy.*

*Government Control and Regulations. The Chinese government has implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in the economy, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms. There can be no assurance that these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite recent reform and privatizations, government control over certain sectors or enterprises and significant regulation of investment and industry is still pervasive, including restrictions on investment in companies or industries deemed to be sensitive to particular national interests, trading of securities of Chinese issuers, foreign ownership of Chinese corporations and/or the repatriation of assets by foreign investors. Limitations or restrictions on foreign ownership of securities may have adverse effects on the liquidity and performance of the Fund and could lead to higher tracking error. Chinese markets generally continue to experience inefficiency, volatility and pricing anomalies that may be connected to governmental influence, lack of publicly available information political and social instability. Chinese companies, such as those in the financial services or technology sectors, and potentially other sectors are also subject to the risk that Chinese authorities can intervene in their operations and structure, which may negatively affect the value of the Fund's investments.*

*Economic Risk. The Chinese economy has grown rapidly in the recent past, and there is no assurance that this growth rate will be maintained. In fact, the Chinese economy may experience a significant slowdown as a result of, among other things, a*

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deterioration in global demand for Chinese exports, as well as a contraction in spending on domestic goods by Chinese consumers. In addition, China may experience substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, which would have a negative effect on its economy and securities market. Delays in enterprise restructuring, slow development of well-functioning financial markets and widespread corruption have also hindered the performance of the Chinese economy. China continues to receive substantial pressure from trading partners to liberalize official currency exchange rates.

*Expropriation Risk. The Chinese government maintains a major role in economic policymaking, and investing in China involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested.* 

*Security Risk. China has strained international relations with Taiwan, Japan, India, Russia and other neighbors due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, defense concerns and other security concerns. Heightened tensions or an outbreak of hostilities between China and Taiwan may adversely impact China's economy as well as the global economy and the value of the Fund's investments. Additionally, China is alleged to have participated in state-sponsored cyberattacks against foreign companies and foreign governments. Actual and threatened responses to such activity and strained international relations, including purchasing restrictions, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Chinese government or Chinese companies, may impact China's economy and Chinese issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. Relations between China's Han ethnic majority and other ethnic groups in China, including Tibetans and Uighurs, are also strained and have been marked by protests and violence. These situations may cause uncertainty in the Chinese market and may adversely affect the Chinese economy. In addition, conflict on the Korean Peninsula could adversely affect the Chinese economy. Such risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of the Fund's investments.* 

*Chinese Equity Markets. The Fund invests in Chinese securities, including H-shares, A-shares, B-shares, Red-Chips and/or P-Chips. The issuance of B-shares and H-shares by Chinese companies and the ability to obtain a "back-door listing" through Red-Chips or P-Chips is still regarded by the Chinese authorities as an experiment in economic reform. "Back-door listing" is a means by which a mainland Chinese company issues Red-Chips or P-Chips to obtain quick access to international listing and international capital. These share mechanisms are subject to the political and economic policies in China.*

*Limited Information and Legal Remedies. Chinese companies, including Chinese companies that are listed on U.S. exchanges, are not subject to the same degree of regulatory requirements, accounting standards or auditor oversight as companies in more developed countries. As a result, information about the Chinese securities in which the Fund invests may be less reliable or complete. There may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against Chinese companies, and shareholders may have limited legal remedies. The Fund is not actively managed and does not select investments based on investor protection considerations.*

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**Risk of Investing in Developed Countries. Investment in developed country issuers may subject the Fund to legal, regulatory, political, currency, security, economic and other risks associated with developed countries.Developed countries generally tend to rely on services sectors (*e.g.,* the financial services sector) as the primary means of economic growth. A prolonged slowdown in one or more services sectors is likely to have a negative impact on economies of certain developed countries, although economies of individual developed countries can be impacted by slowdowns in other sectors. In the past, certain developed countries have been targets of terrorism, and some geographic areas in which the Fund invests have experienced strained international relations due to territorial disputes, historical animosities, defense concerns and other security concerns. These situations may cause uncertainty in the financial markets in these countries or geographic areas and may adversely affect the performance of the issuers to which the Fund has exposure. Heavy regulation of certain markets, including labor and product markets, may have an adverse effect on certain issuers. Such regulations may negatively affect economic growth or cause prolonged periods of recession. Many developed countries are heavily indebted and face rising healthcare and retirement expenses. In addition, price fluctuations of certain commodities and regulations impacting the import of commodities may negatively affect developed country economies.**

**Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market issuers are subject to a greater risk of loss than investments in issuers located or operating in more developed markets. This is due to, among other things, the potential for greater market volatility, lower trading volume, higher levels of inflation, social, political or economic instability, greater risk of a market shutdown and more governmental limitations on foreign investments in emerging market countries than are typically found in more developed markets.**

Some countries in which the Fund may invest may experience economic instability, including instability resulting from substantial rates of inflation or significant devaluations of their currency, or economic recessions, which would have a negative effect on the economies and securities markets of their economies. Some of these countries may also impose restrictions on the exchange or export of currency or adverse currency exchange rates and may be characterized by a lack of available currency hedging instruments.

Disparities of wealth, the pace and success of democratization and ethnic, religious and racial disaffection, among other factors, may exacerbate social unrest, violence and labor unrest in some of the countries in which the Fund may invest. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses.

Companies in many emerging markets are not subject to the same degree of regulatory requirements, accounting standards or auditor oversight as companies in more developed countries, and as a result, information about the securities in which the Fund invests may be less reliable or complete. Moreover, emerging markets often have less reliable securities valuations and greater risks associated with custody of securities than developed markets. There may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against companies and

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shareholders may have limited legal remedies. The Fund is not actively managed and does not select investments based on investor protection considerations.

In addition, emerging markets often have greater risk of capital controls through such measures as taxes or interest rate control than developed markets. Certain emerging market countries may also lack the infrastructure necessary to attract large amounts of foreign trade and investment. Chronic structural public sector deficits in some countries in which the Fund may invest may adversely impact securities held by the Fund.

Local securities markets in emerging market countries may trade a small number of securities and may be unable to respond effectively to changes in trading volume, potentially making prompt liquidation of holdings difficult or impossible at times. Settlement procedures in emerging market countries are frequently less developed and reliable than those in the U.S. (and other developed countries). In addition, significant delays may occur in certain markets in registering the transfer of securities. Settlement or registration problems may make it more difficult for the Fund to value its portfolio securities and could have an adverse effect on the Fund in seeking to achieve its investment objective.

Investing in emerging market countries involves a higher risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested in certain emerging market countries. As a result, investments in certain countries in which the Fund may invest may be subject to loss due to expropriation or nationalization of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and repatriation of capital.

**Risk of Investing in the U.S. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations, inflation and/or an economic recession in the U.S. may have a material adverse effect on the U.S. economy and the securities listed on U.S. exchanges. Proposed and adopted policy and legislative changes in the U.S. are changing many aspects of financial, commercial, public health, environmental, and other regulation and may have a significant effect on U.S. markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities. Governmental agencies project that the U.S. will continue to maintain elevated public debt levels for the foreseeable future. Although elevated debt levels do not necessarily indicate or cause economic problems, elevated public debt service costs may constrain future economic growth.**

The U.S. has developed increasingly strained relations with a number of foreign countries. If relations with certain countries deteriorate, it could adversely affect U.S. issuers as well as non-U.S. issuers that rely on the U.S. for trade. The U.S. has also experienced increased internal unrest and discord, as well as significant challenges in managing and containing the outbreak of COVID-19. If these trends were to continue, it may have an adverse impact on the U.S. economy and the issuers in which the Fund invests.

**Securities Lending Risk. The Fund may engage in securities lending. Securities lending involves the risk that the Fund may lose money because the borrower of the loaned securities fails to return the securities in a timely manner or at all. The Fund could also lose money in the event of a decline in the value of collateral provided for**

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loaned securities or a decline in the value of any investments made with cash collateral. These events could also trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. ("BTC"), the Fund's securities lending agent, will take into account the tax impact to shareholders of substitute payments for dividends when managing the Fund's securities lending program.

**Small Fund Risk. When the Fund's size is small, the Fund may experience low trading volume and wide bid/ask spreads. In addition, the Fund may face the risk of being delisted if the Fund does not meet certain conditions of the listing exchange. If the Fund were to be required to delist from the listing exchange, the value of the Fund may rapidly decline and performance may be negatively impacted. Any resulting liquidation of the Fund could cause the Fund to incur elevated transaction costs for the Fund and negative tax consequences for its shareholders.**

**Sustainability Risk. Sustainability risk is an inclusive term to designate investment risk (probability or uncertainty of occurrence of material losses relative to the expected return of an investment) that relates to environmental, social or governance issues.**

Sustainability risk around environmental issues includes, but is not limited to, climate risk, both physical and transition risk. Physical risk arises from the physical effects of climate change, acute or chronic. For example, frequent and severe climate-related events can impact products and services and supply chains. Transition risk – whether policy, technology, market or reputation risk – arises from the adjustment to a low-carbon economy in order to mitigate climate change. Risks related to social issues can include, but are not limited to, labor rights and community relations. Governance-related risks can include but are not limited to risks around board independence, ownership and control, and audit and tax management. These risks can impact an issuer's operational effectiveness and resilience as well as its public perception and reputation, affecting its profitability and, in turn, its capital growth and ultimately impacting the value of holdings in the Fund.

These are only examples of sustainability risk factors, and sustainability risk factors do not solely determine the risk profile of the investment. The relevance, severity, materiality and time horizon of sustainability risk factors and other risks can differ significantly across funds.

Sustainability risk can manifest itself through different existing risk types including, but not limited to, market, liquidity, concentration, credit and asset-liability mismatch risk. For example, the Fund may invest in the securities of an issuer that could face potentially reduced revenues or increased expenditures from physical climate risk (*e.g.*, decreased production capacity due to supply chain perturbations, lower sales due to demand shocks or higher operating or capital costs) or transition risk (*e.g.*, decreased demand for carbon-intensive products and services or increased production costs due to changing input prices). As a result, sustainability risk factors may have a material impact on an investment, may increase volatility, may affect liquidity and may have an adverse impact on the value of shares of the Fund.

The impact of those risks may be higher for funds with particular sectoral or geographic concentrations. For example, funds with geographic concentration in locations susceptible to adverse weather conditions where the value of the

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investments in the funds may be more susceptible to adverse physical climate events, or funds with specific sectoral concentrations, such as investing in industries or issuers with high carbon intensity or high switching costs associated with the transition to low carbon alternatives, may be more impacted by climate transition risks.

All or a combination of these factors may have an unpredictable impact on the relevant fund's investments. Under normal market conditions, such events could have a material impact on the value of shares of the Fund.

Assessments of sustainability risk are specific to the asset class and to a fund's investment objective. Different asset classes require different data and tools to apply heightened scrutiny, assess materiality, and make meaningful differentiation among issuers and assets. To the extent consistent with the Fund's investment objective, risks are considered and risk managed concurrently, by prioritizing in part based on materiality and on the Fund's objective.

The impacts of sustainability risk are likely to develop over time, and new sustainability risks may be identified as further data and information regarding sustainability factors and impacts become available.

**Technology Sector Risk. Technology companies, including information technology companies, face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on a company's profit margins. Technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of technology companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments, frequent new product introduction, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. Companies in the technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and other intellectual property rights. A technology company's loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the company's profitability. Companies in the technology sector are facing increased government and regulatory scrutiny and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory action. The technology sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors.**

**Thematic Investing Risk. The Fund relies on the Index Provider for the identification of securities for inclusion in the Underlying Index that reflect themes and sub-themes, and its performance may suffer if such securities are not correctly identified or if a theme or sub-theme develops in an unexpected manner. Performance may also suffer if the stocks included in the Underlying Index do not benefit from the development of such themes or sub-themes. Performance may also be impacted by the inclusion of non-theme-relevant exposures in the Underlying Index. There is no guarantee that the Underlying Index will reflect the theme and sub-theme exposures intended.**

**Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to "tracking error," which is the divergence of the Fund's performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund's portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences (including, as applicable, differences between a security's price at the local market close and the Fund's valuation of a security at the time of calculation of the**

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Fund's NAV), transaction costs incurred by the Fund, the Fund's holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual or the valuation of dividends or interest received by the Fund or distributions paid to the Fund's shareholders, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, acceptance of custom baskets, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements, among other reasons. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. Tracking error may occur due to differences between the methodologies used in calculating the value of the Underlying Index and determining the Fund's NAV. **INDEX ETFs THAT TRACK INDICES WITH SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT IN EMERGING MARKETS ISSUERS MAY EXPERIENCE HIGHER TRACKING ERROR THAN OTHER ETFs THAT DO NOT TRACK SUCH INDICES.**

**U.S. Economic Risk. The U.S. is a significant, and in some cases the most significant, trading partner of, or foreign investor in, certain countries in which the Fund invests. As a result, economic conditions of such countries may be particularly affected by changes in the U.S. economy. A decrease in U.S. imports or exports, new trade and financial regulations or tariffs, changes in the U.S. dollar exchange rate or an economic slowdown in the U.S. may have a material adverse effect on the economic conditions of such countries and, as a result, securities to which the Fund has exposure.**

**Valuation Risk. The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of a security or other asset may differ from the Fund's valuation of the security or other asset and from the value used by the Underlying Index, particularly for securities or other assets that trade in low volume or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair value methodology as a result of trade suspensions or for other reasons. Because non-U.S. exchanges may be open on days or during time periods when the Fund does not price its shares, the value of the securities or other assets in the Fund's portfolio may change on days or during time periods when shareholders will not be able to purchase or sell the Fund's shares. In addition, for purposes of calculating the Fund's NAV, the value of assets denominated in non-U.S. currencies is translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates. This translation may result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index. Authorized Participants who purchase or redeem Fund shares on days when the Fund is holding fair-valued securities may receive fewer or more shares, or lower or higher redemption proceeds, than they would have received had the securities not been fair valued or been valued using a different methodology. The ability to value investments may be impacted by technological issues or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.**

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A Further Discussion of Other Risks

The Fund may also be subject to certain other risks associated with its investments and investment strategies. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

**Close-Out Risk for Qualified Financial Contracts. Regulations adopted by global prudential regulators require counterparties that are part of U.S. or foreign global systemically important banking organizations to include contractual restrictions on close-out and cross-default in agreements relating to qualified financial contracts. Qualified financial contracts include agreements relating to swaps, currency forwards and other derivatives as well as repurchase agreements and securities lending agreements. The restrictions prevent the Fund from closing out a qualified financial contract during a specified time period if the counterparty is subject to resolution proceedings and also prohibit the Fund from exercising default rights due to a receivership or similar proceeding of an affiliate of the counterparty. These requirements may increase credit risk and other risks to the Fund.**

**Illiquid Investments Risk. The Fund may not acquire any illiquid investment if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. Liquid investments may become illiquid after purchase by the Fund, particularly during periods of market turmoil. There can be no assurance that a security or instrument that is deemed to be liquid when purchased will continue to be liquid for as long as it is held by the Fund, and any security or instrument held by the Fund may be deemed an illiquid investment pursuant to the Fund's liquidity risk management program. To the extent the Fund holds illiquid investments, the illiquid investments may reduce the returns of the Fund because the Fund may be unable to transact at advantageous times or prices. An investment may be illiquid due to, among other things, the reduced number and capacity of traditional market participants to make a market in securities or instruments, the lack of an active market for such securities or instruments, capital controls, delays or limits on repatriation of local currency, or insolvency of local governments. To the extent that the Fund invests in securities or instruments with substantial market and/or credit risk, the Fund will tend to have increased exposure to the risks associated with illiquid investments. Illiquid investments may be harder to value, especially in changing markets. If the Fund is forced to sell underlying investments at reduced prices or under unfavorable conditions to meet redemption requests or for other cash needs, the Fund may suffer a loss. This may be magnified in a rising interest rate environment or other circumstances where redemptions from the Fund may be greater than normal. Other market participants may be attempting to liquidate holdings at the same time as the**

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Fund, causing increased supply of the Fund's underlying investments in the market and contributing to illiquid investments risk and downward pricing pressure. In addition, if the Fund is limited in its ability to sell illiquid investments during periods when shareholders are redeeming their shares, the Fund will need to sell liquid securities to meet redemption requests and illiquid securities will become a larger portion of the Fund's holdings. During periods of market volatility, liquidity in the market for the Fund's shares may be impacted by the liquidity in the market for the underlying securities or instruments held by the Fund, which could lead to the Fund's shares trading at a premium or discount to the Fund's NAV.

**Small-Capitalization Companies Risk. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies may be more volatile than those of larger companies and, therefore, the Fund's share price may be more volatile than those of funds that invest a larger percentage of their assets in stocks issued by mid- or large-capitalization companies. Stock prices of small-capitalization companies are generally more vulnerable than those of mid- or large-capitalization companies to adverse business and economic developments. Securities of small-capitalization companies may be thinly traded, making it difficult for the Fund to buy and sell them. In addition, small-capitalization companies are typically less financially stable than larger, more established companies and may depend on a small number of essential personnel, making these companies more vulnerable to experiencing adverse effects due to the loss of personnel. Small-capitalization companies also normally have less diverse product lines than those of mid- or large-capitalization companies and are more susceptible to adverse developments concerning their products.**

**Threshold/Underinvestment Risk. If certain aggregate and/or fund-level ownership thresholds are reached through transactions undertaken by BFA, its affiliates or the Fund, or as a result of third-party transactions or actions by an issuer or regulator, the ability of BFA and its affiliates on behalf of clients (including the Fund) to purchase or dispose of investments, or exercise rights or undertake business transactions, may be restricted by regulation or otherwise impaired. The capacity of the Fund to make investments in certain securities may be affected by the relevant threshold limits, and such limitations may have adverse effects on the liquidity and performance of the Fund's portfolio holdings compared to the performance of the Underlying Index. This may increase the risk of the Fund being underinvested to the Underlying Index and increase the risk of tracking error.**

For example, in certain circumstances where the Fund invests in securities issued by companies that operate in certain regulated industries or in certain emerging or international markets, is subject to corporate or regulatory ownership restrictions, or invests in certain futures or other derivative transactions, there may be limits on the aggregate and/or fund-level amount invested or voted by BFA and its affiliates for their proprietary accounts and for client accounts (including the Fund) that may not be exceeded without the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate consent or, if exceeded, may cause BFA and its affiliates, the Fund or other client accounts to suffer disadvantages or business restrictions.

#### Utilities Sector Risk. Companies in the utilities sector may be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates, domestic and international competition, and governmental

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limitations on rates charged to consumers. The value of regulated utility debt securities (and, to a lesser extent, equity securities) tends to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Deregulation may subject utility companies to greater competition and may adversely affect their profitability. As deregulation allows utility companies to diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business, utility companies may engage in riskier ventures. In addition, deregulation may eliminate restrictions on the profits of certain utility companies, but may also subject these companies to greater risk of loss. Companies in the utilities industry may have difficulty obtaining an adequate return on invested capital, raising capital, or financing large construction projects during periods of inflation or unsettled capital markets; face restrictions on operations and increased cost and delays attributable to environmental considerations and regulation; find that existing plants, equipment or products have been rendered obsolete by technological innovations; or be subject to increased costs because of the scarcity of certain fuels or the effects of man-made or natural disasters. Existing and future regulations or legislation may make it difficult for utility companies to operate profitably. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain countries, regulatory authorities may also restrict utility companies' access to new markets, thereby diminishing these companies' long-term prospects. There is no assurance that regulatory authorities will grant rate increases in the future or that such increases will be adequate to permit the payment of dividends on stocks issued by a utility company. Energy conservation and changes in climate policy may also have a significant adverse impact on the revenues and expenses of utility companies.

Portfolio Holdings Information

A description of the Trust's policies and procedures with respect to the disclosure of the Fund's portfolio securities is available in the Fund's Statement of Additional Information ("SAI"). The Fund discloses its portfolio holdings daily at *www.iShares.com.* Fund fact sheets provide information regarding the Fund's top holdings and may be requested by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737).

Management

**Investment Adviser. As investment adviser, BFA has overall responsibility for the general management and administration of the Fund. BFA provides an investment program for the Fund and manages the investment of the Fund's assets. In managing the Fund, BFA may draw upon the research and expertise of its asset management affiliates with respect to certain portfolio securities. In seeking to achieve the Fund's investment objective, BFA uses teams of portfolio managers, investment strategists and other investment specialists. This team approach brings together many disciplines and leverages BFA's extensive resources.**

Pursuant to the Investment Advisory Agreement between BFA and the Trust (entered into on behalf of the Fund), BFA is responsible for substantially all expenses of the Fund, except the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses,

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and litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses (as determined by a majority of the Trustees who are not "interested persons" of the Trust).

For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA will be paid a management fee from the Fund based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at the annual rate of 0.47%. BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses in order to limit total annual fund operating expenses (excluding acquired fund fees and expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.

BFA is located at 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. It is an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc. ("BlackRock"). As of January 31, 2023, BFA and its affiliates provided investment advisory services for assets in excess of $8.6 trillion. BFA and its affiliates trade and invest for their own accounts in the actual securities and types of securities in which the Fund may also invest, which may affect the price of such securities.

A discussion regarding the basis for the approval by the Trust's Board of Trustees (the "Board") of the Investment Advisory Agreement with BFA will be available in the Fund's Annual Report for the period ending July 31, 2023.

**Portfolio Managers. Jennifer Hsui, Greg Savage and Paul Whitehead are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of the Fund. The Portfolio Managers are responsible for various functions related to portfolio management, including, but not limited to, investing cash inflows, coordinating with members of their respective portfolio management teams to focus on certain asset classes, implementing investment strategy, researching and reviewing investment strategy and overseeing members of their respective portfolio management teams who have more limited responsibilities.**

Jennifer Hsui has been employed by BFA or its affiliates as a senior portfolio manager since 2007. Prior to that, Ms. Hsui was a portfolio manager from 2006 to 2007 for Barclays Global Fund Advisors ("BGFA"). Ms. Hsui has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since inception (2022).

Greg Savage has been employed by BFA or its affiliates as a senior portfolio manager since 2006. Prior to that, Mr. Savage was a portfolio manager from 2001 to 2006 for BGFA. Mr. Savage has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since inception (2022).

Paul Whitehead has been with BlackRock since 1996, including his years with Barclays Global Investors ("BGI"), which merged with BlackRock in 2009. Mr. Whitehead has been employed by BlackRock as a Managing Director since 2010 and a Director from 2009 to 2010. Mr. Whitehead was employed by BGI as Principal from 2002 to 2009. Mr. Whitehead has been a Portfolio Manager of the Fund since inception (2022).

The Fund's SAI provides additional information about the Portfolio Managers' compensation, other accounts managed by the Portfolio Managers and the Portfolio Managers' ownership (if any) of shares in the Fund.

#### Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent. State Street Bank and Trust Company ("State Street") is the administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the

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Fund. JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. serves as custodian for the Fund in connection with certain securities lending activities.

**Conflicts of Interest. The investment activities of BFA and its affiliates (including BlackRock and its subsidiaries (collectively, the "Affiliates")), and their respective directors, officers or employees, in the management of, or their interest in, their own accounts and other accounts they manage, may present conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA and its Affiliates provide investment management services to other funds and discretionary managed accounts that may follow investment programs similar to that of the Fund. BFA and its Affiliates are involved worldwide with a broad spectrum of financial services and asset management activities and may engage in the ordinary course of business in activities in which their interests or the interests of their clients may conflict with those of the Fund. BFA or one or more Affiliates act, or may act, as an investor, research provider, investment manager, commodity pool operator, commodity trading advisor, financier, underwriter, adviser, trader, lender, index provider, agent and/or principal, and have other direct and indirect interests in securities, currencies, commodities, derivatives and other instruments in which the Fund may directly or indirectly invest. The Fund may invest in securities of, or engage in other transactions with, companies with which an Affiliate has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund may also invest in issuances (such as structured notes) by entities for which an Affiliate provides and is compensated for cash management services relating to the proceeds from the sale of such issuances. The Fund also may invest in securities of, or engage in other transactions with, companies for which an Affiliate provides or may in the future provide research coverage. An Affiliate may have business relationships with, and purchase or distribute or sell services or products from or to, distributors, consultants or others who recommend the Fund or who engage in transactions with or for the Fund, and may receive compensation for such services. BFA or one or more Affiliates may engage in proprietary trading and advise accounts and funds that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in and compete for transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and other instruments as the Fund. This may include transactions in securities issued by other open-end and closed-end investment companies (which may include investment companies that are affiliated with the Fund and BFA, to the extent permitted under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "1940 Act")). The trading activities of BFA and these Affiliates are carried out without reference to positions held directly or indirectly by the Fund and may result in BFA or an Affiliate having positions in certain securities that are senior or junior to, or have interests different from or adverse to, the securities that are owned by the Fund.**

Neither BlackRock nor any Affiliate is under any obligation to share any investment opportunity, idea or strategy with the Fund. As a result, an Affiliate may compete with the Fund for appropriate investment opportunities. The results of the Fund's investment activities, therefore, may differ from those of an Affiliate and of other accounts managed by BlackRock or an Affiliate, and it is possible that the Fund could sustain losses during periods in which one or more Affiliates and other accounts achieve profits on their trading for proprietary or other accounts. The opposite result is also possible.

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In addition, the Fund may, from time to time, enter into transactions in which BFA or an Affiliate or its or their directors, officers, employees or clients have an adverse interest. Furthermore, transactions undertaken by clients advised or managed by BFA or its Affiliates may adversely impact the Fund. Transactions by one or more clients or by BFA or its Affiliates or their directors, officers or employees may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund.

The Fund's activities may be limited because of regulatory restrictions applicable to BFA or one or more Affiliates and/or their internal policies designed to comply with such restrictions.

Under a securities lending program approved by the Board, the Fund has retained BTC, an Affiliate of BFA, to serve as the securities lending agent for the Fund to the extent that the Fund participates in the securities lending program. For these services, the securities lending agent will receive a fee from the Fund, including a fee based on the returns earned on the Fund's investment of the cash received as collateral for the loaned securities. In addition, one or more Affiliates may be among the entities to which the Fund may lend its portfolio securities under the securities lending program.

It is also possible that, from time to time, BlackRock and/or its advisory clients (including other funds and separately managed accounts) may, subject to compliance with applicable law, purchase and hold shares of the Fund. The price, availability, liquidity, and (in some cases) expense ratio of the Fund may be impacted by purchases and sales of the Fund by BlackRock and/or its advisory clients.

The activities of BFA and its Affiliates and their respective directors, officers or employees may give rise to other conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. BFA has adopted policies and procedures designed to address these potential conflicts of interest. See the SAI for further information.

Shareholder Information

*Additional shareholder information, including how to buy and sell shares of the Fund, is available free of charge by calling toll-free: 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) or visiting our website at www.iShares.com.*

**Buying and Selling Shares. Shares of the Fund may be acquired or redeemed directly from the Fund only in Creation Units or multiples thereof, as discussed in the *Creations and Redemptions* section of this Prospectus. Only an Authorized Participant may engage in creation or redemption transactions directly with the Fund. Once created, shares of the Fund generally trade in the secondary market in amounts less than a Creation Unit.**

Shares of the Fund are listed on a national securities exchange for trading during the trading day. Shares can be bought and sold throughout the trading day like shares of other publicly-traded companies. The Trust does not impose any minimum investment for shares of the Fund purchased on an exchange or otherwise in the secondary market. The Fund's shares trade under the ticker symbol "ETEC."

Buying or selling Fund shares on an exchange or other secondary market involves two types of costs that may apply to all securities transactions. When buying or selling

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shares of the Fund through a broker, you may incur a brokerage commission and other charges. The commission is frequently a fixed amount and may be a significant proportional cost for investors seeking to buy or sell small amounts of shares. In addition, you may incur the cost of the "spread," that is, any difference between the bid price and the ask price. The spread varies over time for shares of the Fund based on the Fund's trading volume and market liquidity, and is generally lower if the Fund has high trading volume and market liquidity, and higher if the Fund has little trading volume and market liquidity (which is often the case for funds that are newly launched or small in size). The Fund's spread may also be impacted by the liquidity or illiquidity of the underlying securities held by the Fund, particularly for newly launched or smaller funds or in instances of significant volatility of the underlying securities.

The Fund does not impose restrictions on the frequency of purchases and redemptions of Fund shares directly with the Fund. The Board determined not to adopt policies and procedures designed to prevent or monitor for frequent purchases and redemptions of Fund shares because the Fund generally sells and redeems its shares directly through transactions that are in-kind and/or for cash, with a deadline for placing cash-related transactions no later than the close of the primary markets for the Fund's portfolio securities. However, the Fund has taken certain measures (*e.g*., imposing transaction fees on purchases and redemptions of Creation Units and reserving the right to reject purchases of Creation Units under certain circumstances) to minimize the potential consequences of frequent cash purchases and redemptions by Authorized Participants, such as increased tracking error, disruption of portfolio management, dilution to the Fund, and/or increased transaction costs. Further, the vast majority of trading in Fund shares occurs on the secondary market, which does not involve the Fund directly, and such trading is unlikely to cause many of the harmful effects of frequent cash purchases or redemptions of Fund shares.

The national securities exchange on which the Fund's shares are listed is open for trading Monday through Friday and is closed on weekends and the following holidays (or the days on which they are observed): New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The Fund's primary listing exchange is Nasdaq.

Section 12(d)(1) of the 1940 Act generally restricts investments by investment companies, including foreign and unregistered investment companies, in the securities of other investment companies. For example, a registered investment company (the "Acquired Fund"), such as the Fund, may not knowingly sell or otherwise dispose of any security issued by the Acquired Fund to any investment company (the "Acquiring Fund") or any company or companies controlled by the Acquiring Fund if, immediately after such sale or disposition: (i) more than 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of the Acquired Fund is owned by the Acquiring Fund and any company or companies controlled by the Acquiring Fund, or (ii) more than 10% of the total outstanding voting stock of the Acquired Fund is owned by the Acquiring Fund and other investment companies and companies controlled by them. However, registered investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund beyond the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to certain terms and conditions set forth in SEC rules. In order for a

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registered investment company to invest in shares of the Fund beyond the limitations of Section 12(d)(1) in reliance on Rule 12d1-4 under the 1940 Act, the registered investment company must, among other things, enter into an agreement with the Trust. Foreign investment companies are permitted to invest in the Fund only up to the limits set forth in Section 12(d)(1), subject to any applicable SEC no-action relief.

**Book Entry. Shares of the Fund are held in book-entry form, which means that no stock certificates are issued. The Depository Trust Company ("DTC") or its nominee is the record owner of, and holds legal title to, all outstanding shares of the Fund.**

Investors owning shares of the Fund are beneficial owners as shown on the records of DTC or its participants. DTC serves as the securities depository for shares of the Fund. DTC participants include securities brokers and dealers, banks, trust companies, clearing corporations and other institutions that directly or indirectly maintain a custodial relationship with DTC. As a beneficial owner of shares, you are not entitled to receive physical delivery of stock certificates or to have shares registered in your name, and you are not considered a registered owner of shares. Therefore, to exercise any right as an owner of shares, you must rely upon the procedures of DTC and its participants. These procedures are the same as those that apply to any other securities that you hold in book-entry or "street name" form.

**Share Prices. The trading prices of the Fund's shares in the secondary market generally differ from the Fund's daily NAV and are affected by market forces such as the supply of and demand for ETF shares and shares of underlying securities held by the Fund, economic conditions and other factors.**

**Determination of Net Asset Value. The NAV of the Fund normally is determined once daily Monday through Friday, generally as of the close of regular trading hours of the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern time) on each day that the NYSE is open for trading, based on prices at the time of closing, provided that any Fund assets or liabilities denominated in currencies other than the U.S. dollar are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates on the date of valuation as quoted by one or more data service providers. The NAV of the Fund is calculated by dividing the value of the net assets of the Fund (*i.e.*, the value of its total assets less total liabilities) by the total number of outstanding shares of the Fund, generally rounded to the nearest cent.**

The value of the securities and other assets and liabilities held by the Fund is determined pursuant to BFA's valuation policies and procedures. BFA has been designated by the Board as the valuation designee for the Fund pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act.

Equity securities and other equity instruments for which market quotations are readily available are valued at market value, which is generally determined using the last reported official closing price or, if a reported closing price is not available, the last traded price on the exchange or market on which the security or instrument is primarily traded at the time of valuation. Shares of underlying open-end funds (including money market funds) are valued at net asset value. Shares of underlying exchange-traded closed-end funds or other ETFs are valued at their most recent closing price.

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Generally, trading in non-U.S. securities and money market instruments is substantially completed each day at various times prior to the close of regular trading hours of the NYSE. The values of such securities used in computing the NAV of the Fund are determined as of such times.

When market quotations are not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, BFA will fair value the Fund's investments in accordance with its policies and procedures. BFA may conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its lack of trading or other reasons, if a market quotation differs significantly from recent price quotations or otherwise no longer appears to reflect fair value, where the security or other asset or liability is thinly traded, when there is a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation, or if the trading market on which a security is listed is suspended or closed and no appropriate alternative trading market is available. A "significant event" is deemed to occur if BFA determines, in its reasonable business judgment prior to or at the time of pricing the Fund's assets or liabilities, that the event is likely to cause a material change to the last exchange closing price or closing market price of one or more assets held by, or liabilities of, the Fund.

For certain foreign assets, a third-party vendor supplies evaluated, systematic fair value pricing based upon the movement of a proprietary multi-factor model after the relevant foreign markets have closed. This systematic fair value pricing methodology is designed to correlate the prices of foreign assets in one or more non-U.S. markets following the close of the local markets to the prices that might have prevailed as of the Fund's pricing time.

Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of an asset or liability held by the Fund is the amount the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or the cost to extinguish that liability in an arm's-length transaction. Valuing the Fund's investments using fair value pricing will result in prices that may differ from current market valuations and that may not be the prices at which those investments could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used. Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used by the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.

#### Dividends and Distributions
*General Policies. Dividends from net investment income, if any, generally are declared and paid at least once a year by the Fund. Distributions of net realized securities gains, if any, generally are declared and paid once a year, but the Trust may make distributions on a more frequent basis for the Fund. The Trust reserves the right to declare special distributions if, in its reasonable discretion, such action is necessary or advisable to preserve its status as a regulated investment company ("RIC") or to avoid imposition of income or excise taxes on undistributed income or realized gains.*

Dividends and other distributions on shares of the Fund are distributed on a *pro rata* basis to beneficial owners of such shares. Dividend payments are made through DTC

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participants and indirect participants to beneficial owners then of record with proceeds received from the Fund.

*Dividend Reinvestment Service. No dividend reinvestment service is provided by the Trust. Broker-dealers may make available the DTC book-entry Dividend Reinvestment Service for use by beneficial owners of the Fund for reinvestment of their dividend distributions. Beneficial owners should contact their broker to determine the availability and costs of the service and the details of participation therein. Brokers may require beneficial owners to adhere to specific procedures and timetables. If this service is available and used, dividend distributions of both income and realized gains will be automatically reinvested in additional whole shares of the Fund purchased in the secondary market.*

**Taxes. As with any investment, you should consider how your investment in shares of the Fund will be taxed. The tax information in this Prospectus is provided as general information, based on current law. You should consult your own tax professional about the tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund.**

Unless your investment in Fund shares is made through a tax-exempt entity or tax-deferred retirement account, such as an IRA, in which case your distributions generally will be taxable when withdrawn, you need to be aware of the possible tax consequences when the Fund makes distributions or you sell Fund shares.

**Taxes on Distributions. Distributions from the Fund's net investment income (other than qualified dividend income), including distributions of income from securities lending and distributions out of the Fund's net short-term capital gains, if any, are taxable to you as ordinary income. Distributions by the Fund of net long-term capital gains, if any, in excess of net short-term capital losses (capital gain dividends) are taxable to you as long-term capital gains, regardless of how long you have held the Fund's shares. Distributions by the Fund that qualify as qualified dividend income are taxable to you at long-term capital gain rates. Long-term capital gains and qualified dividend income are generally eligible for taxation at a maximum rate of 15% or 20% for non-corporate shareholders, depending on whether their income exceeds certain threshold amounts. In addition, a 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on "net investment income," including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.**

Dividends will be qualified dividend income to you if they are attributable to qualified dividend income received by the Fund. Generally, qualified dividend income includes dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations and qualified non-U.S. corporations, provided that the Fund satisfies certain holding period requirements in respect of the stock of such corporations and has not hedged its position in the stock in certain ways. Substitute dividends received by the Fund with respect to dividends paid on securities lent out will not be qualified dividend income. For this purpose, a qualified non-U.S. corporation means any non-U.S. corporation that is eligible for benefits under a comprehensive income tax treaty with the U.S., which includes an exchange of information program, or if the stock with respect to which the dividend was paid is readily tradable on an established U.S. securities market. The term excludes a corporation that is a passive foreign investment company.

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Dividends received by the Fund from a RIC generally are qualified dividend income only to the extent such dividend distributions are made out of qualified dividend income received by such RIC. Additionally, it is expected that dividends received by the Fund from a Real Estate Investment Trust ("REIT") and distributed to a shareholder generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income. However, for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, the Fund may report dividends eligible for a 20% "qualified business income" deduction for non-corporate U.S. shareholders to the extent the Fund's income is derived from ordinary REIT dividends, reduced by allocable Fund expenses.

For a dividend to be treated as qualified dividend income, the dividend must be received with respect to a share of stock held without being hedged by the Fund, and with respect to a share of the Fund held without being hedged by you, for 61 days during the 121-day period beginning at the date which is 60 days before the date on which such share becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or, in the case of certain preferred stock, 91 days during the 181-day period beginning 90 days before such date.

Fund distributions, to the extent attributable to dividends from U.S. corporations, will be eligible for the dividends received deduction for Fund shareholders that are corporations, subject to certain hedging and holding requirements.

In general, your distributions are subject to U.S. federal income tax for the year when they are paid. Certain distributions paid in January, however, may be treated as paid on December 31 of the prior year. Certain states and localities may exempt from tax distributions attributable to interest from U.S. federal government obligations.

If the Fund's distributions exceed current and accumulated earnings and profits, all or a portion of the distributions made in the taxable year may be recharacterized as a return of capital to shareholders. Distributions in excess of the Fund's minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Fund's earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. A return of capital distribution generally will not be taxable but will reduce the shareholder's cost basis and result in a higher capital gain or lower capital loss when those shares on which the distribution was received are sold. Once a shareholder's cost basis is reduced to zero, further distributions will be treated as capital gain, if the shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets.

Dividends, interest and capital gains earned by the Fund with respect to securities issued by non-U.S. issuers may give rise to withholding, capital gains and other taxes imposed by non-U.S. countries. Tax conventions between certain countries and the U.S. may reduce or eliminate such taxes. If more than 50% of the total assets of the Fund at the close of a year consists of non-U.S. stocks or securities (generally, for this purpose, depositary receipts, no matter where traded, of non-U.S. companies are treated as "non-U.S."), generally the Fund may "pass through" to you certain non-U.S. income taxes (including withholding taxes) paid by the Fund. This means that you would be considered to have received as an additional dividend your share of such non-U.S. taxes, but you may be entitled to either a corresponding tax deduction in calculating your taxable income, or, subject to certain limitations, a credit in calculating your U.S. federal income tax.

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For purposes of foreign tax credits for U.S. shareholders of the Fund, foreign capital gains taxes may not produce associated foreign source income, limiting the availability of such credits for U.S. persons.

If you are neither a resident nor a citizen of the U.S. or if you are a non-U.S. corporation (other than a pass-through entity to the extent owned by U.S. persons), the Fund's ordinary income dividends (which include distributions of net short-term capital gains) will generally be subject to a 30% U.S. withholding tax, unless a lower treaty rate applies, provided that withholding tax will generally not apply to any gain or income realized by a non-U.S. shareholder in respect of any distributions of long-term capital gains or upon the sale or other disposition of shares of the Fund.

Separately, a 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items paid to (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service ("IRS") information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders, comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts, report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained, agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information, and determine certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event that an applicable intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address, and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.

If your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities lending arrangement, you may lose the ability to treat Fund dividends paid while the shares are held by the borrower as qualified dividend income. In addition, you may lose the ability to use foreign tax credits passed through by the Fund if your Fund shares are loaned out pursuant to a securities lending agreement.

If you are a resident or a citizen of the U.S., by law, backup withholding at a 24% rate will apply to your distributions and proceeds if you have not provided a taxpayer identification number or social security number and made other required certifications.

**Taxes When Shares Are Sold. Currently, any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares is generally treated as a long-term gain or loss if the shares have been held for more than one year. Any capital gain or loss realized upon a sale of Fund shares held for one year or less is generally treated as short-term gain or loss, except that any capital loss on the sale of shares held for six months or less is treated as long-term capital loss to the extent that capital gain dividends were paid with respect to such shares. Any such capital gains, including from sales of Fund shares or from**

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capital gain dividends, are included in "net investment income" for purposes of the 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax mentioned above.

*The foregoing discussion summarizes some of the consequences under current U.S. federal tax law of an investment in the Fund. It is not a substitute for personal tax advice. You may also be subject to state and local taxation on Fund distributions and sales of shares. Consult your personal tax advisor about the potential tax consequences of an investment in shares of the Fund under all applicable tax laws.*

**Creations and Redemptions. Prior to trading in the secondary market, shares of the Fund are "created" at NAV by market makers, large investors and institutions only in block-size Creation Units or multiples thereof. Each "creator" or authorized participant (an "Authorized Participant") has entered into an agreement with the Fund's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the "Distributor" or "BRIL"), an affiliate of BFA. An Authorized Participant is a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC, which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows such member or participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units.**

A creation transaction, which is subject to acceptance by the Distributor and the Fund, generally takes place when an Authorized Participant deposits into the Fund a designated portfolio of securities, assets or other positions (a "creation basket"), and an amount of cash (including any cash representing the value of substituted securities, assets or other positions), if any, which together approximate the holdings of the Fund in exchange for a specified number of Creation Units. Similarly, shares can be redeemed only in Creation Units, generally for a designated portfolio of securities, assets or other positions (a "redemption basket") held by the Fund and an amount of cash (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted). The Fund generally offers Creation Units partially for cash, but may, in certain circumstances, offer Creation Units solely for cash or solely in-kind. Except when aggregated in Creation Units, shares are not redeemable by the Fund. Creation and redemption baskets may differ and the Fund may accept "custom baskets." More information regarding custom baskets is contained in the Fund's SAI.

The prices at which creations and redemptions occur are based on the next calculation of NAV after a creation or redemption order is received in an acceptable form under the authorized participant agreement.

Only an Authorized Participant may create or redeem Creation Units with the Fund. Authorized Participants may create or redeem Creation Units for their own accounts or for customers, including, without limitation, affiliates of the Fund.

In the event of a system failure or other interruption, including disruptions at market makers or Authorized Participants, orders to purchase or redeem Creation Units either may not be executed according to the Fund's instructions or may not be executed at all, or the Fund may not be able to place or change orders.

To the extent the Fund engages in in-kind transactions, the Fund intends to comply with the U.S. federal securities laws in accepting securities for deposit and satisfying redemptions with redemption securities by, among other means, assuring that any securities accepted for deposit and any securities used to satisfy redemption requests

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will be sold in transactions that would be exempt from registration under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"). Further, an Authorized Participant that is not a "qualified institutional buyer," as such term is defined in Rule 144A under the 1933 Act, will not be able to receive restricted securities eligible for resale under Rule 144A.

Creations and redemptions must be made through a firm that is either a member of the Continuous Net Settlement System of the National Securities Clearing Corporation or a DTC participant that has executed an agreement with the Distributor with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Unit aggregations. Information about the procedures regarding creation and redemption of Creation Units (including the cut-off times for receipt of creation and redemption orders) is included in the Fund's SAI.

Because new shares may be created and issued on an ongoing basis, at any point during the life of the Fund a "distribution," as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may be occurring. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters subject to the prospectus delivery and liability provisions of the 1933 Act. Any determination of whether one is an underwriter must take into account all the relevant facts and circumstances of each particular case.

Broker-dealers should also note that dealers who are not "underwriters" but are participating in a distribution (as contrasted to ordinary secondary transactions), and thus dealing with shares that are part of an "unsold allotment" within the meaning of Section 4(a)(3)(C) of the 1933 Act, would be unable to take advantage of the prospectus delivery exemption provided by Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act. For delivery of prospectuses to exchange members, the prospectus delivery mechanism of Rule 153 under the 1933 Act is available only with respect to transactions on a national securities exchange.

**Householding. Householding is an option available to certain Fund investors. Householding is a method of delivery, based on the preference of the individual investor, in which a single copy of certain shareholder documents can be delivered to investors who share the same address, even if their accounts are registered under different names. Please contact your broker-dealer if you are interested in enrolling in householding and receiving a single copy of prospectuses and other shareholder documents, or if you are currently enrolled in householding and wish to change your householding status.**

Distribution

The Distributor or its agent distributes Creation Units for the Fund on an agency basis. The Distributor does not maintain a secondary market in shares of the Fund. The Distributor has no role in determining the policies of the Fund or the securities that are purchased or sold by the Fund. The Distributor's principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.

BFA or its affiliates make payments to broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks or other intermediaries (together, "intermediaries") related to marketing

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activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems, data provision services, or their making shares of the Fund and certain other iShares funds available to their customers generally and in certain investment programs. Such payments, which may be significant to the intermediary, are not made by the Fund. Rather, such payments are made by BFA or its affiliates from their own resources, which come directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the iShares funds complex. Payments of this type are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments. A financial intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it recommends or makes available, or the level of services provided, to its customers based on the payments or other financial incentives it is eligible to receive. Therefore, such payments or other financial incentives offered or made to an intermediary create conflicts of interest between the intermediary and its customers and may cause the intermediary to recommend the Fund or other iShares funds over another investment. More information regarding these payments is contained in the Fund's SAI. **Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments his or her firm may receive from BFA or its affiliates.**

Financial Highlights

Financial highlights for the Fund are not available because, as of the effective date of this Prospectus, the Fund has not commenced operations and therefore has no financial highlights to report.

Index Provider

Morningstar is a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. Morningstar offers an extensive line of products and services for individual investors, financial advisors, asset managers, retirement plan providers and sponsors, and institutional investors in the debt and private capital markets. Morningstar provides data and research insights on a wide range of investment offerings, including managed investment products, publicly listed companies, private capital markets, debt securities, and real-time global market data. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its investment advisory subsidiaries, with approximately $265 billion in assets under advisement and management as of March 31, 2022. Morningstar has operations in 29 countries. Morningstar is not affiliated with the Trust, BFA, State Street, or the Distributor. Dow Jones Indexes, a part of Dow Jones and Company, maintains and calculates the Morningstar Indexes for Morningstar pursuant to a contractual agreement. Dow Jones Indexes is not affiliated with Morningstar, the Trust, BFA, the Distributor, or any of their respective affiliates.

BFA or its affiliates have entered into a license agreement with the Index Provider to use the Underlying Index. BFA or its affiliates sublicense rights in the Underlying Index to the Trust at no charge.

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Disclaimers

**The Fund is not sponsored, endorsed, sold or promoted by Morningstar. Morningstar makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the advisability of investing in securities generally or in the Fund in particular, or the ability of the Underlying Index to track general market performance. Morningstar's only relationship to the Trust and BFA or its affiliates is the licensing of certain trademarks and trade names of Morningstar and of the Underlying Index which is determined, composed and calculated by Morningstar without regard to the Trust, BFA or its affiliates or the Fund. Morningstar has no obligation to take the needs of BFA or its affiliates or the owners of shares of the Fund into consideration in determining, composing or calculating the Underlying Index. Morningstar is not responsible for and has not participated in the determination of the prices and amount of shares of the Fund, or the timing of the issuance or sale of such shares or in the determination or calculation of the equation by which shares of the Fund are to be converted into cash. Morningstar has no obligation or liability in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of shares of the Fund. Morningstar does not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and Morningstar shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein.**

**Morningstar makes no warranty, express or implied, as to results to be obtained by BFA or its affiliates, owners of shares of the Fund or any other person or entity from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Morningstar makes no express or implied warranties and expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or use with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall Morningstar have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect or consequential damages (including lost profits) resulting from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein, even if notified of the possibility of such damages.**

**Shares of the Fund are not sponsored, endorsed or promoted by Nasdaq. Nasdaq makes no representation or warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or any member of the public regarding the ability of the Fund to track the total return performance of the Underlying Index or the ability of the Underlying Index to track market performance. Nasdaq is not responsible for, nor has it participated in, the determination of the compilation or the calculation of the Underlying Index, nor in the determination of the timing of, prices of, or quantities of shares of the Fund to be issued, nor in the determination or calculation of the equation by which the shares are redeemable. Nasdaq has no obligation or liability to owners of shares of the Fund in connection with the administration, marketing or trading of shares of the Fund.**

#### Nasdaq does not guarantee the accuracy and/or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Nasdaq makes no warranty,

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**express or implied, as to results to be obtained by the Trust on behalf of the Fund as licensee, licensee's customers and counterparties, owners of shares of the Fund, or any other person or entity from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein in connection with the rights licensed as described herein or for any other use. Nasdaq makes no express or implied warranties and hereby expressly disclaims all warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose with respect to the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall Nasdaq have any liability for any direct, indirect, special, punitive, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits) even if notified of the possibility of such damages.**

**The past performance of the Underlying Index is not a guide to future performance. BFA and its affiliates do not guarantee the accuracy or the completeness of the Underlying Index or any data included therein and BFA and its affiliates shall have no liability for any errors, omissions or interruptions therein. BFA and its affiliates make no warranty, express or implied, to the owners of shares of the Fund or to any other person or entity, as to results to be obtained by the Fund from the use of the Underlying Index or any data included therein. Without limiting any of the foregoing, in no event shall BFA or its affiliates have any liability for any special, punitive, direct, indirect, consequential or any other damages (including lost profits), even if notified of the possibility of such damages.**

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Want to know more?

iShares.com \| 1-800-474-2737

Information on the Fund's net asset value, market price, premiums and discounts, and bid-ask spreads can be found at www.iShares.com. Copies of the Prospectus, SAI and other information can be found on our website at www.iShares.com. For more information about the Fund, you may request a copy of the SAI. The SAI provides detailed information about the Fund and is incorporated by reference into this Prospectus. This means that the SAI, for legal purposes, is a part of this Prospectus.

If you have any questions about the Trust or shares of the Fund or you wish to obtain the SAI free of charge, please:

Call: 1-800-iShares or 1-800-474-2737 (toll free)<br> Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Eastern time) <br> Email: iSharesETFs@blackrock.com <br> Write: c/o BlackRock Investments, LLC<br> 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540

Reports and other information about the Fund are available on the EDGAR database on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov, and copies of this information may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov.

*No person is authorized to give any information or to make any representations about the Fund and its shares not contained in this Prospectus and you should not rely on any other information. Read and keep this Prospectus for future reference.*©2023 BlackRock, Inc. All rights reserved. **iSHARES<sup>®</sup>** and **BLACKROCK<sup>®</sup>**are registered trademarks of BFA and its affiliates. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Investment Company Act File No.: 811-09729

IS-P-ETEC-0323

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## iShares<sup>®</sup> Trust
Statement of Additional Information

Dated March 14, 2023<br>(as revised March 24, 2023)<br>

This Statement of Additional Information ("SAI") is not a prospectus. It should be read in conjunction with the current prospectus (the "Prospectus") for the following series of iShares Trust (the "Trust"):

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Fund** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Ticker** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Listing Exchange** |
| iShares Breakthrough Environmental Solutions ETF (the "Fund") | &nbsp;&nbsp;ETEC | &nbsp;&nbsp;Nasdaq |

---

The Prospectus for the Fund is dated March 14, 2023, as amended and supplemented from time to time. Capitalized terms used herein that are not defined have the same meaning as in the Prospectus, unless otherwise noted. A copy of the Prospectus for the Fund may be obtained without charge by writing to the Trust's distributor, BlackRock Investments, LLC (the "Distributor" or "BRIL"), 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540, calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) or visiting *www.iShares.com*. The Fund's Prospectus is incorporated by reference into this SAI.

References to the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended (the "Investment Company Act" or the "1940 Act"), or other applicable law, will include any rules promulgated thereunder and any guidance, interpretations or modifications by the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"), SEC staff or other authority with appropriate jurisdiction, including court interpretations, and exemptive, no action or other relief or permission from the SEC, SEC staff or other authority.

iShares<sup>®</sup> and BlackRock<sup>®</sup> are registered trademarks of BlackRock Fund Advisors and its affiliates.

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#### **TABLE OF CONTENTS**

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| | |
|:---|:---|
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Page** |
| [General Description of the Trust and the Fund](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_1) | &nbsp;&nbsp;1 |
| [Exchange Listing and Trading](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_1) | &nbsp;&nbsp;1 |
| [Investment Strategies and Risks](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_2) | &nbsp;&nbsp;2 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Borrowing](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_2) | &nbsp;&nbsp;2 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Currency Transactions](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_2) | &nbsp;&nbsp;2 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Diversification Status](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_3) | &nbsp;&nbsp;3 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Futures, Options on Futures and Securities Options](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_3) | &nbsp;&nbsp;3 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Lending Portfolio Securities](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_4) | &nbsp;&nbsp;4 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Liquidity Risk Management](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_5) | &nbsp;&nbsp;5 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Non-U.S. Securities](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_5) | &nbsp;&nbsp;5 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Regulation Regarding Derivatives](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_6) | &nbsp;&nbsp;6 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Repurchase Agreements](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_7) | &nbsp;&nbsp;7 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Reverse Repurchase Agreements](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_7) | &nbsp;&nbsp;7 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Securities of Investment Companies](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_7) | &nbsp;&nbsp;7 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_8) | &nbsp;&nbsp;8 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Swap Agreements](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_8) | &nbsp;&nbsp;8 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Tracking Stocks](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_8) | &nbsp;&nbsp;8 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Future Developments](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_8) | &nbsp;&nbsp;8 |
| [General Considerations and Risks](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_8) | &nbsp;&nbsp;8 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Borrowing Risk](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_8) | &nbsp;&nbsp;8 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Currency Risk](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_9) | &nbsp;&nbsp;9 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Custody Risk](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_9) | &nbsp;&nbsp;9 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Dividend-Paying Stock Risk](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_9) | &nbsp;&nbsp;9 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Illiquid Investments Risk](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_9) | &nbsp;&nbsp;9 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [LIBOR Risk](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_9) | &nbsp;&nbsp;9 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [LIBOR Replacement Risk](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_9) | &nbsp;&nbsp;9 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Money Market Instruments Risk](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_10) | &nbsp;&nbsp;10 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Operational Risk](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_10) | &nbsp;&nbsp;10 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Derivatives](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_10) | &nbsp;&nbsp;10 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Equity Securities](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_11) | &nbsp;&nbsp;11 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Futures and Options on Futures Transactions](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_11) | &nbsp;&nbsp;11 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Investing in Non-U.S. Equity Securities](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_12) | &nbsp;&nbsp;12 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Swap Agreements](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_12) | &nbsp;&nbsp;12 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Tracking Error Risk](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_12) | &nbsp;&nbsp;12 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Investing in Asia](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_13) | &nbsp;&nbsp;13 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Investing in China](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_13) | &nbsp;&nbsp;13 |

---

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---

| | |
|:---|:---|
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Page** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Investing in Developed Countries](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_14) | &nbsp;&nbsp;14 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_15) | &nbsp;&nbsp;15 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Investing in Europe](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_16) | &nbsp;&nbsp;16 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Investing in North America](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_17) | &nbsp;&nbsp;17 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Investing in the Basic Materials Industry](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_17) | &nbsp;&nbsp;17 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Investing in the Consumer Cyclical Industry](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_17) | &nbsp;&nbsp;17 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Investing in the Industrials Sector](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_18) | &nbsp;&nbsp;18 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Investing in the Technology Sector](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_18) | &nbsp;&nbsp;18 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Risk of Investing in the Utilities Sector](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_18) | &nbsp;&nbsp;18 |
| [Proxy Voting Policy](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_19) | &nbsp;&nbsp;19 |
| [Portfolio Holdings Information](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_19) | &nbsp;&nbsp;19 |
| [Construction and Maintenance of the Underlying Index](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_20) | &nbsp;&nbsp;20 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Morningstar Global Emerging Green Technologies Select Index](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_20) | &nbsp;&nbsp;20 |
| [Investment Policies](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_23) | &nbsp;&nbsp;23 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Fundamental Investment Policies](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_23) | &nbsp;&nbsp;23 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Non-Fundamental Investment Policies](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_24) | &nbsp;&nbsp;24 |
| [Continuous Offering](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_25) | &nbsp;&nbsp;25 |
| [Management](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_25) | &nbsp;&nbsp;25 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Trustees and Officers](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_25) | &nbsp;&nbsp;25 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Committees of the Board of Trustees](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_33) | &nbsp;&nbsp;33 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Remuneration of Trustees and Advisory Board Members](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_38) | &nbsp;&nbsp;38 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_38) | &nbsp;&nbsp;38 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Conflicts of Interest](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_38) | &nbsp;&nbsp;38 |
| [Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution Services](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_46) | &nbsp;&nbsp;46 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Investment Adviser](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_46) | &nbsp;&nbsp;46 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Portfolio Managers](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_47) | &nbsp;&nbsp;47 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Codes of Ethics](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_48) | &nbsp;&nbsp;48 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Anti-Money Laundering Requirements](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_48) | &nbsp;&nbsp;48 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_49) | &nbsp;&nbsp;49 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Distributor](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_49) | &nbsp;&nbsp;49 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Securities Lending](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_50) | &nbsp;&nbsp;50 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Payments by BFA and its Affiliates](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_50) | &nbsp;&nbsp;50 |
| [Determination of Net Asset Value](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_52) | &nbsp;&nbsp;52 |
| [Brokerage Transactions](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_54) | &nbsp;&nbsp;54 |
| [Additional Information Concerning the Trust](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_57) | &nbsp;&nbsp;57 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Shares](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_57) | &nbsp;&nbsp;57 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [DTC as Securities Depository for Shares of the Fund](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_58) | &nbsp;&nbsp;58 |

---

ii

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[**Table of Contents**](#job_break_a6e9ae90-fb0c-43e4-adaf-2b8c8538371c_sai_toc)

---

| | |
|:---|:---|
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Page** |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Distribution of Shares](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_59) | &nbsp;&nbsp;59 |
| [Creation and Redemption of Creation Units](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_59) | &nbsp;&nbsp;59 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [General](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_59) | &nbsp;&nbsp;59 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Fund Deposit](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_60) | &nbsp;&nbsp;60 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Cash Purchase Method](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_60) | &nbsp;&nbsp;60 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Procedures for Creation of Creation Units](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_61) | &nbsp;&nbsp;61 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Role of the Authorized Participant](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_61) | &nbsp;&nbsp;61 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Purchase Orders](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_61) | &nbsp;&nbsp;61 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_61) | &nbsp;&nbsp;61 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_62) | &nbsp;&nbsp;62 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Issuance of a Creation Unit](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_62) | &nbsp;&nbsp;62 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Costs Associated with Creation Transactions](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_63) | &nbsp;&nbsp;63 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Redemption of Creation Units](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_63) | &nbsp;&nbsp;63 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Cash Redemption Method](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_64) | &nbsp;&nbsp;64 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Costs Associated with Redemption Transactions](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_65) | &nbsp;&nbsp;65 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Placement of Redemption Orders](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_65) | &nbsp;&nbsp;65 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Custom Baskets](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_67) | &nbsp;&nbsp;67 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Taxation on Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_67) | &nbsp;&nbsp;67 |
| [Taxes](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_67) | &nbsp;&nbsp;67 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Regulated Investment Company Qualifications](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_68) | &nbsp;&nbsp;68 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Taxation of RICs](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_68) | &nbsp;&nbsp;68 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Excise Tax](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_68) | &nbsp;&nbsp;68 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Net Capital Loss Carryforwards](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_69) | &nbsp;&nbsp;69 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Taxation of U.S. Shareholders](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_69) | &nbsp;&nbsp;69 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Sales of Shares](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_70) | &nbsp;&nbsp;70 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Backup Withholding](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_70) | &nbsp;&nbsp;70 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Sections 351 and 362](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_70) | &nbsp;&nbsp;70 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Taxation of Certain Derivatives](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_71) | &nbsp;&nbsp;71 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Qualified Dividend Income](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_71) | &nbsp;&nbsp;71 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Corporate Dividends Received Deduction](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_72) | &nbsp;&nbsp;72 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Excess Inclusion Income](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_72) | &nbsp;&nbsp;72 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Non-U.S. Investments](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_72) | &nbsp;&nbsp;72 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Passive Foreign Investment Companies](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_73) | &nbsp;&nbsp;73 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Reporting](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_73) | &nbsp;&nbsp;73 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Other Taxes](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_73) | &nbsp;&nbsp;73 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_73) | &nbsp;&nbsp;73 |
| [Financial Statements](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_75) | &nbsp;&nbsp;75 |

---

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| | |
|:---|:---|
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Page** |
| [Miscellaneous Information](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_75) | &nbsp;&nbsp;75 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Counsel](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_75) | &nbsp;&nbsp;75 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_75) | &nbsp;&nbsp;75 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Shareholder Communications to the Board](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_75) | &nbsp;&nbsp;75 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; [Investors' Rights](#xx_38157e7c-2dba-4d76-9f5a-01796860509d_75) | &nbsp;&nbsp;75 |
| [Appendix A1 - iShares ETFs Proxy Voting Policy](#xx_3fbba401-b175-47dd-9d0c-e3e93026e035_1) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-1 |
| [Appendix A2 – BlackRock Global Proxy Voting Policies](#xx_3fbba401-b175-47dd-9d0c-e3e93026e035_2) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-2 |
| [Appendix A3 – BlackRock U.S. Proxy Voting Policies](#xx_a68651f3-47ba-4906-ba2f-a5216ded44b0_1) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-13 |

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iv

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[**Table of Contents**](#job_break_a6e9ae90-fb0c-43e4-adaf-2b8c8538371c_sai_toc)

## General Description of the Trust and the Fund
The Trust currently consists of more than 310 investment series or portfolios. The Trust was organized as a Delaware statutory trust on December 16, 1999 and is authorized to have multiple series or portfolios. The Trust is an open-end management investment company registered with the SEC under the 1940 Act. The offering of the Trust's shares is registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "1933 Act"). This SAI relates solely to the Fund.

The Fund is managed by BlackRock Fund Advisors ("BFA"), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of BlackRock, Inc., and generally seeks to track the investment results of the specific benchmark index identified in the Fund's Prospectus (the "Underlying Index").

The Fund offers and issues shares at their net asset value per share ("NAV") only in aggregations of a specified number of shares (each, a "Creation Unit"), generally in exchange for a designated portfolio of securities, assets or other positions (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) included in its Underlying Index (the "Deposit Securities" or "Creation Basket"), together with the deposit of a specified cash payment (the "Cash Component"). Shares of the Fund are listed for trading on The Nasdaq Stock Market LLC ("Nasdaq" or the "Listing Exchange"), a national securities exchange. Shares of the Fund are traded in the secondary market and elsewhere at market prices that may be at, above or below the Fund's NAV. Shares are redeemable only in Creation Units by Authorized Participants (as defined in the *Creation and Redemption of Creation Units-Role of the Authorized Participant* section of this SAI), and, generally, in exchange for portfolio securities and a Cash Amount (as defined in the *Redemption of Creation Units* section of this SAI). Creation Units typically are a specified number of shares, generally 40,000 or multiples thereof.

The Trust reserves the right to permit or require that creations and redemptions of shares are effected fully or partially in cash and reserves the right to permit or require the substitution of Deposit Securities in lieu of cash. Shares may be issued in advance of receipt of Deposit Securities, subject to various conditions, including a requirement that the Authorized Participant maintain with the Trust collateral as set forth in the handbook for Authorized Participants. The Trust may use such collateral at any time to purchase Deposit Securities. See the *Creation and Redemption of Creation Units* section of this SAI. Transaction fees and other costs associated with creations or redemptions that include a cash portion may be higher than the transaction fees and other costs associated with in-kind creations or redemptions. In all cases, conditions with respect to creations and redemptions of shares and fees will be limited in accordance with the requirements of SEC rules and regulations applicable to management investment companies offering redeemable securities.

## Exchange Listing and Trading
A discussion of exchange listing and trading matters associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the *Shareholder Information* section of the Fund's Prospectus. The discussion below supplements, and should be read in conjunction with, that section of the Prospectus.

Shares of the Fund are listed for trading, and trade throughout the day, on the Listing Exchange and in other secondary markets. Shares of the Fund may also be listed on certain non-U.S. exchanges. There can be no assurance that the requirements of the Listing Exchange necessary to maintain the listing of shares of the Fund will continue to be met. The Listing Exchange may, but is not required to, remove the shares of the Fund from listing if, among other things: (i) following the initial 12-month period beginning upon the commencement of trading of Fund shares, there are fewer than 50 record and/or beneficial owners of shares of the Fund; (ii) the Fund is no longer eligible to operate in reliance on Rule 6c-11 under the Investment Company Act; (iii) any of the other listing requirements are not continuously maintained; or (iv) any event shall occur or condition shall exist that, in the opinion of the Listing Exchange, makes further dealings on the Listing Exchange inadvisable. The Listing Exchange will also remove shares of the Fund from listing and trading upon termination of the Fund.

As in the case of other publicly-traded securities, when you buy or sell shares of the Fund through a broker, you may incur a brokerage commission determined by that broker, as well as other charges.

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The Trust reserves the right to adjust the share price of the Fund in the future to maintain convenient trading ranges for investors. Any adjustments would be accomplished through stock splits or reverse stock splits, which would have no effect on the net assets of the Fund or an investor's equity interest in the Fund.

## Investment Strategies and Risks
The Fund seeks to achieve its objective by investing primarily in securities issued by issuers that compose the Underlying Index and in investments that provide substantially similar exposure to securities in the Underlying Index. The Fund operates as an index fund and is not actively managed. Adverse performance of a security in the Fund's portfolio will ordinarily not result in the elimination of the security from the Fund's portfolio.

The Fund engages in representative sampling, which is investing in a sample of securities selected by BFA to have a collective investment profile similar to that of the Fund's Underlying Index. Securities selected have aggregate investment characteristics (based on market capitalization and industry weightings), fundamental characteristics (such as return variability, earnings valuation and yield) and liquidity measures similar to those of the Fund's Underlying Index. A fund that uses representative sampling generally does not hold all of the securities that are in its underlying index.

Although the Fund does not seek leveraged returns, certain instruments used by the Fund may have a leveraging effect as described below.

**Borrowing. The Fund may borrow for temporary or emergency purposes, including to meet payments due from redemptions or to facilitate the settlement of securities or other transactions.**

The purchase of securities while borrowings are outstanding may have the effect of leveraging the Fund. The incurrence of leverage increases the Fund's exposure to risk, and borrowed funds are subject to interest costs that will reduce net income. Purchasing securities while borrowings are outstanding creates special risks, such as the potential for greater volatility in the NAV of Fund shares and in the yield on the Fund's portfolio. In addition, the interest expenses from borrowings may exceed the income generated by the Fund's portfolio and, therefore, the amount available (if any) for distribution to shareholders as dividends may be reduced. BFA may determine to maintain outstanding borrowings if it expects that the benefits to the Fund's shareholders will outweigh the current reduced return.

Certain types of borrowings by the Fund must be made from a bank or may result in the Fund being subject to covenants in credit agreements relating to asset coverage, portfolio composition requirements and other matters. It is not anticipated that observance of such covenants would impede BFA's management of the Fund's portfolio in accordance with the Fund's investment objectives and policies. However, a breach of any such covenants not cured within the specified cure period may result in acceleration of outstanding indebtedness and require the Fund to dispose of portfolio investments at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so.

**Currency Transactions. A currency forward contract is an over-the-counter ("OTC") obligation to purchase or sell a specific currency at a future date, which may be any fixed number of days greater than two days from the date on which the contract is agreed upon by the parties, at a price set at the time of the contract. A non-deliverable currency forward is an OTC currency forward settled in a specified currency, on a specified date, based on the difference between the agreed-upon exchange rate and the market exchange rate. A currency futures contract is a contract that trades on an organized futures exchange involving an obligation to deliver or acquire a specified amount of a specific currency, at a specified price and at a specified future time. Currency futures contracts may be settled on a net cash payment basis rather than by the sale and delivery of the underlying currency. The Fund does not expect to engage in currency transactions for the purpose of hedging**

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against declines in the value of the Fund's assets that are denominated in a non-U.S. currency. The Fund may enter into non-U.S. currency forward and non-U.S. currency futures transactions to facilitate local securities settlements or to protect against currency exposure in connection with its distributions to shareholders, but may not enter into such contracts for speculative purposes.

Foreign exchange transactions involve a significant degree of risk and the markets in which foreign exchange transactions are effected may be highly volatile, highly specialized and highly technical. Significant changes, including changes in liquidity and prices, can occur in such markets within very short periods of time, often within minutes. Foreign exchange trading risks include, but are not limited to, exchange rate risk, counterparty risk, maturity gap, interest rate risk, and potential interference by foreign governments through regulation of local exchange markets, foreign investment or particular transactions in non-U.S. currency. If BFA utilizes foreign exchange transactions at an inappropriate time or judges market conditions, trends or correlations incorrectly, foreign exchange transactions may not serve their intended purpose of improving the correlation of the Fund's return with the performance of the Underlying Index and may lower the Fund's return. The Fund could experience losses if the value of its currency forwards, options or futures positions were poorly correlated with its other investments or if it could not close out its positions because of an illiquid market or otherwise. In addition, the Fund could incur transaction costs, including trading commissions, in connection with certain non-U.S. currency transactions.

**Diversification Status. The Fund is classified as "non-diversified." A "non-diversified" fund is a fund that is not limited by the 1940 Act with regard to the percentage of its assets that may be invested in the securities of a single issuer. The securities of a particular issuer (or securities of issuers in particular industries) may constitute a significant percentage of the underlying index of such a fund and, consequently, the fund's investment portfolio. This may adversely affect the fund's performance or subject the fund's shares to greater price volatility than that experienced by more diversified investment companies.**

The Fund intends to maintain the required level of diversification and otherwise conduct its operations so as to qualify as a regulated investment company ("RIC") for purposes of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Internal Revenue Code"), and to relieve the Fund of any liability for U.S. federal income tax to the extent that its earnings are distributed to shareholders, provided that the Fund satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. Compliance with the diversification requirements of the Internal Revenue Code may limit the investment flexibility of the Fund and may make it less likely that the Fund will meet its investment objective.

**Futures, Options on Futures and Securities Options. Futures contracts, options on futures and securities options may be used by the Fund to simulate investment in its Underlying Index, to facilitate trading or to reduce transaction costs. The Fund may enter into futures contracts and options on futures that are traded on a U.S. or non-U.S. futures exchange. The Fund will not use futures, options on futures or securities options for speculative purposes. The Fund intends to use futures and options on futures in accordance with Rule 4.5 of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (the "CFTC") promulgated under the Commodity Exchange Act ("CEA"). BFA, with respect to the Fund, has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term "commodity pool operator" in accordance with Rule 4.5 so that BFA, with respect to the Fund, is not subject to registration or regulation as a commodity pool operator under the CEA. See the *Regulation Regarding Derivatives* section of this SAI for more information.**

Futures contracts provide for the future sale by one party and purchase by another party of a specified amount of a specific instrument or index at a specified future time and at a specified price. Stock index contracts are based on investments that reflect the market value of common stock of the firms included in the investments. The Fund may enter into futures contracts to purchase securities indexes when BFA anticipates purchasing the underlying securities and believes prices will rise before the purchase will be made. Upon entering into a futures contract, the Fund will be required to deposit with the broker an amount of cash or cash equivalents known as "initial margin," which is similar to a performance bond or good faith deposit on the contract and is returned to the Fund upon termination of the futures contract if all contractual obligations have been satisfied. Subsequent payments, known as "variation margin," will be made to and from the broker daily as the price of the instrument or index underlying the futures contract fluctuates, making the long and short positions in the futures contract more or less valuable, a process known as "marking-to-market." At any time prior to the expiration of a futures contract, the Fund may elect to close the position by taking an opposite position, which will operate to terminate the Fund's existing position in the contract. An option on a futures contract, as contrasted with a direct investment in such a contract, gives the purchaser the right, but no obligation, in return for the premium paid, to assume a position in the underlying futures contract at a specified exercise price at any time prior to the expiration date of the option. Upon exercise of an option, the delivery of the futures position by the writer of the option to the holder of the option will be accompanied by delivery of

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the accumulated balance in the writer's futures margin account that represents the amount by which the market price of the futures contract exceeds (in the case of a call) or is less than (in the case of a put) the exercise price of the option on the futures contract.

The potential for loss related to the purchase of an option on a futures contract is limited to the premium paid for the option plus transaction costs. Because the value of the option is fixed at the point of sale, there are no daily cash payments by the purchaser to reflect changes in the value of the underlying contract; however, the value of the option changes daily and that change would be reflected in the NAV of the Fund. The potential for loss related to writing call options is unlimited. The potential for loss related to writing put options is limited to the agreed-upon price per share, also known as the "strike price," less the premium received from writing the put. The Fund may purchase and write put and call options on futures contracts that are traded on an exchange as a hedge against changes in value of its portfolio securities or in anticipation of the purchase of securities, and may enter into closing transactions with respect to such options to terminate existing positions. There is no guarantee that such closing transactions can be effected.

Securities options may be used by the Fund to obtain access to securities in the Underlying Index or to dispose of securities in the Underlying Index at favorable prices, to invest cash in a securities index that offers similar exposure to that provided by the Underlying Index or otherwise to achieve the Fund's objective of tracking the Underlying Index. A call option gives a holder the right to purchase a specific security at a specified price ("exercise price") within a specified period of time. A put option gives a holder the right to sell a specific security at an exercise price within a specified period of time. The initial purchaser of a call option pays the "writer" a premium, which is paid at the time of purchase and is retained by the writer whether or not such option is exercised. The Fund may purchase put options to hedge its portfolio against the risk of a decline in the market value of securities held and may purchase call options to hedge against an increase in the price of securities it is committed to purchase. The Fund may write put and call options along with a long position in options to increase its ability to hedge against a change in the market value of the securities it holds or is committed to purchase. The Fund may purchase or sell securities options on a U.S. or non-U.S. securities exchange or in the OTC market through a transaction with a dealer. Options on a securities index are typically settled on a net basis based on the appreciation or depreciation of the index level over the strike price. Options on single name securities may be cash- or physically-settled, depending upon the market in which they are traded. Options may be structured so as to be exercisable only on certain dates or on a daily basis. Options may also be structured to have conditions to exercise (*i.e.*, "Knock-in Events") or conditions that trigger termination (*i.e.*, "Knock-out Events").

**Lending Portfolio Securities. The Fund may lend portfolio securities to certain borrowers that BFA determines to be creditworthy, including borrowers affiliated with BFA. The borrowers provide collateral that is maintained in an amount at least equal to the current market value of the securities loaned. No securities loan shall be made on behalf of the Fund if, as a result, the aggregate value of all securities loans of the Fund exceeds one-third of the value of the Fund's total assets (including the value of the collateral received). The Fund may terminate a loan at any time and obtain the return of the securities loaned. The Fund receives, by way of substitute payment, the value of any interest or cash or non-cash distributions paid on the loaned securities that it would have otherwise received if the securities were not on loan.**

With respect to loans that are collateralized by cash, the borrower may be entitled to receive a fee based on the amount of cash collateral. The Fund is compensated by any positive difference between the amount earned on the reinvestment of cash collateral and the fee paid to the borrower. In the case of collateral other than cash, the Fund is compensated by a fee paid by the borrower equal to a percentage of the market value of the loaned securities. Any cash collateral received by the Fund for such loans, and uninvested cash, may be reinvested in certain short-term instruments either directly on behalf of the Fund or through one or more joint accounts or money market funds, including those affiliated with BFA; such investments are subject to investment risk.

The Fund conducts its securities lending pursuant to an exemptive order from the SEC permitting it to lend portfolio securities to borrowers affiliated with the Fund and to retain an affiliate of the Fund to act as securities lending agent. To the extent that the Fund engages in securities lending, BlackRock Institutional Trust Company, N.A. ("BTC") acts as securities lending agent for the Fund, subject to the overall supervision of BFA. BTC administers the lending program in accordance with guidelines approved by the Trust's Board of Trustees (the "Board," the trustees of which are the "Trustees"). JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. ("JPMorgan") serves as custodian for the Fund in connection with certain securities lending activities.

Securities lending involves exposure to certain risks, including operational risk (i.e., the risk of losses resulting from problems in the settlement and accounting process), "gap" risk (i.e., the risk of a mismatch between the return on cash collateral

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reinvestments and the fees the Fund has agreed to pay a borrower), foreign exchange risk (i.e., the risk of a shortfall at default when a cash collateral investment is denominated in a currency other than the currency of the assets being loaned due to movements in foreign exchange rates), and credit, legal, counterparty and market risks (including the risk that market events could lead the Fund to recall loaned securities or to lend less or not at all, which could lead to reduced securities lending revenue). If a securities lending counterparty were to default, the Fund would be subject to the risk of a possible delay in receiving collateral or in recovering the loaned securities, or to a possible loss of rights in the collateral. In the event a borrower does not return the Fund's securities as agreed, the Fund's ability to participate in a corporate action event may be impacted, or the Fund may experience losses if the proceeds received from liquidating the collateral do not at least equal the value of the loaned security at the time the collateral is liquidated, plus the transaction costs incurred in purchasing replacement securities. This latter event could trigger adverse tax consequences for the Fund. The Fund could lose money if its short-term investment of the collateral declines in value over the period of the loan. Substitute payments received by the Fund representing dividends paid on securities loaned out by the Fund will not be considered qualified dividend income. BTC will take into account the tax effects on shareholders caused by this difference in connection with the Fund's securities lending program. Substitute payments received on tax-exempt securities loaned out will not be tax-exempt income. There could also be changes in the status of issuers under applicable laws and regulations, including tax regulations, that may impact the regulatory or tax treatment of loaned securities and could, for example, result in a delay in the payment of dividend equivalent payments owed to the Fund (as permitted by applicable law).

Regulations adopted by global prudential regulators require certain bank-regulated counterparties and certain of their affiliates to include in certain financial contracts, including many securities lending agreements, terms that delay or restrict the rights of counterparties, such as the Fund, to terminate such agreements, foreclose upon collateral, exercise other default rights or restrict transfers of credit support in the event that the counterparty and/or its affiliates are subject to certain types of resolution or insolvency proceedings. It is possible that these requirements, as well as potential additional government regulation and other developments in the market, could adversely affect the Fund's ability to terminate existing securities lending agreements or to realize amounts to be received under such agreements.

**Liquidity Risk Management. Rule 22e-4 under the Investment Company Act (the "Liquidity Rule") requires open-end funds, including exchange-traded funds ("ETFs") such as the Fund, to establish a liquidity risk management program (the "Liquidity Program") and enhance disclosures regarding fund liquidity. As required by the Liquidity Rule, the Fund has implemented a Liquidity Program, and the Board, including a majority of the Independent Trustees of the Trust, has appointed BFA as the administrator of the Liquidity Program. Under the Liquidity Program, BFA assesses, manages, and periodically reviews the Fund's liquidity risk and classifies each investment held by the Fund as a "highly liquid investment," "moderately liquid investment," "less liquid investment" or "illiquid investment." The Liquidity Rule defines "liquidity risk" as the risk that the Fund could not meet requests to redeem shares issued by the Fund without significant dilution of the remaining investors' interest in the Fund. The liquidity of the Fund's portfolio investments is determined based on relevant market, trading and investment-specific considerations under the Liquidity Program. There are exclusions from certain portions of the liquidity risk management program requirements for "in-kind" ETFs, as defined in the Liquidity Rule. To the extent that an investment is deemed to be an illiquid investment or a less liquid investment, the Fund can expect to be exposed to greater liquidity risk.**

**Non-U.S. Securities. The Fund may purchase publicly traded common stocks of non-U.S. issuers. To the extent the Fund invests in stocks of non-U.S. issuers, the Fund's investment in such stocks may be in the form of American Depositary Receipts ("ADRs"), Global Depositary Receipts ("GDRs") and European Depositary Receipts ("EDRs") (collectively, "depositary receipts"). Depositary receipts are receipts, typically issued by a bank or trust issuer, which evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a non-U.S. issuer. Depositary receipts may not necessarily be denominated in the same currency as their underlying securities. ADRs typically are issued by a U.S. bank or trust company and evidence ownership of underlying securities issued by a non-U.S. issuer. EDRs, which are sometimes referred to as continental depositary receipts, are receipts issued in Europe, typically by foreign banks and trust companies, that evidence ownership of either foreign or domestic underlying securities. GDRs are depositary receipts structured like global debt issues to facilitate trading on an international basis. Generally, ADRs, issued in registered form, are designed for use in the U.S. securities markets, and EDRs, issued in bearer form, are designed for use in European securities markets. GDRs are tradable both in the U.S. and in Europe and are designed for use throughout the world.**

Depositary receipts are generally subject to the same risks as the foreign securities that they evidence or into which they may be converted. In addition to investment risks associated with the underlying issuer, depositary receipts expose the Fund to additional risks associated with the non-uniform terms that apply to depositary receipt programs, credit exposure to the depository bank and to the sponsors and other parties with whom the depository bank establishes the programs, currency

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risk and liquidity risk. Unsponsored programs, which are not sanctioned by the issuer of the underlying common stock, generally expose investors to greater risks than sponsored programs and do not provide holders with many of the shareholder benefits that come from investing in a sponsored depositary receipts.

Investing in the securities of non-U.S. issuers involves special risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in U.S. issuers. These include differences in accounting, auditing and financial reporting standards; the possibility of expropriation or confiscatory taxation; adverse changes in investment or exchange control regulations; political instability, which could affect U.S. investments in non-U.S. countries; and potential restrictions on the flow of international capital. Non-U.S. issuers may be subject to less governmental regulation than U.S. issuers. Moreover, individual non-U.S. economies may differ favorably or unfavorably from the U.S. economy in such respects as growth of gross domestic product ("GDP"), rate of inflation, capital reinvestment, resource self-sufficiency and balance of payment positions.

**Regulation Regarding Derivatives. The CFTC subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if a fund that is advised by the adviser either (i) invests, directly or indirectly, more than a prescribed level of its liquidation value in CFTC-regulated futures, options and swaps ("CFTC Derivatives") or (ii) markets itself as providing investment exposure to such instruments. The CFTC also subjects advisers to registered investment companies to regulation by the CFTC if the registered investment company invests in one or more commodity pools. To the extent the Fund uses CFTC Derivatives, it intends to do so below such prescribed levels and intends not to market itself as a "commodity pool" or a vehicle for trading such instruments.**

BFA has claimed an exclusion from the definition of the term "commodity pool operator" under the CEA pursuant to Rule 4.5 under the CEA with respect to the Fund. BFA is not, therefore, subject to registration or regulation as a "commodity pool operator" under the CEA with respect to the Fund.

Derivative contracts, including, without limitation, swaps, currency forwards, and non-deliverable forwards, are subject to regulation under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act ("Dodd-Frank Act") in the U.S. and under comparable regimes in Europe, Asia and other non-U.S. jurisdictions. Swaps, non-deliverable forwards and certain other derivatives traded in the OTC market are subject to variation margin and initial margin requirements. Implementation of the margining and other provisions of the Dodd-Frank Act regarding clearing, mandatory trading, reporting and documentation of swaps and other derivatives have impacted and may continue to impact the costs to the Fund of trading these instruments and, as a result, may affect returns to investors in the Fund.

Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act permits the Fund to enter into Derivatives Transactions (as defined below) and certain other transactions notwithstanding the restrictions on the issuance of "senior securities" under Section 18 of the Investment Company Act. Section 18 of the Investment Company Act, among other things, prohibits open-end funds, including the Fund, from issuing or selling any "senior security," other than borrowing from a bank (subject to a requirement to maintain 300% "asset coverage").

Under Rule 18f-4, "Derivatives Transactions" include the following: (1) any swap, security-based swap (including a contract for differences), futures contract, forward contract, option (excluding purchased options), any combination of the foregoing, or any similar instrument, under which the Fund is or may be required to make any payment or delivery of cash or other assets during the life of the instrument or at maturity or early termination, whether as margin or settlement payment or otherwise; (2) any short sale borrowing; (3) reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions (*e.g*., recourse and non-recourse tender option bonds, and borrowed bonds), if the Fund elects to treat these transactions as Derivatives Transactions under Rule 18f-4; and (4) when-issued or forward-settling securities (*e.g.*, firm and standby commitments, including to-be-announced ("TBA") commitments, and dollar rolls) and non-standard settlement cycle securities, unless the Fund intends to physically settle the transaction and the transaction will settle within 35 days of its trade date (the "Delayed-Settlement Securities Provision").

Unless the Fund is relying on the Limited Derivatives User Exception (as defined below), the Fund must comply with Rule 18f-4 with respect to its Derivatives Transactions. Rule 18f-4, among other things, requires the Fund to adopt and implement a comprehensive written derivatives risk management program ("DRMP") and comply with a relative or absolute limit on Fund leverage risk calculated based on value-at-risk ("VaR"). The DRMP is administered by a "derivatives risk manager," who is appointed by the Board, including a majority of Independent Directors/Trustees, and periodically reviews the DRMP and reports to the Board.

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Rule 18f-4 provides an exception from the DRMP, VaR limit and certain other requirements if the Fund's "derivatives exposure" (as defined in Rule 18f-4) is limited to 10% of its net assets (as calculated in accordance with Rule 18f-4) and the Fund adopts and implements written policies and procedures reasonably designed to manage its derivatives risks (the "Limited Derivatives User Exception").<br>

**Repurchase Agreements. A repurchase agreement is an instrument under which the purchaser (*i.e.*, the Fund) acquires a security and the seller agrees, at the time of the sale, to repurchase the security at a mutually agreed-upon time and price, thereby determining the yield during the purchaser's holding period. Repurchase agreements may be construed to be collateralized loans by the purchaser to the seller secured by the securities transferred to the purchaser. If a repurchase agreement is construed to be a collateralized loan, the underlying securities will not be considered to be owned by the Fund but only to constitute collateral for the seller's obligation to pay the repurchase price, and, in the event of a default by the seller, the Fund may suffer time delays and incur costs or losses in connection with the disposition of the collateral.**

In any repurchase transaction, the collateral for a repurchase agreement may include: (i) cash items; (ii) obligations issued by the U.S. government or its agencies or instrumentalities; or (iii) obligations that, at the time the repurchase agreement is entered into, are determined to (A) have exceptionally strong capacity to meet their financial obligations and (B) are sufficiently liquid such that they can be sold at approximately their carrying value in the ordinary course of business within seven days.

Repurchase agreements pose certain risks for the Fund, should it decide to utilize them. Such risks are not unique to the Fund, but are inherent in repurchase agreements. The Fund seeks to minimize such risks, but because of the inherent legal uncertainties involved in repurchase agreements, such risks cannot be eliminated. Lower quality collateral and collateral with a longer maturity may be subject to greater price fluctuations than higher quality collateral and collateral with a shorter maturity. If the repurchase agreement counterparty were to default, lower quality collateral may be more difficult to liquidate than higher quality collateral. Should the counterparty default and the amount of collateral not be sufficient to cover the counterparty's repurchase obligation, the Fund would likely retain the status of an unsecured creditor of the counterparty (*i.e.*, the position the Fund would normally be in if it were to hold, pursuant to its investment policies, other unsecured debt securities of the defaulting counterparty) with respect to the amount of the shortfall. As an unsecured creditor, the Fund would be at risk of losing some or all of the principal and income involved in the transaction.

**Reverse Repurchase Agreements. Reverse repurchase agreements involve the sale of securities with an agreement to repurchase the securities at an agreed-upon price, date and interest payment and have the characteristics of borrowing. Generally, the effect of such transactions is that the Fund can recover all or most of the cash invested in the portfolio securities involved during the term of the reverse repurchase agreement, while in many cases the Fund is able to keep some of the interest income associated with those securities. Such transactions are advantageous only if the Fund has an opportunity to earn a rate of interest on the cash derived from these transactions that is greater than the interest cost of obtaining the same amount of cash. Opportunities to realize earnings from the use of the proceeds equal to or greater than the interest required to be paid may not always be available, and the Fund intends to use the reverse repurchase technique only when BFA believes it will be advantageous to the Fund. The use of reverse repurchase agreements may exaggerate any increase or decrease in the value of the Fund's assets. The use of reverse repurchase agreements is a form of leverage, and the proceeds obtained by the Fund through reverse repurchase agreements may be invested in additional securities.**

Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act permits the Fund to enter into reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions (*e.g.,* recourse and non-recourse tender option bonds, borrowed bonds) notwithstanding the limitation on the issuance of senior securities in Section 18 of the Investment Company Act, provided that the Fund either (i) complies with the 300% asset coverage ratio with respect to such transactions and any other borrowings in the aggregate, or (ii) treats such transactions as Derivatives Transactions under Rule 18f-4. (See "*Regulation Regarding Derivatives*" above.)

**Securities of Investment Companies. The Fund may invest in the securities of other investment companies (including money market funds) to the extent permitted by law. Pursuant to the 1940 Act, the Fund's investment in registered investment companies is generally limited to, subject to certain exceptions: (i) 3% of the total outstanding voting stock of any one investment company; (ii) 5% of the Fund's total assets with respect to any one investment company; and (iii) 10% of the Fund's total assets with respect to investment companies in the aggregate. To the extent allowed by law or regulation, the Fund intends from time to time to invest its assets in the securities of investment companies, including, but not limited to, money market funds, including those advised by or otherwise affiliated with BFA, in excess of the general limits discussed above. Other investment companies in which the Fund may invest can be expected to incur fees and expenses for operations,**

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such as investment advisory and administration fees, which would be in addition to those incurred by the Fund. Pursuant to guidance issued by the SEC staff, fees and expenses of money market funds used for cash collateral received in connection with loans of securities are not treated as Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, which reflect the Fund's *pro rata* share of the fees and expenses incurred by investing in other investment companies (as disclosed in the Prospectus, as applicable).

**Short-Term Instruments and Temporary Investments. The Fund may invest in short-term instruments, including money market instruments, on an ongoing basis to provide liquidity or for other reasons. Money market instruments are generally short-term investments that may include, but are not limited to: (i) shares of money market funds (including those advised by BFA or otherwise affiliated with BFA); (ii) obligations issued or guaranteed by the U.S. government, its agencies or instrumentalities (including government-sponsored enterprises); (iii) negotiable certificates of deposit ("CDs"), bankers' acceptances, fixed-time deposits and other obligations of U.S. and non-U.S. banks (including non-U.S. branches) and similar institutions; (iv) commercial paper rated, at the date of purchase, "Prime-1" by Moody's<sup>®</sup> Investors Service, Inc., "F-1" by Fitch Ratings, Inc., or "A-1" by Standard & Poor's<sup>®</sup> Global Ratings, a subsidiary of S&P Global, Inc., or if unrated, of comparable quality as determined by BFA; (v) non-convertible corporate debt securities (*e.g.*, bonds and debentures) with remaining maturities at the date of purchase of not more than 397 days and that have been determined to present minimal credit risks, in accordance with the requirements set forth in Rule 2a-7 under the 1940 Act; (vi) repurchase agreements; and (vii) short-term U.S. dollar-denominated obligations of non-U.S. banks (including U.S. branches) that, in the opinion of BFA, are of comparable quality to obligations of U.S. banks that may be purchased by the Fund. Any of these instruments may be purchased on a current or forward-settled basis. Time deposits are non-negotiable deposits maintained in banking institutions for specified periods of time at stated interest rates. Bankers' acceptances are time drafts drawn on commercial banks by borrowers, usually in connection with international transactions.**

**Swap Agreements. Swap agreements are contracts between parties in which one party agrees to make periodic payments to the other party based on a pre-determined underlying investment or notional amount. In return, the other party agrees to make periodic payments to the first party based on the return (or a differential in rate of return) earned or realized on the underlying investment or notional amount. Swap agreements will usually be performed on a net basis, with the Fund receiving or paying only the net amount of the two payments. The net amount of the excess, if any, of the Fund's obligations over its entitlements with respect to each swap is accrued on a daily basis.**

The use of swaps is a highly specialized activity that involves investment techniques and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio security transactions. These transactions generally do not involve the delivery of securities or other underlying assets.

**Tracking Stocks. A tracking stock is a separate class of common stock whose value is linked to a specific business unit or operating division within a larger company and is designed to "track" the performance of such business unit or division. The tracking stock may pay dividends to shareholders independent of the parent company. The parent company, rather than the business unit or division, generally is the issuer of tracking stock. However, holders of the tracking stock may not have the same rights as holders of the company's common stock.**

**Future Developments. The Board may, in the future, authorize the Fund to invest in securities contracts and investments, other than those listed in this SAI and in the Prospectus, provided they are consistent with the Fund's investment objective and do not violate any of its investment restrictions or policies.**

## General Considerations and Risks
A discussion of some of the principal risks associated with an investment in the Fund is contained in the Prospectus.

An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding that the value of the Fund's portfolio securities may fluctuate in accordance with changes in the financial condition of the issuers of the portfolio securities, the value of stocks in general, and other factors that affect the market. The order of the below risk factors does not indicate the significance of any particular risk factor.

**Borrowing Risk. Borrowing may exaggerate changes in the NAV of Fund shares and in the return on the Fund's portfolio. Borrowing will cause the Fund to incur interest expense and other fees. The costs of borrowing may reduce the Fund's return. Borrowing may cause the Fund to liquidate positions when it may not be advantageous to do so to satisfy its obligations.**

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**Currency Risk. Because the Fund's NAV is determined on the basis of the U.S. dollar, investors may lose money if the currency of a non-U.S. market in which the Fund invests depreciates against the U.S. dollar, even if the local currency value of the Fund's holdings in that market increases. Generally, when the U.S. dollar rises in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency loses value because the currency is worth fewer U.S. dollars. Conversely, when the U.S. dollar decreases in value against a foreign currency, a security denominated in that currency gains value because the currency is worth more U.S. dollars. This risk, generally known as "currency risk," means that a strong U.S. dollar will reduce returns for U.S. investors, while a weak U.S. dollar will increase those returns.**

Foreign exchange transactions involve a significant degree of risk and the markets in which foreign exchange transactions are effected are highly volatile, highly specialized and highly technical. Significant changes, including changes in liquidity and prices, can occur in such markets within very short periods of time, often within minutes. If BFA utilizes foreign exchange transactions at an inappropriate time or judges market conditions, trends or correlations incorrectly, foreign exchange transactions may not serve their intended purpose of improving the Fund's performance and may lower the Fund's return. The Fund could experience losses if the value of its currency forward positions are poorly correlated with its other investments or if it cannot close out its positions because of an illiquid market. In addition, the Fund could incur transaction costs, including trading commissions, in connection with certain non-U.S. currency transactions.

**Custody Risk. Custody risk refers to the risks inherent in the process of clearing and settling trades and to the holding of securities, cash and other assets by local banks, agents and depositories. Low trading volumes and volatile prices in less developed markets make trades harder to complete and settle, and governments or trade groups may compel local agents to hold securities in designated depositories that may not be subject to independent evaluation. Local agents are held only to the standards of care of their local markets, and thus may be subject to limited or no government oversight. Communications between the U.S. and emerging market countries may be unreliable, increasing the risk of delayed settlements or losses of security certificates. In general, the less developed a country's securities market is, the greater the likelihood of custody problems. Practices in relation to the settlement of securities transactions in emerging markets involve higher risks than those in developed markets, in part because of the use of brokers and counterparties that are often less well capitalized, and custody and registration of assets in some countries may be unreliable. The possibility of fraud, negligence or undue influence being exerted by the issuer or refusal to recognize ownership exists in some emerging markets, and, along with other factors, could result in ownership registration being lost. In addition, the laws of certain countries may put limits on the Fund's ability to recover its assets if a foreign bank or depository or issuer of a security or an agent of any of the foregoing goes bankrupt. The Fund would absorb any loss resulting from such custody problems and may have no successful claim for compensation.**

**Dividend-Paying Stock Risk. Investing in dividend-paying stocks involves the risk that such stocks may fall out of favor with investors and underperform the broader market. Companies that issue dividend-paying stocks are not required to pay or continue paying dividends on such stocks. It is possible that issuers of the stocks held by the Fund will not declare dividends in the future or will reduce or eliminate the payment of dividends (including reducing or eliminating anticipated accelerations or increases in the payment of dividends) in the future.**

**Illiquid Investments Risk. The Fund may not acquire any illiquid investment if, immediately after the acquisition, the Fund would have invested more than 15% of its net assets in illiquid investments. An illiquid investment is any investment that the Fund reasonably expects cannot be sold or disposed of in current market conditions in seven calendar days or less without significantly changing the market value of the investment. The liquidity of an investment will be determined based on relevant market, trading and investment specific considerations as set out in the Liquidity Program as required by the Liquidity Rule. Illiquid investments may trade at a discount to comparable, more liquid investments and the Fund may not be able to dispose of illiquid investments in a timely fashion or at their expected prices. If illiquid investments exceed 15% of the Fund's net assets, the Liquidity Rule and the Liquidity Program will require that certain remedial actions be taken.**

**LIBOR Risk. The Fund may be exposed to financial instruments that are tied to the London Interbank Offered Rate ("LIBOR") to determine payment obligations, financing terms, hedging strategies or investment value. The Fund's investments may pay interest at floating rates based on LIBOR or may be subject to interest caps or floors based on LIBOR. The Fund may also obtain financing at floating rates based on LIBOR. Derivative instruments utilized by the Fund may also reference LIBOR.**

**LIBOR Replacement Risk. The United Kingdom's Financial Conduct Authority ("FCA"), which regulates LIBOR announced that a majority of USD LIBOR settings will no longer be published after June 30, 2023. All other LIBOR settings and certain other interbank offered rates, such as the Euro Overnight Index Average ("EONIA") ceased to be published after December 31,**

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2021. SOFR is a broad measure of the cost of borrowing cash overnight collateralized by U.S. Treasury securities in the repurchase agreement ("repo") market and has been used increasingly on a voluntary basis in new instruments and transactions. On March 15, 2022, the Adjustable Interest Rate Act was signed into law in the U.S., providing a statutory fallback mechanism to replace LIBOR with a benchmark rate that is selected by the Federal Reserve Board and based on SOFR for certain contracts that reference LIBOR without adequate fallback provisions. On December 16, 2022, the Federal Reserve Board adopted regulations implementing the Adjustable Interest Rate Act by identifying benchmark rates based on SOFR that will replace LIBOR in different categories of financial contracts after June 30, 2023.

The regulations include provisions that (i) provide a safe harbor for selection or use of a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; (ii) clarify who may choose the replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board; and (iii) ensure that contracts adopting a replacement benchmark rate selected by the Federal Reserve Board will not be interrupted or terminated following the replacement of LIBOR. These regulations apply only contracts governed by U.S. law, among other limitations. Similar legislation and regulations have been and may be further adopted in other jurisdictions.

Neither the effect of the LIBOR transition process nor its ultimate success can yet be known. Not all existing LIBOR-based instruments may have alternative rate-setting provisions and there remains uncertainty regarding the willingness and ability of issuers to add alternative rate-setting provisions in certain existing instruments. Parties to contracts, securities or other instruments using LIBOR may disagree on transition rates or the application of applicable transition regulations, potentially resulting in uncertainty of performance and the possibility of litigation. The Fund may have instruments linked to other interbank offered rates and currencies that may also cease to be published in the future.

The effect of these changes on the Fund will vary based on, among other things, existing fallback or termination provisions in individual contracts and the potential renegotiation of existing contracts. In many cases, if an instrument falls back to an alternative reference rate, including SOFR, the alternative reference rate will not perform the same as LIBOR because the alternative reference rate does not include a credit-sensitive component in the rate calculation. In the event of a credit crisis, floating rate instruments using certain alternative reference rates could perform differently than those instruments using a rate indexed to the interbank lending market.

**Money Market Instruments Risk. The Fund may hold money market instruments. The value of money market instruments may be affected by changes in interest rates or in the credit ratings of the investments, among other things. If a significant amount of a Fund's assets is invested in money market instruments, it may be more difficult for the Fund to achieve its investment objective. An investment in a money market fund is not insured or guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. It is possible to lose money by investing in a money market fund. Money market funds other than U.S. government money market funds and retail money market funds "float" their NAV instead of using a stable $1.00 per share price.**

**Operational Risk. BFA and the Fund's other service providers may experience disruptions or operating errors such as processing errors or human errors, inadequate or failed internal or external processes, or systems or technology failures, that could negatively impact the Fund. While service providers are required to have appropriate operational risk management policies and procedures, their methods of operational risk management may differ from the Fund's in the setting of priorities, the personnel and resources available or the effectiveness of relevant controls. BFA, through its monitoring and oversight of service providers, seeks to ensure that service providers take appropriate precautions to avoid and mitigate risks that could lead to disruptions and operating errors. However, it is not possible for BFA or the other Fund service providers to identify all of the operational risks that may affect the Fund or to develop processes and controls to completely eliminate or mitigate their occurrence or effects.**

**Risk of Derivatives. A derivative is a financial contract, the value of which depends on, or is derived from, the value of an underlying asset, such as a security, a commodity (such as gold or silver), a currency or an index (a measure of value or rates, such as the S&P 500<sup>®</sup> or the prime lending rate). The Fund may invest in futures contracts, securities options and other derivatives. Compared to securities, derivatives can be more sensitive to changes in interest rates or to sudden fluctuations in market prices and thus the Fund's losses may be greater if it invests in derivatives than if it invests only in conventional securities. Derivatives are also subject to counterparty risk, which is the risk that the other party in the transaction will not fulfill its contractual obligations. Derivatives generally involve the incurrence of leverage.**

When a derivative is used as a hedge against a position that the Fund holds or is committed to purchase, any loss generated by the derivative generally should be substantially offset by gains on the hedged investment, and vice versa. While hedging

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can reduce or eliminate losses, it can also reduce or eliminate gains and, in some cases, hedging can cause losses that are not offset by gains, and the Fund will recognize losses on both the investment and the hedge. Hedges are sometimes subject to imperfect matching between the derivative and the underlying security, and there can be no assurance that the Fund's hedging transactions, which entail additional transaction costs, will be effective.

**Risk of Equity Securities. An investment in the Fund should be made with an understanding of the risks inherent in an investment in equity securities, including the risk that the financial condition of issuers may become impaired or that the general condition of stock markets may deteriorate (either of which may cause a decrease in the value of the portfolio securities and thus in the value of shares of the Fund). Common stocks are susceptible to general stock market fluctuations and to increases and decreases in value as market confidence and perceptions of their issuers change. These investor perceptions are based on various and unpredictable factors, including expectations regarding government, economic, monetary and fiscal policies, inflation and interest rates, economic expansion or contraction, and global or regional political, economic or banking crises. Common stocks may experience extreme price volatility due to actions taken by particular investors or groups of investors (for example, retail investors influenced by social media activity or other media coverage or significant "short" positions taken by institutional investors).**

Holders of common stocks incur more risks than holders of preferred stocks and debt obligations because common stockholders generally have rights to receive payments from stock issuers that are inferior to the rights of creditors, or holders of debt obligations or preferred stocks. Further, unlike debt securities, which typically have a stated principal amount payable at maturity (the value of which, however, is subject to market fluctuations prior to maturity), or preferred stocks, which typically have a liquidation preference and which may have stated optional or mandatory redemption provisions, common stocks have neither a fixed principal amount nor a maturity date. In addition, issuers may, in times of distress or at their own discretion, decide to reduce or eliminate dividends, which may also cause their stock price to decline.

Although most of the securities in the Underlying Index are listed on a securities exchange, the principal trading market for some of the securities may be in the OTC market. The existence of a liquid trading market for certain securities may depend on whether dealers will make a market in such securities. There can be no assurance that a market will be made or maintained or that any such market will be or remain liquid. The price at which securities may be sold and the value of the Fund's shares will be adversely affected if trading markets for the Fund's portfolio securities are limited or absent, or if bid/ask spreads are wide.

**Risk of Futures and Options on Futures Transactions. There are several risks accompanying the utilization of futures contracts and options on futures contracts. A position in futures contracts and options on futures contracts may be closed only on the exchange on which the contract was made (or a linked exchange). While the Fund plans to utilize futures contracts only if an active market exists for such contracts, there is no guarantee that a liquid market will exist for the contract at a specified time. Futures contracts, by definition, project price levels in the future and not current levels of valuation; therefore, market circumstances may result in a discrepancy between the price of the future and the movement in the Fund's Underlying Index. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would continue to be required to make daily cash payments to maintain its required margin. In such situations, if the Fund has insufficient cash, it may have to sell portfolio securities to meet daily margin requirements at a time when it may be disadvantageous to do so. In addition, the Fund may be required to deliver the instruments underlying the futures contracts it has sold.**

The risk of loss in trading futures contracts or uncovered call options in some strategies (*e.g.*, selling uncovered stock index futures contracts) is potentially unlimited. The Fund does not plan to use futures and options contracts in this way. The risk of a futures position may still be large as traditionally measured due to the low margin deposits required. In many cases, a relatively small price movement in a futures contract may result in immediate and substantial loss or gain to the investor relative to the size of a required margin deposit. The Fund, however, intends to utilize futures and options contracts in a manner designed to limit the risk exposure to levels comparable to a direct investment in the types of stocks in which it invests.

Utilization of futures and options on futures by the Fund involves the risk of imperfect or even negative correlation to the Underlying Index if the index underlying the futures contract differs from the Underlying Index. There is also the risk of loss of margin deposits in the event of bankruptcy of a broker with whom the Fund has an open position in the futures contract or option. The purchase of put or call options will be based upon predictions by BFA as to anticipated trends, which predictions could prove to be incorrect.

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Because the futures market generally imposes less burdensome margin requirements than the securities market, an increased amount of participation by speculators in the futures market could result in price fluctuations. Certain financial futures exchanges limit the amount of fluctuation permitted in futures contract prices during a single trading day. The daily limit establishes the maximum amount by which the price of a futures contract may vary either up or down from the previous day's settlement price at the end of a trading session. Once the daily limit has been reached in a particular type of contract, no trades may be made on that day at a price beyond that limit. It is possible that futures contract prices could move to the daily limit for several consecutive trading days with little or no trading, thereby preventing prompt liquidation of futures positions and subjecting the Fund to substantial losses. In the event of adverse price movements, the Fund would be required to make daily cash payments of variation margin.

**Risk of Investing in Non-U.S. Equity Securities. An investment in the Fund involves risks similar to those of investing in portfolios of equity securities traded on non-U.S. exchanges. These risks include market fluctuations caused by such factors as economic and political developments in those foreign countries, changes in interest rates and perceived trends in stock prices. Investing in securities issued by issuers domiciled in countries other than the domicile of the investor and denominated in currencies other than an investor's local currency entails certain considerations and risks not typically encountered by the investor in making investments in its home country and in that country's currency. These considerations include favorable or unfavorable changes in interest rates, currency exchange rates, exchange control regulations and the costs that may be incurred in connection with conversions between various currencies. Investing in the Fund also involves certain risks and considerations not typically associated with investing in a fund whose portfolio contains exclusively securities of U.S. issuers. These risks include generally less liquid and less efficient securities markets; generally greater price volatility; less publicly available information about issuers; the imposition of withholding or other taxes; the imposition of restrictions on the expatriation of funds or other assets of the Fund; higher transaction and custody costs; delays and risks attendant in settlement procedures; difficulties in enforcing contractual obligations; lower liquidity and significantly smaller market capitalization; different accounting and disclosure standards; lower levels of regulation of the securities markets; more substantial government interference with the economy and businesses; higher rates of inflation; greater social, economic, and political uncertainty; the risk of nationalization or expropriation of assets; and the risk of war.**

**Risk of Swap Agreements. The risk of loss with respect to swaps is generally limited to the net amount of payments that the Fund is contractually obligated to make. Swap agreements are subject to the risk that the swap counterparty will default on its obligations. If such a default occurs, the parties will have contractual remedies pursuant to the agreements related to the transaction. However, such remedies may be subject to bankruptcy and insolvency laws, which could affect the Fund's rights as a creditor (*e.g.*, the Fund may not receive the net amount of payments that it is contractually entitled to receive).**

The Fund is required to post and collect variation margin and initial margin (comprised of specified liquid securities subject to haircuts) in connection with trading of OTC swaps. These requirements may raise the costs for the Fund's investment in swaps.

**Tracking Error Risk. The Fund may be subject to tracking error, which is the divergence of the Fund's performance from that of the Underlying Index. Tracking error may occur because of differences between the securities and other instruments held in the Fund's portfolio and those included in the Underlying Index, pricing differences, transaction costs incurred by the Fund, the Fund's holding of uninvested cash, differences in timing of the accrual of or the valuation of dividends or interest received by the Fund or distributions paid to the Fund's shareholders, the requirements to maintain pass-through tax treatment, portfolio transactions carried out to minimize the distribution of capital gains to shareholders, acceptance of custom baskets, changes to the Underlying Index or the costs to the Fund of complying with various new or existing regulatory requirements. This risk may be heightened during times of increased market volatility or other unusual market conditions. Tracking error also may result because the Fund incurs fees and expenses, while the Underlying Index does not. Tracking error may occur due to differences between the methodologies used in calculating the value of the Underlying Index and determining the Fund's NAV.**

When an issuer is introduced by an index provider into an index tracked by a Fund, BFA may conduct an analysis on such issuer's securities to identify and screen for outlier high risk behavior (such as rapid or unusual price growth that does not appear to be supported by publicly available information on the business and assets of the issuer, unusual or significant short interest or lending activity, negative sentiment, suspended trading or incorrect free-float calculations, which could be indicators of possible irregularities, miscalculations or even fraud). If it identifies such behavior, BFA may, where appropriate, alert the index provider as to the alleged issue. The index provider has sole discretion for the determination as to whether to continue to include the issuer's securities in the rebalancing of its index. If the securities continue to be included in the index,

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BFA may underweight or exclude such securities from a Fund's portfolio and, if it does so, such Fund will be subject to increased tracking error due to the divergence in the securities included in its portfolio from its underlying index. BFA's underweighting or excluding such securities may result in a decline in the Fund's net asset value. The application of the abovementioned analysis and screening to a Fund and its Underlying Index is in the sole discretion of BFA and its affiliates (without any guarantees). The analysis and screening may not exclude any or all high risk securities from an Underlying Index or a Fund's portfolio, and the inclusion of such securities will result in an adverse impact to the Fund's net asset value if one or more such securities declines in value.

**Risk of Investing in Asia. Investments in securities of issuers in certain Asian countries involve risks not typically associated with investments in securities of issuers in other regions. Such heightened risks include, among others, expropriation and/or nationalization of assets, confiscatory taxation, piracy of intellectual property, data and other security breaches (especially of data stored electronically), political instability, including authoritarian and/or military involvement in governmental decision-making, armed conflict and social instability as a result of religious, ethnic and/or socio-economic unrest. Certain Asian economies have experienced rapid rates of economic growth and industrialization in recent years, and there is no assurance that these rates of economic growth and industrialization will be maintained.**

Certain Asian countries have democracies with relatively short histories, which may increase the risk of political instability. These countries have faced political and military unrest, and further unrest could present a risk to their local economies and securities markets. Indonesia and the Philippines have each experienced violence and terrorism, which has negatively impacted their economies. North Korea and South Korea each have substantial military capabilities, and historical tensions between the two countries present the risk of war. Escalated tensions involving the two countries and any outbreak of hostilities between the two countries, or even the threat of an outbreak of hostilities, could have a severe adverse effect on the entire Asian region. Certain Asian countries have also developed increasingly strained relationships with the U.S., and if these relations were to worsen, they could adversely affect Asian issuers that rely on the U.S. for trade. Political, religious, and border disputes persist in India. India has recently experienced and may continue to experience civil unrest and hostilities with certain of its neighboring countries. Increased political and social unrest in these geographic areas could adversely affect the performance of investments in this region.

Certain governments in this region administer prices on several basic goods, including fuel and electricity, within their respective countries. Certain governments may exercise substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector in their respective countries and may own or control many companies. Future government actions could have a significant effect on the economic conditions in this region, which in turn could have a negative impact on private sector companies. There is also the possibility of diplomatic developments adversely affecting investments in the region.

Corruption and the perceived lack of a rule of law in dealings with international companies in certain Asian countries may discourage foreign investment and could negatively impact the long-term growth of certain economies in this region. In addition, certain countries in the region are experiencing high unemployment and corruption, and have fragile banking sectors.

Some economies in this region are dependent on a range of commodities, including oil, natural gas and coal. Accordingly, they are strongly affected by international commodity prices and particularly vulnerable to any weakening in global demand for these products. The market for securities in this region may also be directly influenced by the flow of international capital, and by the economic and market conditions of neighboring countries. China is a key trading partner of many Asian countries and any changes in trading relationships between China and other Asian countries may affect the region as a whole. Adverse economic conditions or developments in neighboring countries may increase investors' perception of the risk of investing in the region as a whole, which may adversely impact the market value of the securities issued by companies in the region.

**Risk of Investing in China. Investments in securities of companies domiciled in China involve a high degree of risk and special considerations not typically associated with investing in the U.S. securities markets. Such heightened risks include, among others, an authoritarian government, popular unrest associated with demands for improved political, economic and social conditions, the impact of regional conflict on the economy and hostile relations with neighboring countries.**

Military conflicts, either in response to internal social unrest or conflicts with other countries, could disrupt economic development. The Chinese economy is vulnerable to the long-running disagreements and religious and nationalist disputes with Tibet and the Xinjiang region. Since 1997, there have been tensions between the Chinese government and many people in Hong Kong who perceive China as tightening control over Hong Kong's semi-autonomous liberal political, economic, legal, and social framework. Recent protests and unrest have increased tensions even further. Due to the interconnected nature of

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the Hong Kong and Chinese economies, this instability in Hong Kong may cause uncertainty in the Hong Kong and Chinese markets. China has a complex territorial dispute regarding the sovereignty of Taiwan and has made threats of invasion. Taiwan-based companies and individuals are significant investors in China. Military conflict between China and Taiwan may adversely affect securities of Chinese issuers. In addition, China has strained international relations with Japan, India, Russia and other neighbors due to territorial disputes, historical animosities and other defense concerns. Additionally, China is alleged to have participated in state-sponsored cyberattacks against foreign companies and foreign governments. Actual and threatened responses to such activity and strained international relations, including purchasing restrictions, sanctions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Chinese government or Chinese companies, may impact China's economy and Chinese issuers of securities in which the Fund invests. China could be affected by military events on the Korean peninsula or internal instability within North Korea. These situations may cause uncertainty in the Chinese market and may adversely affect the performance of the Chinese economy.

The Chinese government has implemented significant economic reforms in order to liberalize trade policy, promote foreign investment in the economy, reduce government control of the economy and develop market mechanisms. However, there can be no assurance that these reforms will continue or that they will be effective. Despite reforms and privatizations of companies in certain sectors, the Chinese government still exercises substantial influence over many aspects of the private sector and may own or control many companies. Chinese companies, such as those in the financial services or technology sectors, and potentially other sectors in the future, are subject to the risk that Chinese authorities can intervene in their operations and structure. The Chinese government continues to maintain a major role in economic policymaking. Investing in China involves risk of loss due to expropriation, nationalization, confiscation of assets and property or the imposition of restrictions on foreign investments and on repatriation of capital invested.

In addition, there is less regulation and monitoring of Chinese securities markets and the activities of investors, brokers and other participants than in the U.S. Accordingly, issuers of securities in China, including Chinese companies that are listed on U.S. exchanges, are not subject to the same degree of regulation as are U.S. issuers with respect to such matters as insider trading rules, tender offer regulation, accounting standards or auditor oversight, stockholder proxy requirements and the requirements mandating timely and accurate disclosure of information. Securities markets in China are in the process of change and further development. This may lead to trading volatility, difficulty in the settlement and recording of transactions and difficulty in interpreting and applying the relevant regulation.

There may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against Chinese companies, and shareholders may have limited legal remedies. The Fund is not actively managed and does not select investments based on investor protection considerations.

While the Chinese economy has experienced past periods of rapid growth, there is no assurance that such growth rates will recur. China may experience substantial rates of inflation or economic recessions, causing a negative effect on the economy and securities market. China's economy is heavily dependent on export growth. Reduction in spending on Chinese products and services, institution of additional tariffs or other trade barriers or a downturn in any of the economies of China's key trading partners may have an adverse impact on the Chinese economy and the Chinese issuers of securities in which a Fund invests. For example, the U.S. has added certain foreign technology companies to the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security's "Entity List," which is a list of companies believed to pose a national security risk to the U.S. Actions like these may have unanticipated and disruptive effects on the Chinese economy. Any such response that targets Chinese financial markets or securities exchanges could interfere with orderly trading, delay settlement or cause market disruptions.

**Risk of Investing in Developed Countries. Many countries with developed markets have recently experienced significant economic pressures. These countries generally tend to rely on the services sectors (*e.g.*, the financial services sector) as the primary source of economic growth and may be susceptible to the risks of individual service sectors. For example, companies in the financial services sector are subject to governmental regulation and, recently, government intervention, which may adversely affect the scope of their activities, the prices they can charge and amount of capital they must maintain. Dislocations in the financial sector and perceived or actual governmental influence over certain financial companies may lead to credit rating downgrades and, as a result, impact, among other things, revenue growth for such companies. If financial companies experience a prolonged decline in revenue growth, certain developed countries that rely heavily on financial companies as an economic driver may experience a correlative slowdown. Concerns have emerged with respect to the economic health of certain developed countries. These concerns primarily stem from heavy indebtedness of many developed countries and their perceived inability to continue to service high debt loads without simultaneously implementing stringent**

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austerity measures. Such concerns have led to tremendous downward pressure on the economies of these countries. As a result, it is possible that interest rates on debt of certain developed countries may rise to levels that make it difficult for such countries to service such debt. Spending on health care and retirement pensions in most developed countries has risen dramatically. Medical innovation, extended life expectancy and higher public expectations are likely to continue the increase in health care and pension costs. Any increase in health care and pension costs will likely have a negative impact on the economic growth of many developed countries. Certain developed countries rely on imports of certain key items, such as crude oil, natural gas, and other commodities. As a result, an increase in demand for, or price fluctuations of, certain commodities may negatively affect developed country economies. Developed market countries generally are dependent on the economies of certain key trading partners. Changes in any one economy may cause an adverse impact on several developed countries. In addition, heavy regulation of, among others, labor and product markets may have an adverse effect on certain issuers. Such regulations may negatively affect economic growth or cause prolonged periods of recession. Such risks, among others, may adversely affect the value of the Fund's investments.

**Risk of Investing in Emerging Markets. Investments in emerging market countries may be subject to greater risks than investments in developed countries. These risks include: (i) less social, political, and economic stability; (ii) greater illiquidity and price volatility due to smaller or limited local capital markets for such securities, or low or non-existent trading volumes; (iii) companies, custodians, clearinghouses, foreign exchanges and broker-dealers may be subject to less scrutiny and regulation by local authorities; (iv) local governments may decide to seize or confiscate securities held by foreign investors and/or local governments may decide to suspend or limit an issuer's ability to make dividend or interest payments; (v) local governments may limit or entirely restrict repatriation of invested capital, profits, and dividends; (vi) capital gains may be subject to local taxation, including on a retroactive basis; (vii) issuers facing restrictions on dollar or euro payments imposed by local governments may attempt to make dividend or interest payments to foreign investors in the local currency; (viii) there may be significant obstacles to obtaining information necessary for investigations into or litigation against companies and investors may experience difficulty in enforcing legal claims related to the securities and/or local judges may favor the interests of the issuer over those of foreign parties; (ix) bankruptcy judgments may only be permitted to be paid in the local currency; (x) limited public information regarding the issuer may result in greater difficulty in determining market valuations of the securities; and (xi) lack of financial reporting on a regular basis, substandard disclosure and differences in accounting standards may make it difficult to ascertain the financial health of an issuer. The Fund is not actively managed and does not select investments based on investor protection considerations.**

Emerging market securities markets are typically marked by a high concentration of market capitalization and trading volume in a small number of issuers representing a limited number of industries, as well as a high concentration of ownership of such securities by a limited number of investors. In addition, brokerage and other costs associated with transactions in emerging market securities can be higher, sometimes significantly, than similar costs incurred in securities markets in developed countries. Although some emerging markets have become more established and tend to issue securities of higher credit quality, the markets for securities in other emerging market countries are in the earliest stages of their development, and these countries issue securities across the credit spectrum. Even the markets for relatively widely traded securities in emerging market countries may not be able to absorb, without price disruptions, a significant increase in trading volume or trades of a size customarily undertaken by institutional investors in the securities markets of developed countries. The limited size of many of these securities markets can cause prices to be erratic for reasons apart from factors that affect the soundness and competitiveness of the securities issuers. For example, prices may be unduly influenced by traders who control large positions in these markets. Additionally, market making and arbitrage activities are generally less extensive in such markets, which may contribute to increased volatility and reduced liquidity of such markets. The limited liquidity of emerging market country securities may also affect the Fund's ability to accurately value its portfolio securities or to acquire or dispose of securities at the price and time it wishes to do so or in order to meet redemption requests.

Many emerging market countries suffer from uncertainty and corruption in their legal frameworks. Legislation may be difficult to interpret and laws may be too new to provide any precedential value. Laws regarding foreign investment and private property may be weak or non-existent. Sudden changes in governments may result in policies which are less favorable to investors such as policies designed to expropriate or nationalize "sovereign" assets. Certain emerging market countries in the past have expropriated large amounts of private property, in many cases with little or no compensation, and there can be no assurance that such expropriation will not occur in the future.

Investment in the securities markets of certain emerging market countries is restricted or controlled to varying degrees. These restrictions may limit the Fund's investment in certain emerging market countries and may increase the expenses of the Fund. Certain emerging market countries require governmental approval prior to investments by foreign persons or limit

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investment by foreign persons to only a specified percentage of an issuer's outstanding securities or a specific class of securities which may have less advantageous terms (including price) than securities of the company available for purchase by nationals.

Many emerging market countries lack the social, political, and economic stability characteristic of the U.S. Political instability among emerging market countries can be common and may be caused by an uneven distribution of wealth, social unrest, labor strikes, civil wars, and religious oppression. Economic instability in emerging market countries may take the form of: (i) high interest rates; (ii) high levels of inflation, including hyperinflation; (iii) high levels of unemployment or underemployment; (iv) changes in government economic and tax policies, including confiscatory taxation; and (v) imposition of trade barriers.

The Fund's income and, in some cases, capital gains from foreign securities will be subject to applicable taxation in certain of the emerging market countries in which it invests, and treaties between the U.S. and such countries may not be available in some cases to reduce the otherwise applicable tax rates.

Emerging markets also have different clearance and settlement procedures, and in certain of these emerging markets there have been times when settlements have been unable to keep pace with the volume of securities transactions, making it difficult to conduct such transactions.

In the past, certain governments in emerging market countries have become overly reliant on the international capital markets and other forms of foreign credit to finance large public spending programs, which in the past have caused huge budget deficits. Often, interest payments have become too overwhelming for a government to meet, representing a large percentage of total GDP. These foreign obligations have become the subject of political debate and served as fuel for political parties of the opposition, which pressure the government not to make payments to foreign creditors, but instead to use these funds for, among other things, social programs. Either due to an inability to pay or submission to political pressure, foreign governments have been forced to seek a restructuring of their loan and/or bond obligations, have declared a temporary suspension of interest payments or have defaulted. These events have adversely affected the values of securities issued by foreign governments and corporations domiciled in those countries and have negatively affected not only their cost of borrowing, but their ability to borrow in the future as well.

**Risk of Investing in Europe. Investing in European countries may expose the Fund to the economic and political risks associated with Europe in general and the specific European countries in which it invests. The economies and markets of European countries are often closely connected and interdependent, and events in one European country can have an adverse impact on other European countries. The Fund makes investments in securities of issuers that are domiciled in, have significant operations in, or that are listed on at least one securities exchange within member states of the European Union (the "EU"). A number of countries within the EU are also members of the Economic and Monetary Union (the "eurozone") and have adopted the euro as their currency. Eurozone membership requires member states to comply with restrictions on inflation rates, deficits, interest rates, debt levels and fiscal and monetary controls, each of which may significantly affect every country in Europe. Changes in import or export tariffs, changes in governmental or EU regulations on trade, changes in the exchange rate of the euro and other currencies of certain EU countries which are not in the eurozone, the default or threat of default by an EU member state on its sovereign debt, and/or an economic recession in an EU member state may have a significant adverse effect on the economies of other EU member states and their trading partners. Although certain European countries are not in the eurozone, many of these countries are obliged to meet the criteria for joining the eurozone.**

Consequently, these countries must comply with many of the restrictions noted above. The European financial markets have experienced volatility and adverse trends due to concerns about economic downturns, government debt levels and the possible default of government debt in several European countries, including, but not limited to, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine. In order to prevent further economic deterioration, certain countries, without prior warning, can institute "capital controls." Countries may use these controls to restrict volatile movements of capital entering and exiting their country. Such controls may negatively affect the Fund's investments. A default or debt restructuring by any European country would adversely impact holders of that country's debt and sellers of credit default swaps linked to that country's creditworthiness, which may be located in countries other than those listed above. In addition, the credit ratings of certain European countries were downgraded in the past. These events have adversely affected the value and exchange rate of the euro and may continue to significantly affect the economies of every country in Europe, including countries that do not use the euro and non-EU member states. Responses to the financial problems by European governments, central banks and others, including austerity measures and reforms, may not produce the desired

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results, may result in social unrest and may limit future growth and economic recovery or have other unintended consequences. Further defaults or restructurings by governments and other entities of their debt could have additional adverse effects on economies, financial markets and asset valuations around the world. In addition, one or more countries may abandon the euro and/or withdraw from the EU. The impact of these actions, especially if they occur in a disorderly fashion, is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching and could adversely impact the value of the Fund's investments in the region.

The United Kingdom (the "U.K.") left the EU ("Brexit") on January 31, 2020. Brexit could adversely affect European or worldwide political, regulatory, economic or market conditions and could contribute to instability in global political institutions, regulatory agencies and financial markets.

Certain European countries have also developed increasingly strained relationships with the U.S., and if these relations were to worsen, they could adversely affect European issuers that rely on the U.S. for trade. The national politics of countries in Europe have been unpredictable and subject to influence by disruptive political groups and ideologies, including for example, secessionist movements. The governments of European countries may be subject to change and such countries may experience social and political unrest. Unanticipated or sudden political or social developments may result in sudden and significant investment losses. The occurrence of terrorist incidents throughout Europe or war in the region also could impact financial markets. The impact of these events is not clear but could be significant and far-reaching and could adversely affect the value and liquidity of the Fund's investments.

*Russian Invasion of Ukraine. Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The extent and duration of the military action, resulting sanctions and resulting future market disruptions, including declines in its stock markets and the value of the ruble against the U.S. dollar, are impossible to predict, but could be significant. Disruptions caused by Russian military action or other actions (including cyberattacks and espionage) or resulting actual and threatened responses to such activity, including purchasing and financing restrictions, boycotts or changes in consumer or purchaser preferences, sanctions, import and export restrictions, tariffs or cyberattacks on the Russian government, Russian companies or Russian individuals, including politicians, may impact Russia's economy, Russian issuers of securities in which the Fund invests, or the economies of Europe as a whole. Actual and threatened responses to Russian military action may also impact the markets for certain Russian commodities, such as oil and natural gas, as well as other sectors of the Russian economy, and are likely to have collateral impacts on such sectors across Europe and globally.*

**Risk of Investing in North America. A decrease in imports or exports, changes in trade regulations or an economic recession in any North American country can have a significant economic effect on the entire North American region and on some or all of the North American countries in which the Fund invests.**

The U.S. is Canada's and Mexico's largest trading and investment partner. The Canadian and Mexican economies are significantly affected by developments in the U.S. economy. Since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement ("NAFTA") in 1994 among Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, total merchandise trade among the three countries has increased. However, political developments including the implementation of tariffs by the U.S., and the renegotiation of NAFTA in the form of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement ("USMCA"), which replaced NAFTA on July 1, 2020, could negatively affect North America's economic outlook and, as a result, the value of securities held by the Fund. Policy and legislative changes in one country may have a significant effect on North American markets generally, as well as on the value of certain securities held by the Fund.

**Risk of Investing in the Basic Materials Industry. Issuers in the basic materials industry could be adversely affected by commodity price volatility, exchange rate fluctuations, social and political unrest, import controls and increased competition. Companies in the basic materials industry may be subject to swift fluctuations in supply and demand. Fluctuations may be caused by events relating to political and economic developments, the environmental impact of basic materials operations, and the success of exploration projects. Production of industrial materials often exceeds demand as a result of over-building or economic downturns, leading to poor investment returns. Issuers in the basic materials industry are at risk for environmental damage and product liability claims and may be adversely affected by depletion of resources, delays in technical progress, labor relations, tax and government regulations related to changes to, among other things, energy and environmental policies.**

**Risk of Investing in the Consumer Cyclical Industry. The Fund may invest in consumer cyclical companies, which rely heavily on business cycles and economic conditions. Consumer cyclical companies include automotive manufacturers, retail companies, and housing-related companies. The consumer cyclical industry can be significantly affected by several factors,**

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including, without limitation, the performance of domestic and international economies, exchange rates, changing consumer tastes and trends, marketing campaigns, cyclical revenue generation, consumer confidence, commodity price volatility, labor relations, interest rates, import and export controls, intense competition, technological developments and government regulation.

**Risk of Investing in the Industrials Sector. The value of securities issued by companies in the industrials sector may be adversely affected by supply of and demand for both their specific products or services and for industrials sector products in general. The products of manufacturing companies may face obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction. Government regulations, trade disputes, world events and economic conditions may affect the performance of companies in the industrials sector. The industrials sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced by unpredictable factors. For example, commodity price declines and unit volume reductions resulting from an over-supply of materials used in the industrials sector can adversely affect the sector. Furthermore, companies in the industrials sector may be subject to liability for environmental damage, product liability claims, depletion of resources, and mandated expenditures for safety and pollution control.**

**Risk of Investing in the Technology Sector. Technology companies are characterized by periodic new product introductions, innovations and evolving industry standards, and, as a result, face intense competition, both domestically and internationally, which may have an adverse effect on profit margins. Companies in the technology sector are often smaller and less experienced companies and may be subject to greater risks than larger companies; these risks may be heightened for technology companies in foreign markets. Technology companies may have limited product lines, markets, financial resources or personnel. The products of technology companies may face product obsolescence due to rapid technological developments and frequent new product introduction, changes in consumer and business purchasing patterns, unpredictable changes in growth rates and competition for the services of qualified personnel. In addition, a rising interest rate environment tends to negatively affect companies in the technology sector because, in such an environment, those companies with high market valuations may appear less attractive to investors, which may cause sharp decreases in the companies' market prices. Companies in the technology sector are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights. The loss or impairment of these rights may adversely affect the profitability of these companies. Companies in the technology sector are facing increased government and regulatory scrutiny and may be subject to adverse government or regulatory action. The technology sector may also be adversely affected by changes or trends in commodity prices, which may be influenced or characterized by unpredictable factors. Finally, while all companies may be susceptible to network security breaches, certain companies in the technology sector may be particular targets of hacking and potential theft of proprietary or consumer information or disruptions in service, which could have a material adverse effect on their businesses.**

**Risk of Investing in the Utilities Sector. The utilities sector may be adversely affected by changing commodity prices, government regulation stipulating rates charged by utilities, increased tariffs, changes in tax laws, interest rate fluctuations and changes in the cost of providing specific utility services. The utilities industry is also subject to potential terrorist attacks, natural disasters and severe weather conditions, as well as regulatory and operational burdens associated with the operation and maintenance of nuclear facilities. Government regulators monitor and control utility revenues and costs, and therefore may limit utility profits. In certain countries, regulatory authorities may also restrict a company's access to new markets, thereby diminishing the company's long-term prospects.**

There are substantial differences among the regulatory practices and policies of various jurisdictions, and any regulatory agency may make major shifts in policy from time to time. There is no assurance that regulatory authorities will, in the future, grant rate increases. Additionally, existing and possible future regulatory legislation may make it even more difficult for utilities to obtain adequate relief. Certain of the issuers of securities held in the Fund's portfolio may own or operate nuclear generating facilities. Governmental authorities may from time to time review existing policies and impose additional requirements governing the licensing, construction and operation of nuclear power plants. Prolonged changes in climate conditions can also have a significant impact on both the revenues of an electric and gas utility as well as the expenses of a utility, particularly a hydro-based electric utility.

The rates that traditional regulated utility companies may charge their customers generally are subject to review and limitation by governmental regulatory commissions. Rate changes may occur only after a prolonged approval period or may not occur at all, which could adversely affect utility companies when costs are rising. The value of regulated utility debt securities (and, to a lesser extent, equity securities) tends to have an inverse relationship to the movement of interest rates. Certain utility companies have experienced full or partial deregulation in recent years. These utility companies are frequently more similar to industrial companies in that they are subject to greater competition and have been permitted by regulators to

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diversify outside of their original geographic regions and their traditional lines of business. As a result, some companies may be forced to defend their core business and may be less profitable. Deregulation may also permit a utility company to expand outside of its traditional lines of business and engage in riskier ventures.

## Proxy Voting Policy
For the Fund, the Board has delegated the voting of proxies for the Fund's securities to BFA pursuant to the Fund's Proxy Voting Policy (the "iShares ETFs Proxy Voting Policy"), and BFA has adopted policies and procedures (the "BlackRock Proxy Voting Policies") governing proxy voting by accounts managed by BFA, including the Fund.

Under the BlackRock Proxy Voting Policies, BFA will vote proxies related to Fund securities in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders. From time to time, a vote may present a conflict between the interests of the Fund's shareholders, on the one hand, and those of BFA, or any affiliated person of the Fund or BFA, on the other. BFA maintains policies and procedures that are designed to prevent undue influence on BFA's proxy voting activity that might stem from any relationship between the issuer of a proxy (or any dissident shareholder) and BFA, BFA's affiliates, the Fund or the Fund's affiliates. Most conflicts are managed through a structural separation of BFA's Corporate Governance Group from BFA's employees with sales and client responsibilities. In addition, BFA maintains procedures to ensure that all engagements with corporate issuers or dissident shareholders are managed consistently and without regard to BFA's relationship with the issuer of the proxy or the dissident shareholder. In certain instances, BFA may determine to engage an independent fiduciary to vote proxies as a further safeguard to avoid potential conflicts of interest or as otherwise required by applicable law.

Copies of the iShares ETFs Proxy Voting Policy, the BlackRock Global Proxy Voting Policies and the BlackRock U.S. Proxy Voting Policies are attached as Appendices A1, A2 and A3, respectively.

Information with respect to how proxies relating to the Fund's portfolio securities were voted during the 12-month period ended June 30 will be available: (i) without charge, upon request, by calling 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737) or through the Fund's website at *www.iShares.com*; and (ii) on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

## Portfolio Holdings Information
On each Business Day (as defined in the *Creation and Redemption of Creation Units* section of this SAI), prior to the opening of regular trading on the Fund's primary listing exchange, the Fund discloses on its website (<u>www.iShares.com</u>) certain information relating to the portfolio holdings that will form the basis of the Fund's next net asset value per share calculation.

In addition, certain information may also be made available to certain parties:

• **Communications of Data Files: The Fund may make available through the facilities of the National Securities Clearing Corporation ("NSCC") or through posting on the <u>www.iShares.com</u>, prior to the opening of trading on each business day, a list of the Fund's holdings (generally pro-rata) that Authorized Participants could deliver to the Fund to settle purchases of the Fund (*i.e.* Deposit Securities) or that Authorized Participants would receive from the Fund to settle redemptions of the Fund (*i.e.* Fund Securities). These files are known as the Portfolio Composition File and the Fund Data File (collectively, "Files"). The Files are applicable for the next trading day and are provided to the NSCC and/or posted on <u>www.iShares.com</u> after the close of markets in the U.S.** 

• **Communications with Authorized Participants and Liquidity Providers: Certain employees of BFA are responsible for interacting with Authorized Participants and liquidity providers with respect to discussing custom basket proposals as described in the *Custom Baskets* section of this SAI. As part of these discussions, these employees may discuss with an Authorized Participant or liquidity provider the securities the Fund is willing to accept for a creation, and securities that the Fund will provide on a redemption.** 

BFA employees may also discuss portfolio holdings-related information with broker/dealers, in connection with settling the Fund's transactions, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with the disclosure in the Fund's current registration statements.

• **Communications with Listing Exchanges: From time to time, employees of BFA may discuss portfolio holdings information with the applicable primary listing exchange for the Fund as needed to meet the exchange listing standards.** 

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• **Communications with Other Portfolio Managers: Certain information may be provided to employees of BFA who manage funds that invest a significant percentage of their assets in shares of an underlying fund as necessary to manage the fund's investment objective and strategy.** 

• **Communication of Other Information: Certain explanatory information regarding the Files is released to Authorized Participants and liquidity providers on a daily basis, but is only done so after the Files are posted to <u>www.iShares.com</u>.** 

• **Third-Party Service Providers: Certain portfolio holdings information may be disclosed to Fund Trustees and their counsel, outside counsel for the Fund, auditors and to certain third-party service providers (*i.e.*, fund administrator, custodian, proxy voting service) for which a non-disclosure, confidentiality agreement or other obligation is in place with such service providers, as may be necessary to conduct business in the ordinary course in a manner consistent with applicable policies, agreements with the Fund, the terms of the current registration statements and federal securities laws and regulations thereunder.** 

• **Liquidity Metrics: "Liquidity Metrics," which seek to ascertain the Fund's liquidity profile under BlackRock's global liquidity risk methodology, include but are not limited to: (a) disclosure regarding the number of days needed to liquidate a portfolio or the portfolio's underlying investments; and (b) the percentage of the Fund's NAV invested in a particular liquidity tier under BlackRock's global liquidity risk methodology. The dissemination of position-level liquidity metrics data and any non-public regulatory data pursuant to the Liquidity Rule (including SEC liquidity tiering) is not permitted unless pre-approved. Disclosure of portfolio-level liquidity metrics prior to 60 calendar days after calendar quarter-end requires a non-disclosure or confidentiality agreement and approval of the Trust's Chief Compliance Officer. Portfolio-level liquidity metrics disclosure subsequent to 60 calendar days after calendar quarter-end requires the approval of portfolio management and must be disclosed to all parties requesting the information if disclosed to any party.** 

The Trust's Chief Compliance Officer or his delegate may authorize disclosure of portfolio holdings information pursuant to the above policy and procedures, subject to restrictions on selective disclosure imposed by applicable law. The Board reviews the policy and procedures for disclosure of portfolio holdings information at least annually.

## Construction and Maintenance of the Underlying Index
A description of the Underlying Index is provided below.

With respect to certain underlying indexes of the iShares funds, BFA or its affiliates have held discussions with the applicable index provider regarding their business interest in licensing an index to track a particular market segment and conveyed investment concepts and strategies that could be considered for the index. The index provider designed and constituted such indices using concepts conveyed by BFA or its affiliates. For certain of these indices, the relevant fund may be the first or sole user of the underlying index. In its sole discretion, the index provider determines the composition of the securities and other instruments in such underlying index, the rebalance protocols of the underlying index, the weightings of the securities and other instruments in the underlying index, and any updates to the methodology. From time to time, BFA or its affiliates may also provide input relating to possible methodology changes of such underlying index pursuant to the index provider's consultation process or pursuant to other communications with the index provider.

#### Morningstar Global Emerging Green Technologies Select Index

#### Number of Components: approximately 50
**Index Description. The Morningstar Global Emerging Green Technologies Select Index (the "Underlying Index") is an equity index designed to reflect the performance of equity securities issued by U.S. and non-U.S. companies, selected from the Morningstar Global Markets ex-India Index (the "Parent Index"). The Parent Index is composed of large-, mid- and small-capitalization securities from developed and emerging markets. The Underlying Index is designed to reflect the equity performance of U.S. and non-U.S. companies involved in breakthrough innovations and new technologies that seek to address or combat climate change, as determined by Morningstar or its affiliates ("Morningstar" or the "Index Provider").**

To construct the Underlying Index, the Index Provider begins with securities from the Parent Index and applies a number of exclusions. The Index Provider excludes constituents with an average three-month trailing daily trading volume of less than

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$2 million or a free float market capitalization of less than $300 million. Current index constituents are eliminated if they have an average three-month trailing daily trading volume of less than $1.5 million or a free float market capitalization of less than $200 million. If a company has more than one eligible share class, the Index Provider will select the one that is a current index constituent. Otherwise, the Index Provider will select the most liquid share class, as determined by the Index Provider.

The Index Provider also excludes the securities of companies that it identifies as being involved in the business of tobacco, companies involved with controversial weapons, producers and retailers of civilian firearms, and companies involved in thermal coal mining, thermal coal-based power generation or the extraction of oil sands. Certain exclusions (*e.g.,* controversial and nuclear weapons or the production of tobacco products) are categorical, and other exclusions are based on percentage of revenue or ownership thresholds (as discussed below).

Categorical exclusions include any issuer that has any involvement in:

• the sale of assault or
non-assault weapons;

• the manufacture of small
arms components;

• the production of tobacco
products; and

• controversial
 and nuclear weapons (*e.g.,* antipersonnel mines, biological and chemical weapons, depleted uranium, nuclear weapons, or white phosphorus).

Additionally, the Index Provider categorically excludes companies that it determines are involved in controversies related to the ten United Nations Global Compact ("UNGC") principles, which are classified into four categories: human rights, labor, environment and anti-corruption. The Index Provider relies on the assessment of a third party data provider, Sustainalytics, to determine whether an issuer has violated the principles of the UNGC. To make this determination, Sustainalytics analyzes publicly reported allegations of adverse impacts caused by businesses and provides assessments based on the UNGC principles, categorizing those businesses as either "Non-compliant," "Watchlist," or "Compliant." Companies that Sustainalytics determines are Non-Compliant typically are causing or contributing to severe and/or systemic violations of international norms and are not acting in accordance with the UNGC principles and their associated standards, conventions, and treaties. All companies that Sustainalytics determines to be Non-Compliant are excluded from the Underlying Index.

Further, the Index Provider categorically excludes companies that Sustainalytics has assigned a controversy score of 5 (indicating the company experienced an event with a severe impact on the environment and society), or companies which have not been assigned a controversy score. Sustainalytics assesses companies' involvement in "incidents" with negative environmental, social, and governance implications and assigns a "controversy score", which reflects a company's level of involvement in issues and how it manages these issues. An incident is a company activity with unintended and/or undesired negative environmental and/or social impacts on stakeholders. Incidents are primarily assessed based on the negative environmental and/or social impact of the company activity as well as the reputational risk that this activity poses to the company and scored on a scale of 1 to 10. Incident scores serve as a guide to help Sustainalytics analysts determine the event rating. "Events" are series of isolated or related incidents that pertain to the same ESG issues. An event is assessed on a scale of 5 levels, with level 5 being severe, and the assessment takes into account the score of each incident comprising the event to determine the event level. A "controversy" is an event or aggregation of events relating to an ESG topic. The highest event rating under a controversy indicator automatically becomes the controversy score. Any company which receives either a controversy score of 5, or is not assessed at all, is excluded from the Underlying Index.

The Index Provider also excludes issuers from the Underlying Index if they exceed any of the following revenue and ownership thresholds:

• over 5% of an issuer's
revenue is derived from thermal coal extraction or generation;

• over 5% of an issuer's
revenue is derived from oil sands extraction;

• over 5% of an issuer's
business is involved in the retail or distribution of assault or non-assault weapons;

• over 5% of an issuer's
business is involved in the retail of tobacco products or tobacco related products and services; or

• an issuer
owns over 20% of a business involved in antipersonnel mines, biological and chemical weapons, cluster weapons, depleted uranium, nuclear weapons, or white phosphorous.

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The Index Provider will apply a series of revenue screens on the resulting eligible constituents.

First, Morningstar equity analysts evaluate each constituent's revenue that is derived from "sustainable products," as calculated by the Index Provider. Sustainable products could include the distribution and management of energy efficient materials or products, or pollution remediation services. The Index Provider determines whether a company has sustainable product revenue by breaking down the companywide revenue into the following eight sustainable themes: Energy Efficiency, Green Buildings, Green Transportation, Pollution Prevention & Reduction, Renewable Energy, Resource Efficiency Technologies & Services, Sustainable Agriculture, Food & Forestry, and Water. The Index Provider then applies the first revenue screen, excluding companies with a total sustainable product revenue of less than 25% from the Underlying Index.

Following the first revenue screen, Morningstar equity analysts then research the products or services identified within the eight sustainable themes to determine whether the products or services fall within the following categories, as defined by Morningstar: "green technologies", "green services" or "sustainability certified." Green technologies are products and services that are highly innovative toward sustainability. Green services are services which rely on innovative technologies developed by other companies. Sustainability certified means that an industry regulator or other third party has certified the product or service as sustainable or has certified the elements within the supply chain of the product or service as sustainable. Morningstar equity analysts consider various metrics to make this determination (*e.g.,* research and development as a percentage of revenue and company-level patent application data). Morningstar excludes all revenue tied to products and services classified as "green services" or "sustainability certified." Morningstar reviews the green technologies and assesses whether each qualifies as an emerging green technology.

Following the second revenue screen, the resulting constituents receive an innovation score based on their products' and/or services' adoption stage, as follows:

• Innovation Score of 1: Early
Majority

• Innovation Score of 2: Early
Adopters

• Innovation Score
 of 3: Innovators

The Index Provider calculates a company-level aggregate score by multiplying the company's revenue percentage of each product and/or service identified as an emerging green technology within each of the eight sustainable themes, and the product and/or service's innovation score, creating a "product score". Each product score is summed across the company's products and/or services, resulting in the company's aggregate score. For example, suppose Morningstar analyzed Company A's products and services across the eight sustainable themes, and found that 71.7% of Company A's revenue is allocated to the Energy Efficiency sustainable theme from Product X, and 28.3% of its revenue is allocated to the Green Transportation sustainable theme from Product Y. Further, Morningstar determined both products to be emerging green technologies and that Product X is an "innovator" on the Adoption Curve, earning an innovation score of 3, and Product Y is an "early adopter," earning an innovation score of 2. Each products' revenues are multiplied by their respective innovation scores to determine their product scores. Product X's resulting product score is 2.15 (71.7% times 3), and Product Y's resulting product score is 0.57 (28.3% times 2). Company A's resulting aggregate score is 2.72, resulting in a Tier 1 designation.

Once Morningstar calculates each constituent's aggregate score, Morningstar designates each constituent as either Tier 1 or Tier 2 based on their aggregate score. Tier 1 issuers are those with an aggregate score of 1.5 or higher. Tier 2 issuers are those with an aggregate score of less than 1.5. All Tier 1 constituents are selected for the Underlying Index. The Index Provider ranks Tier 2 issuers with preference given to:

• Higher aggregate score over
lower aggregate score

• Smaller
market capitalization over larger market capitalization

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If there are fewer than 50 Tier 1 constituents, the shortfall is filled with Tier 2 constituents, and the Underlying Index is capped at 50 constituents.

Constituents are float market capitalization-weighted with a 6% cap for individual stocks and each industry is capped at 15%. Additionally, individual constituents with weights of 4.5% or greater cannot compose more than 45% of the Underlying Index. The Underlying Index is reconstituted annually each December and rebalanced quarterly. The Index Provider does not require that each of the eight sustainable themes be included in the Underlying Index, nor does it require the inclusion of a minimum number of Tier 1 constituents. In addition, constituents may operate business lines that generate revenues in industries in addition to those related to breakthrough innovations and new technologies and may be associated with multiple industries or sectors.

**Calculation Methodology. The Fund utilizes the Underlying Index calculated with net dividends reinvested. Morningstar uses the country of incorporation of the constituents to determine the relevant dividend withholding tax rates in calculating the net dividends. The regular cash dividend is reinvested after deduction of withholding tax by applying the maximum rate of the company's country of incorporation applicable to institutional investors. Net dividends means dividends after taxes withheld at the rate applicable to non-resident institutional investors who do not benefit from double taxation treaties. Such withholding rates may differ from those applicable to U.S. residents.**

## Investment Policies
The Board has adopted as fundamental policies the following numbered investment policies, which cannot be changed without the approval of the holders of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities. A vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund is defined in the Investment Company Act as the lesser of (i) 67% or more of the voting securities present at a shareholder meeting, if the holders of more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund are present or represented by proxy, or (ii) more than 50% of the outstanding voting securities of the Fund. The Fund has also adopted certain non-fundamental investment policies, including its investment objective. Non-fundamental investment policies may be changed by the Board without shareholder approval. Therefore, the Fund may change its investment objective and its Underlying Index without shareholder approval.

#### Fundamental Investment Policies
The Fund may not:

1. Concentrate its investments
in a particular industry, as that term is used in the Investment Company Act, except that the Fund will concentrate to approximately the same extent that its Underlying Index concentrates in the securities of a particular industry or group of
industries.

2. Borrow money, except as
permitted under the Investment Company Act.

3. Issue senior securities to
the extent such issuance would violate the Investment Company Act.

4. Purchase or hold real
estate, except the Fund may purchase and hold securities or other instruments that are secured by, or linked to, real estate or interests therein, securities of real estate investment trusts ("REITs"), mortgage-related securities and
securities of issuers engaged in the real estate business, and the Fund may purchase and hold real estate as a result of the ownership of securities or other instruments.

5. Underwrite securities issued
by others, except to the extent that the sale of portfolio securities by the Fund may be deemed to be an underwriting or as otherwise permitted by applicable law.

6. Purchase or sell commodities
or commodity contracts, except as permitted by the Investment Company Act.

7. Make
loans to the extent prohibited by the Investment Company Act.

#### Notations Regarding the Fund's Fundamental Investment Policies
The following notations are not considered to be part of the Fund's fundamental investment policies and are subject to change without shareholder approval.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to concentration set forth in (1) above, the Investment Company Act does not define what constitutes "concentration" in an industry. The SEC staff has taken the position that investment of 25% or more of a fund's total assets in one or more issuers conducting their principal activities in the same industry or group of

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industries constitutes concentration. It is possible that interpretations of concentration could change in the future. The policy in (1) above will be interpreted to refer to concentration as that term may be interpreted from time to time. The policy also will be interpreted to permit investment without limit in the following: securities of the U.S. government and its agencies or instrumentalities; securities of state, territory, possession or municipal governments and their authorities, agencies, instrumentalities or political subdivisions; and repurchase agreements collateralized by any such obligations. Accordingly, issuers of the foregoing securities will not be considered to be members of any industry. There also will be no limit on investment in issuers domiciled in a single jurisdiction or country. Finance companies will be considered to be in the industries of their parents if their activities are primarily related to financing the activities of the parents. Each foreign government will be considered to be a member of a separate industry. With respect to the Fund's industry classifications, the Fund currently utilizes any one or more of the industry sub-classifications used by one or more widely recognized market indexes or rating group indexes, and/or as defined by Fund management. The policy also will be interpreted to give broad authority to the Fund as to how to classify issuers within or among industries.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to borrowing money set forth in (2) above, the Investment Company Act permits the Fund to borrow money in amounts of up to one-third of the Fund's total assets from banks for any purpose, and to borrow up to 5% of the Fund's total assets from banks or other lenders for temporary purposes. (The Fund's total assets include the amounts being borrowed.) To limit the risks attendant to borrowing, the Investment Company Act requires the Fund to maintain at all times an "asset coverage" of at least 300% of the amount of its borrowings. Asset coverage means the ratio that the value of the Fund's total assets (including amounts borrowed), minus liabilities other than borrowings, bears to the aggregate amount of all borrowings. Borrowing money to increase portfolio holdings is known as "leveraging." Certain trading practices and investments, such as reverse repurchase agreements, may be considered to be borrowings or involve leverage and thus are subject to the Investment Company Act restrictions. In accordance with Rule 18f-4 under the Investment Company Act, when the Fund engages in reverse repurchase agreements and similar financing transactions, the Fund may either (i) maintain asset coverage of at least 300% with respect to such transactions and any other borrowings in the aggregate, or (ii) treat such transactions as "derivatives transactions" and comply with Rule 18f-4 with respect to such transactions. Short-term credits necessary for the settlement of securities transactions and arrangements with respect to securities lending will not be considered to be borrowings under the policy. Practices and investments that may involve leverage but are not considered to be borrowings are not subject to the policy.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to underwriting set forth in (5) above, the Investment Company Act does not prohibit a fund from engaging in the underwriting business or from underwriting the securities of other issuers; in fact, in the case of diversified funds, the Investment Company Act permits a fund to have underwriting commitments of up to 25% of its assets under certain circumstances. Those circumstances currently are that the amount of a fund's underwriting commitments, when added to the value of a fund's investments in issuers where a fund owns more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of those issuers, cannot exceed the 25% cap. A fund engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities may be considered to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act. Although it is not believed that the application of the 1933 Act provisions described above would cause a fund to be engaged in the business of underwriting, the policy in (5) above will be interpreted not to prevent a fund from engaging in transactions involving the acquisition or disposition of portfolio securities, regardless of whether a fund may be considered to be an underwriter under the 1933 Act or is otherwise engaged in the underwriting business to the extent permitted by applicable law.

With respect to the fundamental policy relating to lending set forth in (7) above, the Investment Company Act does not prohibit the Fund from making loans (including lending its securities); however, SEC staff interpretations currently prohibit funds from lending more than one-third of their total assets (including lending its securities), except through the purchase of debt obligations or the use of repurchase agreements. In addition, collateral arrangements with respect to options, forward currency and futures transactions and other derivative instruments (as applicable), as well as delays in the settlement of securities transactions, will not be considered loans.

#### Non-Fundamental Investment Policies
The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy not to make short sales of securities or maintain a short position, except to the extent permitted by the Fund's Prospectus and SAI, as amended from time to time, and applicable law.

The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental investment policy in accordance with Rule 35d-1 under the Investment Company Act to invest, under normal circumstances, at least 80% of the value of its net assets, plus the amount of any borrowings for

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investment purposes, in the component securities of its Underlying Index or in depositary receipts representing component securities in its Underlying Index. The Fund also has adopted a policy to provide its shareholders with at least 60 days' prior written notice of any change in such policy. If, subsequent to an investment, the 80% requirement is no longer met, the Fund's future investments will be made in a manner that will bring the Fund into compliance with this policy.

The Fund has adopted a non-fundamental policy not to purchase securities of other investment companies, except to the extent permitted by the Investment Company Act. As a matter of policy, however, the Fund will not purchase shares of any registered open-end investment company or registered unit investment trust, in reliance on Section 12(d)(1)(F) or (G) (the "fund of funds" provisions) of the Investment Company Act, at any time the Fund has knowledge that its shares are purchased by another investment company investor in reliance on the provisions of subparagraph (G) of Section 12(d)(1).<br>

Unless otherwise indicated, all limitations under the Fund's fundamental or non-fundamental investment policies apply only at the time that a transaction is undertaken. Any change in the percentage of the Fund's assets invested in certain securities or other instruments resulting from market fluctuations or other changes in the Fund's total assets will not require the Fund to dispose of an investment until BFA determines that it is practicable to sell or close out the investment without undue market or tax consequences.

## Continuous Offering
The method by which Creation Units are created and traded may raise certain issues under applicable securities laws. Because new Creation Units are issued and sold by the Fund on an ongoing basis, at any point a "distribution," as such term is used in the 1933 Act, may occur. Broker-dealers and other persons are cautioned that some activities on their part may, depending on the circumstances, result in their being deemed participants in a distribution in a manner that could render them statutory underwriters and subject them to the prospectus delivery requirement and liability provisions of the 1933 Act.

For example, a broker-dealer firm or its client may be deemed a statutory underwriter if it takes Creation Units after placing an order with the Distributor, breaks them down into constituent shares and sells such shares directly to customers or if it chooses to couple the creation of new shares with an active selling effort involving solicitation of secondary market demand for shares. A determination of whether one is an underwriter for purposes of the 1933 Act must take into account all of the facts and circumstances pertaining to the activities of the broker-dealer or its client in the particular case and the examples mentioned above should not be considered a complete description of all the activities that could lead to a categorization as an underwriter.

Broker-dealer firms should also note that dealers who are not "underwriters" but are effecting transactions in shares, whether or not participating in the distribution of shares, generally are required to deliver a prospectus. This is because the prospectus delivery exemption in Section 4(a)(3) of the 1933 Act is not available in respect of such transactions as a result of Section 24(d) of the 1940 Act. Firms that incur a prospectus delivery obligation with respect to shares of the Fund are reminded that, pursuant to Rule 153 under the 1933 Act, a prospectus delivery obligation under Section 5(b)(2) of the 1933 Act owed to an exchange member in connection with a sale on the Listing Exchange generally is satisfied by the fact that the prospectus is available at the Listing Exchange upon request. The prospectus delivery mechanism provided in Rule 153 is available only with respect to transactions on an exchange.

## Management
**Trustees and Officers. The Board has responsibility for the overall management and operations of the Fund, including general supervision of the duties performed by BFA and other service providers. Each Trustee serves until he or she resigns, is removed, dies, retires or becomes incapacitated. Each officer shall hold office until his or her successor is elected and qualifies or until his or her death, resignation or removal. Trustees who are not "interested persons" (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust are referred to as independent trustees ("Independent Trustees").**

The registered investment companies advised by BFA or its affiliates (the "BlackRock-advised Funds") are organized into one complex of open-end equity, multi-asset, index and money market funds and ETFs (the "BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex"), one complex of closed-end funds and open-end non-index fixed-income funds (including ETFs) (the "BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex") and one complex of ETFs ("Exchange-Traded Fund Complex") (each, a "BlackRock Fund Complex"). The Fund is included in the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex. Each Trustee also serves as a Director of iShares, Inc. and a Trustee

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of iShares U.S. ETF Trust and, as a result, oversees all of the funds within the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex, which consists of 382 funds as of March 14, 2023. With the exception of Robert S. Kapito, Salim Ramji and Charles Park, the address of each Trustee and officer is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. The address of Mr. Kapito, Mr. Ramji and Mr. Park is c/o BlackRock, Inc., 415 10th Avenue, New York, NY 10001. The Board has designated John E. Kerrigan as its Independent Board Chair. Additional information about the Fund's Trustees and officers may be found in this SAI, which is available without charge, upon request, by calling toll-free 1-800-iShares (1-800-474-2737).

#### Interested Trustees

---

| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name (Year of Birth)** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Position** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Principal Occupation(s)<br> During the Past 5 Years** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Other Directorships<br> Held by Trustee** |
| Robert S. Kapito<sup>1</sup><br> (1957) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Trustee <br> (since 2009). | &nbsp;&nbsp;President, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006); Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc. and Head of BlackRock's Portfolio Management Group (since its formation in 1998) and BlackRock, Inc.'s predecessor entities (since 1988); Trustee, University of Pennsylvania (since 2009); President of Board of Directors, Hope & Heroes Children's Cancer Fund (since 2002). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Director of BlackRock, Inc. (since 2006); Director of iShares, Inc. (since 2009); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). |
| Salim Ramji<sup>2</sup><br> (1970) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Trustee (since 2019). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Senior Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2014); Global Head of BlackRock's ETF and Index Investments Business (since 2019); Head of BlackRock's U.S. Wealth Advisory Business (2015-2019); Global Head of Corporate Strategy, BlackRock, Inc. (2014-2015); Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company (2010-2014). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Director of iShares, Inc. (since 2019); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2019). |

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<sup>1</sup> Robert S. Kapito is deemed to be an "interested person" (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust due to his affiliations with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates.

<sup>2</sup> Salim Ramji is deemed to be an "interested person" (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Trust due to his affiliations with BlackRock, Inc. and its affiliates.

#### Independent Trustees

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name (Year of Birth)** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Position** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Principal Occupation(s)<br> During the Past 5 Years** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Other Directorships<br> Held by Trustee** |
| John E. Kerrigan<br> (1955) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Trustee <br> (since 2005); Independent Board Chair<br> (since 2022). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Chief Investment Officer, Santa Clara University (since 2002). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Director of iShares, Inc. (since 2005); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011); Independent Board Chair of iShares, Inc. and iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2022). |

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name (Year of Birth)** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Position** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Principal Occupation(s)<br> During the Past 5 Years** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Other Directorships<br> Held by Trustee** |
| Jane D. Carlin<br> (1956) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Trustee <br> (since 2015); Risk Committee Chair (since 2016). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Consultant (since 2012); Member of the Audit Committee (2012-2018), Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee (2017-2018) and Director of PHH Corporation (mortgage solutions) (2012-2018); Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Holding Company Governance & Assurance and the Global Head of Operational Risk Management of Morgan Stanley (2006-2012). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Director of iShares, Inc. (since 2015); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2015); Member of the Audit Committee (since 2016), Chair of the Audit Committee (since 2020) and Director of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc. (since 2016). |
| Richard L. Fagnani<br> (1954) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Trustee <br> (since 2017); Audit Committee Chair (since 2019). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Partner, KPMG LLP (2002-2016); Director of One Generation Away (since 2021). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Director of iShares, Inc. (since 2017); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2017). |
| Cecilia H. Herbert<br> (1949) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Trustee <br> (since 2005); Nominating and Governance and Equity Plus Committee Chairs<br> (since 2022). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Chair of the Finance Committee (since 2019) and Trustee and Member of the Finance, Audit and Quality Committees of Stanford Health Care (since 2016); Trustee of WNET, New York's public media company (since 2011) and Member of the Audit Committee (since 2018), Investment Committee (since 2011) and Personnel Committee (since 2022); Chair (1994-2005) and Member (1992-2021) of the Investment Committee, Archdiocese of San Francisco; Trustee of Forward Funds (14 portfolios) (2009-2018); Trustee of Salient MF Trust (4 portfolios) (2015-2018); Director (1998-2013) and President (2007-2011) of the Board of Directors, Catholic Charities CYO; Trustee (2002-2011) and Chair of the Finance and Investment Committee (2006-2010) of the Thacher School; Director of the Senior Center of Jackson Hole (since 2020); Director of the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts (since 2021); Member of the Wyoming State Investment Funds Committee (since 2022). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Director of iShares, Inc. (since 2005); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). |
| Drew E. Lawton<br> (1959) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Trustee <br> (since 2017); 15(c) Committee Chair (since 2017). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Senior Managing Director of New York Life Insurance Company (2010-2015). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Director of iShares, Inc. (since 2017); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2017); Director of Jackson Financial Inc. (since 2021). |

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name (Year of Birth)** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Position** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Principal Occupation(s)<br> During the Past 5 Years** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Other Directorships<br> Held by Trustee** |
| John E. Martinez<br> (1961) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Trustee <br> (since 2003);<br> Securities Lending Committee Chair<br> (since 2019). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Director of Real Estate Equity Exchange, Inc. (since 2005); Director of Cloudera Foundation (2017-2020); and Director of Reading Partners (2012-2016). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Director of iShares, Inc. (since 2003); Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). |
| Madhav V. Rajan<br> (1964) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Trustee <br> (since 2011); Fixed Income Plus Committee Chair (since 2019). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Dean, and George Pratt Shultz Professor of Accounting, University of Chicago Booth School of Business (since 2017); Advisory Board Member (since 2016) and Director (since 2020) of C.M. Capital Corporation; Chair of the Board for the Center for Research in Security Prices, LLC (since 2020); Robert K. Jaedicke Professor of Accounting, Stanford University Graduate School of Business (2001-2017); Professor of Law (by courtesy), Stanford Law School (2005-2017); Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Head of MBA Program, Stanford University Graduate School of Business (2010-2016). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Director of iShares, Inc. (since 2011);<br> Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust (since 2011). |

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#### Officers

---

| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name (Year of Birth)** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Position** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Principal Occupation(s)<br> During the Past 5 Years** |
| Armando Senra<br> (1971) | &nbsp;&nbsp;President (since 2019). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2007); Head of U.S., Canada and Latin America iShares, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2019); Head of Latin America Region, BlackRock, Inc. (2006-2019); Managing Director, Bank of America Merrill Lynch (1994-2006). |

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name (Year of Birth)** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Position** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Principal Occupation(s)<br> During the Past 5 Years** |
| Trent Walker<br> (1974) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Treasurer and Chief Financial Officer<br> (since 2020). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Managing Director of BlackRock, Inc. (since September 2019); Chief Financial Officer of iShares Delaware Trust Sponsor LLC, BlackRock Funds, BlackRock Funds II, BlackRock Funds IV, BlackRock Funds V and BlackRock Funds VI (since 2021); Executive Vice President of PIMCO (2016-2019); Senior Vice President of PIMCO (2008-2015); Treasurer (2013-2019) and Assistant Treasurer (2007-2017) of PIMCO Funds, PIMCO Variable Insurance Trust, PIMCO ETF Trust, PIMCO Equity Series, PIMCO Equity Series VIT, PIMCO Managed Accounts Trust, 2 PIMCO-sponsored interval funds and 21 PIMCO-sponsored closed-end funds. |
| Charles Park<br> (1967) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Chief Compliance Officer (since 2006). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Chief Compliance Officer of BlackRock Advisors, LLC and the BlackRock-advised Funds in the BlackRock Multi-Asset Complex and the BlackRock Fixed-Income Complex (since 2014); Chief Compliance Officer of BFA (since 2006). |
| Marisa Rolland<br> (1980) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Secretary (since 2022). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2023); Director, BlackRock, Inc. (2018-2022); Vice President, BlackRock, Inc. (2010-2017). |
| Rachel Aguirre<br> (1982) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Executive Vice President (since 2022). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2018); Director, BlackRock, Inc. (2009-2018); Head of U.S. iShares Product (since 2022); Head of EII U.S. Product Engineering (since 2021); Co-Head of EII's Americas Portfolio Engineering (2020-2021); Head of Developed Markets Portfolio Engineering (2016-2019). |
| Jennifer Hsui<br> (1976) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Executive Vice President (since 2022). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2009); Co-Head of Index Equity (since 2022). |
| James Mauro<br> (1970) | &nbsp;&nbsp;Executive Vice President (since 2021). | &nbsp;&nbsp;Managing Director, BlackRock, Inc. (since 2010); Head of Fixed Income Index Investments in the Americas and Head of San Francisco Core Portfolio Management (since 2020). |

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The Board has concluded that, based on each Trustee's experience, qualifications, attributes or skills on an individual basis and in combination with those of the other Trustees, each Trustee should serve as a Trustee of the Board. Among the attributes common to all Trustees are their ability to review critically, evaluate, question and discuss information provided to

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them, to interact effectively with the Fund's investment adviser, other service providers, counsel and the independent registered public accounting firm, and to exercise effective business judgment in the performance of their duties as Trustees. A Trustee's ability to perform his or her duties effectively may have been attained through the Trustee's educational background or professional training; business, consulting, public service or academic positions; experience from service as a Board member of the Fund and the other funds in the Trust (and any predecessor funds), other investment funds, public companies, or non-profit entities or other organizations; and/or other life experiences. Also, set forth below is a brief discussion of the specific experience, qualifications, attributes or skills of each Trustee that led the Board to conclude that he or she should serve (or continue to serve) as a Trustee.

Robert S. Kapito has been a Trustee of the Trust since 2009. Mr. Kapito has also served as a Director of iShares, Inc. since 2009, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011 and a Director of BlackRock, Inc. since 2006. Mr. Kapito served as a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. from 2010 to 2015. In addition, he has over 20 years of experience as part of BlackRock, Inc. and BlackRock's predecessor entities. Mr. Kapito serves as President of BlackRock, Inc., and is a member of the Global Executive Committee and Chairman of the Global Operating Committee. He is responsible for day-to-day oversight of BlackRock's key operating units, including Investment Strategies, Client Businesses, Technology & Operations, and Risk & Quantitative Analysis. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities in 2007, Mr. Kapito served as Vice Chairman of BlackRock, Inc. and Head of BlackRock's Portfolio Management Group. In that role, he was responsible for overseeing all portfolio management within BlackRock, including the Fixed Income, Equity, Liquidity, and Alternative Investment Groups. Mr. Kapito serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania and the Harvard Business School Board of Dean's Advisors. He has also been President of the Board of Directors for the Hope & Heroes Children's Cancer Fund since 2002. Mr. Kapito earned a BS degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 1979, and an MBA degree from Harvard Business School in 1983.

Salim Ramji has been a Trustee of the Trust since 2019. Mr. Ramji has also served as a Director of iShares, Inc. and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2019. Mr. Ramji is the Global Head of BlackRock's ETF and Index Investments business. In addition, he is a member of BlackRock's Global Executive Committee. Prior to assuming his current responsibilities in 2019, Mr. Ramji was Head of BlackRock's U.S. Wealth Advisory business, where he was responsible for leading BlackRock's relationships with wealth management firms and platforms, for distributing BlackRock's alpha-seeking and iShares investment capabilities and for the adoption of BlackRock's portfolio construction and digital wealth technologies to financial advisors. Mr. Ramji joined BlackRock in 2014, serving initially as the Global Head of Corporate Strategy. Prior to BlackRock, Mr. Ramji was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he led the Asset and Wealth Management practice areas. He started his career as a corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions lawyer at Clifford Chance LLP in London and Hong Kong. He has served as a Trustee of Graham Windham, a New York-based child care agency, since 2007. Mr. Ramji earned a bachelor's degree in economics and politics from University of Toronto, a law degree from Cambridge University and is a CFA charter holder.

John E. Kerrigan has been a Trustee of the Trust since 2005 and Chair of the Trust's Board since 2022. Mr. Kerrigan has also served as a Director of iShares, Inc. since 2005, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011, Chair of the Equity Plus and Nominating and Governance Committees of each Board from 2019 to 2021, and as Chair of each Board since 2022. Mr. Kerrigan served as a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. from 2010 to 2015. Mr. Kerrigan has served as Chief Investment Officer of Santa Clara University since 2002. Mr. Kerrigan was formerly a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch & Co., including the following responsibilities: Managing Director, Institutional Client Division, Western United States. Mr. Kerrigan has been a Director, since 1999, of The BASIC Fund (Bay Area Scholarships for Inner City Children). Mr. Kerrigan has a BA degree from Boston College and is a Chartered Financial Analyst Charterholder.

Jane D. Carlin has been a Trustee of the Trust since 2015 and Chair of the Risk Committee since 2016. Ms. Carlin has also served as a Director of iShares, Inc. and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2015, and Chair of the Risk Committee of each Board since 2016. Ms. Carlin has served as a consultant since 2012 and formerly served as Managing Director and Global Head of Financial Holding Company Governance & Assurance and the Global Head of Operational Risk Management of Morgan Stanley from 2006 to 2012. In addition, Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Global Head of the Bank Operational Risk Oversight Department of Credit Suisse Group from 2003 to 2006. Prior to that, Ms. Carlin served as Managing Director and Deputy General Counsel of Morgan Stanley. Ms. Carlin has over 30 years of experience in the financial sector and has served in a number of legal, regulatory, and risk management positions. Ms. Carlin has served as a member of the Audit Committee and as a Director of The Hanover Insurance Group, Inc., each since 2016, and as Chair of the Audit Committee since 2020. Ms. Carlin served as a member of the Audit Committee from 2012 to 2018, Chair of the Nominating and Governance Committee from 2017 to 2018 and as an Independent Director on the Board of PHH Corporation from 2012

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to 2018. She previously served as a Director on the Boards of Astoria Financial Corporation and Astoria Bank. Ms. Carlin was appointed by the United States Treasury to the Financial Services Sector Coordinating Council for Critical Infrastructure Protection and Homeland Security, where she served as Chairperson from 2010 to 2012 and Vice Chair and Chair of the Cyber Security Committee from 2009 to 2010. Ms. Carlin has a BA degree in political science from State University of New York at Stony Brook and a JD degree from Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

Richard L. Fagnani has been a Trustee of the Trust since 2017 and Chair of the Audit Committee of the Trust since 2019. Mr. Fagnani has also served as a Director of iShares, Inc. and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2017, and Chair of the Audit Committee of each Board since 2019. Mr. Fagnani served as an Advisory Board Member of the Trust, iShares U.S. ETF Trust and iShares, Inc. from April 2017 to June 2017. Mr. Fagnani served as a Senior Audit Partner at KPMG LLP from 2002 to 2016, most recently as the U.S. asset management audit practice leader responsible for setting strategic direction and execution of the operating plan for the asset management audit practice. In addition, from 1977 to 2002, Mr. Fagnani served as an Audit Partner at Andersen LLP, where he developed and managed the asset management audit practice in the Philadelphia office. Mr. Fagnani served as a Trustee on the Board of the Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia from 2009 to 2014 and as a member of the School of Business Advisory Board at LaSalle University from 2006 to 2014. Mr. Fagnani has also served as a Director of One Generation Away, a non-profit which works to bring healthy food directly to people in need, since 2021. Mr. Fagnani has a BS degree in Accounting from LaSalle University.

Cecilia H. Herbert has been a Trustee of the Trust since 2005 and Chair of the Equity Plus and Nominating and Governance Committees of the Trust since 2022. Ms. Herbert has also served as a Director of iShares, Inc. since 2005, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011, Chair of the Trust's Board from 2016 to 2021, and Chair of the Equity Plus and Nominating and Governance Committees of each Board since 2022. Ms. Herbert served as a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. from 2010 to 2015. Previously, Ms. Herbert served as Trustee of the Montgomery Funds from 1992 to 2003, the Pacific Select Funds from 2004 to 2005, the Forward Funds from 2009 to 2018, the Salient Funds from 2015 to 2018 and the Thrivent Church Loan and Income Fund from 2019 to 2022. She has served as a member of the Finance, Audit and Quality Committees and Trustee of Stanford Health Care since 2016 and became Chair of the Finance Committee of Stanford Health Care in 2019. She has served as a Trustee of WNET, New York's public media station, since 2011 and a Member of its Audit Committee since 2018. She was appointed to the Wyoming State Investment Funds Committee in 2022. She became a member of the Governing Council of the Independent Directors Forum in 2018. She has served as a Director of the Senior Center of Jackson Hole since 2020 and of the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts since 2021. She was President of the Board of Catholic Charities CYO, the largest social services agency in the San Francisco Bay Area, from 2007 to 2011 and a member of that board from 1992 to 2013. She worked from 1973 to 1990 at J.P. Morgan/Morgan Guaranty Trust doing international corporate finance and corporate lending, retiring as Managing Director and Head of the West Coast Office. Ms. Herbert has been on numerous non-profit boards, chairing investment and finance committees. She holds a double major in economics and communications from Stanford University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Drew E. Lawton has been a Trustee of the Trust since 2017 and Chair of the 15(c) Committee of the Trust since 2017. Mr. Lawton has also served as a Director of iShares, Inc., a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust, and Chair of the 15(c) Committee of each Board since 2017. Mr. Lawton also served as an Advisory Board Member of the Trust, iShares, Inc. and iShares U.S. ETF Trust from 2016 to 2017. Mr. Lawton served as Director of Principal Funds, Inc., Principal Variable Contracts Funds, Inc. and Principal Exchange-Traded Funds from March 2016 to October 2016. Mr. Lawton has also served as a member of the Compensation and Finance and Risk Committees and Director of Jackson Financial Inc. since 2021. Mr. Lawton served in various capacities at New York Life Insurance Company from 2010 to 2015, most recently as a Senior Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of New York Life Investment Management. From 2008 to 2010, Mr. Lawton was the President of Fridson Investment Advisors, LLC. Mr. Lawton previously held multiple roles at Fidelity Investments from 1997 to 2008. Mr. Lawton has been an Adjunct Professor at the University of North Texas since 2021. Mr. Lawton has a BA degree in Administrative Science from Yale University and an MBA from University of North Texas.

John E. Martinez has been a Trustee of the Trust since 2003 and Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of the Trust since 2019. Mr. Martinez has also served as a Director of iShares, Inc. since 2003, a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011, and Chair of the Securities Lending Committee of each Board since 2019. Mr. Martinez served as a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. from 2010 to 2015. Mr. Martinez is a Director of Real Estate Equity Exchange, Inc., providing governance oversight and consulting services to this privately held firm that develops products and strategies for homeowners in managing the equity in their homes. From 2017 to 2020, Mr. Martinez served as a Board member for the Cloudera Foundation. Mr. Martinez previously served as Director of Barclays Global Investors ("BGI") UK Holdings, where he provided governance oversight representing BGI's shareholders (Barclays PLC, BGI management shareholders) through

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oversight of BGI's worldwide activities. Mr. Martinez also previously served as Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Global Index and Markets Group of BGI, Chairman of Barclays Global Investor Services and Chief Executive Officer of the Capital Markets Group of BGI. From 2003 to 2012, he was a Director and Executive Committee Member for Larkin Street Youth Services. He now serves on the Larkin Street Honorary Board. From 2012 to 2016, Mr. Martinez served as a Director for Reading Partners. Mr. Martinez has an AB degree in economics from The University of California, Berkeley and holds an MBA degree in finance and statistics from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Madhav V. Rajan has been a Trustee of the Trust since 2011 and Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of the Trust since 2019. Mr. Rajan has also served as a Director of iShares, Inc. and a Trustee of iShares U.S. ETF Trust since 2011, and Chair of the Fixed Income Plus Committee of each Board since 2019. Mr. Rajan served as a Director of iShares MSCI Russia Capped ETF, Inc. from 2011 to 2015. Mr. Rajan is the Dean and George Pratt Shultz Professor of Accounting at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and also serves as Chair of the Board for the Center for Research in Security Prices, LLC, an affiliate of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, since 2020. He has served on the Advisory Board of C.M. Capital Corporation since 2016 and as a Director of C.M. Capital Corporation since 2020. From 2001 to 2017, Mr. Rajan was the Robert K. Jaedicke Professor of Accounting at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. In April 2017, he received the school's Robert T. Davis Award for Lifetime Achievement and Service. He has taught accounting for over 25 years to undergraduate, MBA and law students, as well as to senior executives. From 2010 to 2016, Mr. Rajan served as the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and head of the MBA Program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Mr. Rajan served as editor of "The Accounting Review" from 2002 to 2008 and is co-author of "Cost Accounting: A Managerial Emphasis," a leading cost accounting textbook. From 2013 to 2018, Mr. Rajan served on the Board of Directors of Cavium Inc., a semiconductor company. Mr. Rajan holds MS and PhD degrees in Accounting from Carnegie Mellon University.

<u>Board – Leadership Structure and Oversight Responsibilities</u>

Overall responsibility for oversight of the Fund rests with the Board. The Board has engaged BFA to manage the Fund on a day-to-day basis. The Board is responsible for overseeing BFA and other service providers in the operations of the Fund in accordance with the provisions of the 1940 Act, applicable provisions of state and other laws and the Trust's charter. The Board is currently composed of nine members, seven of whom are Independent Trustees. The Board currently conducts regular in person meetings four times a year. In addition, the Board frequently holds special in person or telephonic meetings or informal conference calls to discuss specific matters that may arise or require action between regular meetings. The Independent Trustees meet regularly outside the presence of management, in executive session or with other service providers to the Trust.

The Board has appointed an Independent Trustee to serve in the role of Board Chair. The Board Chair's role is to preside at all meetings of the Board and to act as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys, and other Trustees generally between meetings. The Board Chair may also perform such other functions as may be delegated by the Board from time to time. The Board has established seven standing Committees: a Nominating and Governance Committee, an Audit Committee, a 15(c) Committee, a Securities Lending Committee, a Risk Committee, an Equity Plus Committee and a Fixed Income Plus Committee to assist the Board in the oversight and direction of the business and affairs of the Fund, and from time to time the Board may establish ad hoc committees or informal working groups to review and address the policies and practices of the Fund with respect to certain specified matters. The Chair of each standing Committee is an Independent Trustee. The role of the Chair of each Committee is to preside at all meetings of the Committee and to act as a liaison with service providers, officers, attorneys and other Trustees between meetings. Each standing Committee meets regularly to conduct the oversight functions delegated to the Committee by the Board and reports its finding to the Board. The Board and each standing Committee conduct annual assessments of their oversight function and structure. The Board has determined that the Board's leadership structure is appropriate because it allows the Board to exercise independent judgment over management and it allocates areas of responsibility among committees of Independent Trustees and the full Board to enhance effective oversight.

Day-to-day risk management with respect to the Fund is the responsibility of BFA or other service providers (depending on the nature of the risk), subject to the supervision of BFA. The Fund is subject to a number of risks, including investment, compliance, operational, reputational, counterparty and valuation risks, among others. While there are a number of risk management functions performed by BFA and other service providers, as applicable, it is not possible to identify and eliminate all of the risks applicable to the Fund. The Trustees have an oversight role in this area, satisfying themselves that risk management processes and controls are in place and operating effectively. Risk oversight forms part of the Board's general oversight of the Fund and is addressed as part of various Board and committee activities. In some cases, risk

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management issues are specifically addressed in presentations and discussions. For example, BFA has an independent dedicated Risk and Quantitative Analysis Group ("RQA") that assists BFA in managing fiduciary and corporate risks, including investment, operational, counterparty credit and enterprise risk. Representatives of RQA meet with the Board to discuss their analysis and methodologies, as well as specific risk topics such as operational and counterparty risks relating to the Fund. The Board, directly or through a committee, also reviews reports from, among others, management and the independent registered public accounting firm for the Trust, as appropriate, regarding risks faced by the Fund and management's risk functions. The Board has appointed a Chief Compliance Officer who oversees the implementation and testing of the Trust's compliance program, including assessments by independent third parties, and reports to the Board regarding compliance matters for the Trust and its principal service providers. In testing and maintaining the compliance program, the Chief Compliance Officer (and his or her delegates) assesses key compliance risks affecting the Fund, and addresses them in periodic reports to the Board. In addition, the Audit Committee meets with both the Fund's independent registered public accounting firm and BFA's internal audit group to review risk controls in place that support the Fund as well as test results. Board oversight of risk is also performed as needed between meetings through communications between BFA and the Board. The Independent Trustees have engaged independent legal counsel to assist them in performing their oversight responsibilities. From time to time, the Board may modify the manner in which it conducts risk oversight. The Board's oversight role does not make it a guarantor of the Fund's investment performance or other activities.

**Committees of the Board of Trustees. The members of the Audit Committee are Richard L. Fagnani (Chair), Cecilia H. Herbert and Madhav V. Rajan, each of whom is an Independent Trustee. The purposes of the Audit Committee are to assist the Board (i) in its oversight of the Trust's accounting and financial reporting principles and policies and related controls and procedures maintained by or on behalf of the Trust; (ii) in its oversight of the Trust's financial statements and the independent audit thereof; (iii) in selecting, evaluating and, where deemed appropriate, replacing the independent accountants (or nominating the independent accountants to be proposed for shareholder approval in any proxy statement); (iv) in evaluating the independence of the independent accountants; (v) in complying with legal and regulatory requirements that relate to the Trust's accounting and financial reporting, internal controls, compliance controls and independent audits; and (vi) to assume such other responsibilities as may be delegated by the Board. The Audit Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022.**

The members of the Nominating and Governance Committee are Cecilia H. Herbert (Chair), Madhav V. Rajan and Drew E. Lawton, each of whom is an Independent Trustee. The Nominating and Governance Committee nominates individuals for Independent Trustee membership on the Board and recommends appointments to the Advisory Board. The Nominating and Governance Committee functions include, but are not limited to, the following: (i) reviewing the qualifications of any person properly identified or nominated to serve as an Independent Trustee; (ii) recommending to the Board and current Independent Trustees the nominee(s) for appointment as an Independent Trustee by the Board and current Independent Trustees and/or for election as Independent Trustees by shareholders to fill any vacancy for a position of Independent Trustee(s) on the Board; (iii) recommending to the Board and current Independent Trustees the size and composition of the Board and Board committees and whether they comply with applicable laws and regulations; (iv) recommending a current Independent Trustee to the Board and current Independent Trustees to serve as Board Chair; (v) periodic review of the Board's retirement policy; and (vi) recommending an appropriate level of compensation for the Independent Trustees for their services as Trustees, members or chairpersons of committees of the Board, Board Chair and any other positions as the Nominating and Governance Committee considers appropriate. The Nominating and Governance Committee does not consider Board nominations recommended by shareholders (acting solely in their capacity as a shareholder and not in any other capacity). The Nominating and Governance Committee met two times during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022.

Each Independent Trustee serves on the 15(c) Committee. The Chair of the 15(c) Committee is Drew E. Lawton. The principal responsibilities of the 15(c) Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for the annual review and renewal of the Trust's advisory and sub-advisory agreements. These responsibilities include: (i) meeting with BlackRock, Inc. in advance of the Board meeting at which the Trust's advisory and sub-advisory agreements are to be considered to discuss generally the process for providing requested information to the Board and the format in which information will be provided; and (ii) considering and discussing with BlackRock, Inc. such other matters and information as may be necessary and appropriate for the Board to evaluate the investment advisory and sub-advisory agreements of the Trust. The 15(c) Committee met two times during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022.

The members of the Securities Lending Committee are John E. Martinez (Chair), Jane D. Carlin and Drew E. Lawton, each of whom is an Independent Trustee. The principal responsibilities of the Securities Lending Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of the Trust's securities lending activities. These responsibilities

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include: (i) requesting that certain information be provided to the Committee for its review and consideration prior to such information being provided to the Board; (ii) considering and discussing with BlackRock, Inc. such other matters and information as may be necessary and appropriate for the Board to oversee the Trust's securities lending activities and make required findings and approvals; and (iii) providing a recommendation to the Board regarding the annual approval of the Trust's Securities Lending Guidelines and the required findings with respect to, and annual approval of, the Trust's agreement with the securities lending agent. The Securities Lending Committee met six times during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022.

The members of the Equity Plus Committee are Cecilia H. Herbert (Chair), John E. Martinez and Drew E. Lawton, each of whom is an Independent Trustee. The principal responsibilities of the Equity Plus Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of Trust performance and related matters for equity funds. These responsibilities include: (i) reviewing quarterly reports regarding Trust performance, secondary market trading and changes in net assets to identify any matters that should be brought to the attention of the Board; and (ii) considering any performance or investment related matters as may be delegated to the Committee by the Board from time to time and providing a report or recommendation to the Board as appropriate. The Equity Plus Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022.

The members of the Fixed Income Plus Committee are Madhav V. Rajan (Chair), Jane D. Carlin and Richard L. Fagnani, each of whom is an Independent Trustee. The principal responsibilities of the Fixed Income Plus Committee are to support, oversee and organize on behalf of the Board the process for oversight of Trust performance and related matters for fixed-income or multi-asset funds. These responsibilities include: (i) reviewing quarterly reports regarding Trust performance, secondary market trading and changes in net assets to identify any matters that should be brought to the attention of the Board; and (ii) considering any performance or investment related matters as may be delegated to the Committee by the Board from time to time and providing a report or recommendation to the Board as appropriate. The Fixed Income Plus Committee met four times during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022.

The members of the Risk Committee are Jane D. Carlin (Chair), Richard L. Fagnani and John E. Martinez, each of whom is an Independent Trustee. The principal responsibility of the Risk Committee is to consider and organize on behalf of the Board risk related matters of the Fund so the Board may most effectively structure itself to oversee them. The Risk Committee commenced on January 1, 2016. The Risk Committee met eight times during the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022.

As the Chair of the Board, John E. Kerrigan may serve as an ex-officio member of each Committee.

The following table sets forth, as of December 31, 2022, the dollar range of equity securities beneficially owned by each Trustee in the Fund and in other registered investment companies overseen by the Trustee within the same family of investment companies as the Trust. If a fund is not listed below, the Trustee did not own any securities in that fund as of the date indicated above:

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Fund** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Dollar Range of Equity<br> Securities in Named Fund** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Aggregate Dollar Range<br> of Equity Securities in all<br> Registered Investment<br> Companies Overseen by<br> Trustee<br> in Family of<br> Investment Companies** |
| Robert S. Kapito |  |  |  |
| Salim Ramji | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Broad USD Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Commodity Curve Carry Strategy ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$50001-$100000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core Aggressive Allocation ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |

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|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Fund** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Dollar Range of Equity<br> Securities in Named Fund** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Aggregate Dollar Range<br> of Equity Securities in all<br> Registered Investment<br> Companies Overseen by<br> Trustee<br> in Family of<br> Investment Companies** |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Global Clean Energy ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares GSCI Commodity Dynamic Roll Strategy ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$50001-$100000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares High Yield Corporate Bond Buywrite Strategy ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Investment Grade Corporate Bond Buywrite Strategy ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Min Vol Factor ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Multisector ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares TIPS Bond ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
| John E. Kerrigan | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares ESG Advanced MSCI EAFE ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares ESG Advanced MSCI USA ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares ESG Aware MSCI EAFE ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares ESG Aware MSCI EM ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares ESG Aware MSCI USA Small-Cap ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Exponential Technologies ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Genomics Immunology and Healthcare ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Global Clean Energy ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Global Infrastructure ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares GSCI Commodity Dynamic Roll Strategy ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares MSCI EAFE Growth ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares MSCI EAFE Value ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$50001-$100000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Min Vol Factor ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |

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|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Fund** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Dollar Range of Equity<br> Securities in Named Fund** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Aggregate Dollar Range<br> of Equity Securities in all<br> Registered Investment<br> Companies Overseen by<br> Trustee<br> in Family of<br> Investment Companies** |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares MSCI KLD 400 Social ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares MSCI USA ESG Select ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares MSCI USA Momentum Factor ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares U.S. Energy ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares U.S. Infrastructure ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares U.S. Technology ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
| Jane D. Carlin | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$50001-$100000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P Mid-Cap ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Global Clean Energy ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares MSCI ACWI ex U.S. ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Select Dividend ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$50001-$100000 |  |
| Richard L. Fagnani | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$50001-$100000 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core MSCI EAFE ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$50001-$100000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core MSCI International Developed Markets ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$50001-$100000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$50001-$100000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$50001-$100000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Morningstar Growth ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Morningstar Mid-Cap Value ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares MSCI Intl Value Factor ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
| Cecilia H. Herbert | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares California Muni Bond ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$50001-$100000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P U.S. Growth ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P U.S. Value ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |

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|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Fund** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Dollar Range of Equity<br> Securities in Named Fund** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Aggregate Dollar Range<br> of Equity Securities in all<br> Registered Investment<br> Companies Overseen by<br> Trustee<br> in Family of<br> Investment Companies** |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares MSCI USA Value Factor ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares National Muni Bond ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Preferred and Income Securities ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1-$10000 |  |
| Drew E. Lawton | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond BuyWrite Strategy ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$50001-$100000 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Biotechnology ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core Dividend Growth ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core MSCI Total International Stock ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Expanded Tech Sector ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$50001-$100000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Exponential Technologies ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Global Financials ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares iBonds Dec 2023 Term Treasury ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares U.S. Financial Services ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares U.S. Financials ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares U.S. Healthcare ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
| John E. Martinez | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares 1-5 Year Investment Grade Corporate Bond ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core MSCI International Developed Markets ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;$10001-$50000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P Small-Cap ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Global Consumer Staples ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Russell 1000 ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Russell 2000 ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |
| Madhav V. Rajan | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core MSCI International Developed Markets ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;iShares Core S&P 500 ETF | &nbsp;&nbsp;Over $100,000 |  |

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As of December 31, 2022, none of the Independent Trustees or their immediate family members owned beneficially or of record any securities of BFA (the Fund's investment adviser), the Distributor or any person controlling, controlled by or under common control with BFA or the Distributor.

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**Remuneration of Trustees and Advisory Board Members. Effective January 1, 2023, each current Independent Trustee is paid an annual retainer of $440,000 for his or her services as a Board member to the BlackRock-advised Funds in the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex, together with out-of-pocket expenses in accordance with the Board's policy on travel and other business expenses relating to attendance at meetings. The annual retainer for services as an Advisory Board Member is the same as the annual retainer for services as a Board member. The Independent Chair of the Board is paid an additional annual retainer of $125,000. The Chair of each of the Equity Plus Committee, Fixed Income Plus Committee, Securities Lending Committee, Nominating and Governance Committee and 15(c) Committee is paid an additional annual retainer of $30,000. The Chair of each of the Audit Committee and Risk Committee is paid an additional annual retainer of $45,000. Each Independent Trustee that served as a director of subsidiaries of the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex is paid an additional annual retainer of $10,000 (plus an additional $1,765 paid annually to compensate for taxes due in the Republic of Mauritius in connection with such Trustee's service on the boards of certain Mauritius-based subsidiaries).**

The table below sets forth the compensation earned by each Independent Trustee and Interested Trustee for services to the Fund for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022 and the aggregate compensation paid to them for services to the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex for the calendar year ended December 31, 2022.

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| | | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| **Name** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**iShares Breakthrough<br> Environmental Solutions ETF**  | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Pension or<br> Retirement Benefits Accrued As<br> Part of Trust<br> Expenses<sup>1</sup>** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Estimated Annual<br> Benefits Upon<br> Retirement<sup>1</sup>** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Total <br> Compensation<br> From the Fund<br> and Fund Complex<sup>2</sup>** |
| *Independent Trustees:* |  |  |  |  |
| Jane D. Carlin | &nbsp;&nbsp;$0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;$465000 |
| Richard L. Fagnani | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;476764 |
| Cecilia H. Herbert | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;475000 |
| John E. Kerrigan | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;505000 |
| Drew E. Lawton | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;461764 |
| John E. Martinez | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;450000 |
| Madhav V. Rajan | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;450000 |
| *Interested Trustees:* |  |  |  |  |
| Robert S. Kapito | &nbsp;&nbsp;$0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$0 |
| Salim Ramji | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;Not Applicable | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;0 |

---

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<sup>1</sup> No Trustee or officer is entitled to any pension or retirement benefits from the Trust. <br> <sup>2</sup> Also includes compensation for service on the Board of Trustees of iShares U.S. ETF Trust and the Board of Directors of iShares, Inc.

**Control Persons and Principal Holders of Securities. Ownership information is not provided for the Fund, as it has not commenced operations as of the date of this SAI.**

**Conflicts of Interest. Certain activities of BFA, BlackRock, Inc. and the other subsidiaries of BlackRock, Inc. (collectively referred to in this section as "BlackRock") and their respective directors, officers and employees, with respect to the Fund and/or other accounts managed by BlackRock, may give rise to actual or perceived conflicts of interest such as those described below.**

BlackRock is one of the world's largest asset management firms. BlackRock, its subsidiaries and their respective directors, officers and employees, including the business units or entities and personnel who may be involved in the investment activities and business operations of the Fund, are engaged worldwide in businesses, including managing equities, fixed-income securities, cash and alternative investments, and have interests other than that of managing the Fund. These are considerations of which investors in the Fund should be aware, and which may cause conflicts of interest that could disadvantage the Fund and its shareholders. These businesses and interests include potential multiple advisory, financial and other relationships with, or interests in, companies and interests in securities or other instruments that may be purchased or sold by the Fund.

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BlackRock has proprietary interests in, and may manage or advise with respect to, accounts or funds (including separate accounts and other funds and collective investment vehicles) that have investment objectives similar to those of the Fund and/or that engage in transactions in the same types of securities, currencies and instruments as the Fund. BlackRock is also a major participant in the global currency, equities, swap and fixed income markets, in each case, for the accounts of clients and, in some cases, on a proprietary basis. As such, BlackRock is or may be actively engaged in transactions in the same securities, currencies, and instruments in which the Fund invests. Such activities could affect the prices and availability of the securities, currencies, and instruments in which the Fund invests, which could have an adverse impact on the Fund's performance. Such transactions, particularly in respect of most proprietary accounts or client accounts, will be executed independently of the Fund's transactions and thus at prices or rates that may be more or less favorable than those obtained by the Fund.

When BlackRock seeks to purchase or sell the same assets for managed accounts, including the Fund, the assets actually purchased or sold may be allocated among the accounts on a basis determined in its good faith discretion to be equitable. In some cases, this system may adversely affect the size or price of the assets purchased or sold for the Fund. In addition, transactions in investments by one or more other accounts managed by BlackRock may have the effect of diluting or otherwise disadvantaging the values, prices or investment strategies of the Fund, particularly, but not limited to, with respect to small-capitalization, emerging market or less liquid strategies. This may occur with respect to BlackRock-advised accounts when investment decisions regarding the Fund are based on research or other information that is also used to support decisions for other accounts. When BlackRock implements a portfolio decision or strategy on behalf of another account ahead of, or contemporaneously with, similar decisions or strategies for the Fund, market impact, liquidity constraints, or other factors could result in the Fund receiving less favorable trading results and the costs of implementing such decisions or strategies could be increased or the Fund could otherwise be disadvantaged. BlackRock may, in certain cases, elect to implement internal policies and procedures designed to limit such consequences, which may cause the Fund to be unable to engage in certain activities, including purchasing or disposing of securities, when it might otherwise be desirable for it to do so.

Conflicts may also arise because portfolio decisions regarding the Fund may benefit other accounts managed by BlackRock. For example, the sale of a long position or establishment of a short position by the Fund may impair the price of the same security sold short by (and therefore benefit) BlackRock or its other accounts or funds, and the purchase of a security or covering of a short position in a security by the Fund may increase the price of the same security held by (and therefore benefit) BlackRock or its other accounts or funds. In addition, to the extent permitted by applicable law, the Fund may invest its assets in other funds advised by BlackRock, including funds that are managed by one or more of the same portfolio managers, which could result in conflicts of interest relating to asset allocation, timing of Fund purchases and sales, and increased remuneration and profitability for BlackRock, and/or its personnel, including portfolio managers.

In certain circumstances, BlackRock, on behalf of the Fund, may seek to buy from or sell securities to another fund or account advised by BlackRock. BlackRock may (but is not required to) effect purchases and sales between BlackRock clients ("cross trades"), including the Fund, if BlackRock believes such transactions are appropriate based on each party's investment objectives and guidelines, subject to applicable law and regulation. There may be potential conflicts of interest or regulatory issues relating to these transactions which could limit BlackRock's decision to engage in these transactions for the Fund. BlackRock may have a potentially conflicting division of loyalties and responsibilities to the parties in such transactions. On any occasion when the Fund participates in a cross trade, BlackRock will comply with procedures adopted under applicable rules and SEC guidance.

BlackRock and its clients may pursue or enforce rights with respect to an issuer in which the Fund has invested, and those activities may have an adverse effect on the Fund. As a result, prices, availability, liquidity and terms of the Fund's investments may be negatively impacted by the activities of BlackRock or its clients, and transactions for the Fund may be impaired or effected at prices or terms that may be less favorable than would otherwise have been the case.

The results of the Fund's investment activities may differ significantly from the results achieved by BlackRock for its proprietary accounts or other accounts (including investment companies or collective investment vehicles) which it manages or advises. It is possible that one or more accounts managed or advised by BlackRock and such other accounts will achieve investment results that are substantially more or less favorable than the results achieved by the Fund. Moreover, it is possible that the Fund will sustain losses during periods in which one or more proprietary or other accounts managed or advised by BlackRock achieve significant profits. The opposite result is also possible.

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From time to time, the Fund may be restricted from purchasing or selling securities, or from engaging in other investment activities because of regulatory, legal or contractual requirements applicable to BlackRock or other accounts managed or advised by BlackRock, and/or the internal policies of BlackRock designed to comply with such requirements. As a result, there may be periods, for example, when BlackRock will not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions in certain securities or instruments with respect to which BlackRock is performing services or when position limits have been reached. For example, the investment activities of BlackRock for its proprietary accounts and accounts under its management may limit the investment opportunities for the Fund in certain emerging and other markets in which limitations are imposed upon the amount of investment, in the aggregate or in individual issuers, by affiliated foreign investors.

In connection with its management of the Fund, BlackRock may have access to certain fundamental analysis and proprietary technical models developed by BlackRock. BlackRock will not be under any obligation, however, to effect transactions on behalf of the Fund in accordance with such analysis and models. In addition, BlackRock will not have any obligation to make available any information regarding its proprietary activities or strategies, or the activities or strategies used for other accounts managed by them, for the benefit of the management of the Fund and it is not anticipated that BlackRock will have access to such information for the purpose of managing the Fund. The proprietary activities or portfolio strategies of BlackRock, or the activities or strategies used for accounts managed by BlackRock or other client accounts could conflict with the transactions and strategies employed by BlackRock in managing the Fund.

The Fund may be included in investment models developed by BlackRock for use by clients and financial advisors. To the extent clients invest in these investment models and increase the assets under management of the Fund, the investment management fee amounts paid by the Fund to BlackRock may also increase. The price, availability and liquidity of the Fund may be impacted by purchases and sales of the Fund by model-driven investment portfolios, as well as by BlackRock itself and by its advisory clients.

In addition, certain principals and certain employees of the Fund's investment adviser are also principals or employees of other business units or entities within BlackRock. As a result, these principals and employees may have obligations to such other business units or entities or their clients and such obligations to other business units or entities or their clients may be a consideration of which investors in the Fund should be aware.

BlackRock may enter into transactions and invest in securities, instruments and currencies on behalf of the Fund in which clients of BlackRock or, to the extent permitted by the SEC and applicable law, BlackRock serves as the counterparty, principal or issuer. In such cases, such party's interests in the transaction will be adverse to the interests of the Fund, and such party may have no incentive to assure that the Fund obtains the best possible prices or terms in connection with the transactions. In addition, the purchase, holding and sale of such investments by the Fund may enhance the profitability of BlackRock.

BlackRock may also create, write or issue derivatives for clients based on the underlying securities, currencies or instruments in which the Fund may invest or on the performance of the Fund. An entity in which BlackRock has a significant minority interest will create, write or issue options which may be based on the performance of certain Funds. BlackRock has the right to receive a portion of the gross revenue earned by such entity. Options writing by such entity on the Fund could potentially lead to increased purchase activity with respect to the Fund and increased assets under management for BlackRock.

BlackRock has entered into an arrangement with Markit Indices Limited, the index provider for underlying fixed-income indexes used by certain iShares funds, related to derivative fixed-income products that are based on such iShares funds. BlackRock may receive certain payments for licensing intellectual property belonging to BlackRock and for facilitating the provision of data in connection with such derivative products, which may include payments based on the trading volumes of, or revenues generated by, the derivative products. However, BlackRock will not receive any such payments on those derivative products utilized by the Fund or other BlackRock funds or accounts. Other funds and accounts managed by BlackRock may from time to time transact in such derivative products, which could contribute to the viability or success of such derivative products by making them more appealing to funds and accounts managed by third parties, and in turn lead to increased payments to BlackRock. Trading activity in such derivative products could also potentially lead to increased purchase activity with respect to these iShares funds and increased assets under management for BlackRock.

The Fund may, subject to applicable law, purchase investments that are the subject of an underwriting or other distribution by BlackRock and may also enter into transactions with other clients of BlackRock where such other clients have interests adverse to those of the Fund.

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At times, these activities may cause business units or entities within BlackRock to give advice to clients that may cause these clients to take actions adverse to the interests of the Fund. To the extent such transactions are permitted, the Fund will deal with BlackRock on an arm's-length basis.

To the extent authorized by applicable law, BlackRock may act as broker, dealer, agent, lender or adviser or in other commercial capacities for the Fund. It is anticipated that the commissions, mark-ups, mark-downs, financial advisory fees, underwriting and placement fees, sales fees, financing and commitment fees, brokerage fees, other fees, compensation or profits, rates, terms and conditions charged by BlackRock will be in its view commercially reasonable, although BlackRock, including its sales personnel, will have an interest in obtaining fees and other amounts that are favorable to BlackRock and such sales personnel, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund. Index based funds may use an index provider that is affiliated with another service provider of the Fund or BlackRock that acts as a broker, dealer, agent, lender or in other commercial capacities for the Fund or BlackRock.

Subject to applicable law, BlackRock (and its personnel and other distributors) will be entitled to retain fees and other amounts that they receive in connection with their service to the Fund as broker, dealer, agent, lender, adviser or in other commercial capacities. No accounting to the Fund or its shareholders will be required, and no fees or other compensation payable by the Fund or its shareholders will be reduced by reason of receipt by BlackRock of any such fees or other amounts.

When BlackRock acts as broker, dealer, agent, adviser or in other commercial capacities in relation to the Fund, BlackRock may take commercial steps in its own interests, which may have an adverse effect on the Fund. The Fund will be required to establish business relationships with its counterparties based on the Fund's own credit standing. BlackRock will not have any obligation to allow its credit to be used in connection with the Fund's establishment of its business relationships, nor is it expected that the Fund's counterparties will rely on the credit of BlackRock in evaluating the Fund's creditworthiness.

BTC, an affiliate of BFA pursuant to SEC exemptive relief, acts as securities lending agent to, and receives a share of securities lending revenues from, the Fund. BlackRock will also receive compensation for managing the reinvestment of the cash collateral from securities lending. There are potential conflicts of interests in managing a securities lending program, including but not limited to: (i) BlackRock as securities lending agent may have an incentive to increase or decrease the amount of securities on loan or to lend particular securities in order to generate additional risk-adjusted revenue for BlackRock and its affiliates; and (ii) BlackRock as securities lending agent may have an incentive to allocate loans to clients that would provide more revenue to BlackRock. As described further below, BlackRock seeks to mitigate this conflict by providing its securities lending clients with equal lending opportunities over time in order to approximate *pro rata* allocation.

As part of its securities lending program, BlackRock indemnifies the Fund and certain other clients and/or funds against a shortfall in collateral in the event of borrower default. On a regular basis, BlackRock calculates the potential dollar exposure of collateral shortfall resulting from a borrower default ("shortfall risk") in the securities lending program. BlackRock establishes program-wide borrower limits ("credit limits") to actively manage borrower-specific credit exposure. BlackRock oversees the risk model that calculates projected collateral shortfall values using loan-level factors such as loan and collateral type and market value as well as specific borrower credit characteristics. When necessary, BlackRock may adjust securities lending program attributes by restricting eligible collateral or reducing borrower credit limits. As a result, the management of program-wide exposure as well as BlackRock-specific indemnification exposure may affect the amount of securities lending activity BlackRock may conduct at any given point in time by reducing the volume of lending opportunities for certain loans (including by asset type, collateral type and/or revenue profile).

BlackRock uses a predetermined systematic process in order to approximate *pro rata* allocation over time. In order to allocate a loan to a portfolio: (i) BlackRock as a whole must have sufficient lending capacity pursuant to the various program limits (*i.e.,* indemnification exposure limit and borrower credit limits); (ii) the lending portfolio must hold the asset at the time a loan opportunity arrives; and (iii) the lending portfolio must also have enough inventory, either on its own or when aggregated with other portfolios into one single market delivery, to satisfy the loan request. In doing so, BlackRock seeks to provide equal lending opportunities for all portfolios, independent of whether BlackRock indemnifies the portfolio. Equal opportunities for lending portfolios does not guarantee equal outcomes. Specifically, short and long-term outcomes for individual clients may vary due to asset mix, asset/liability spreads on different securities, and the overall limits imposed by the firm.

BlackRock may decline to make a securities loan on behalf of the Fund, discontinue lending on behalf of the Fund or terminate a securities loan on behalf of the Fund for any reason, including but not limited to regulatory requirements and/or market rules, liquidity considerations, or credit considerations, which may impact Funds by reducing or eliminating the

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volume of lending opportunities for certain types of loans, loans in particular markets, loans of particular securities or types of securities, or for loans overall.

Purchases and sales of securities and other assets for the Fund may be bunched or aggregated with orders for other BlackRock client accounts, including with accounts that pay different transaction costs solely due to the fact that they have different research payment arrangements. BlackRock, however, is not required to bunch or aggregate orders if portfolio management decisions for different accounts are made separately, or if they determine that bunching or aggregating is not practicable or required, or in cases involving client direction.

Prevailing trading activity frequently may make impossible the receipt of the same price or execution on the entire volume of securities purchased or sold. When this occurs, the various prices may be averaged, and the Fund will be charged or credited with the average price. Thus, the effect of the aggregation may operate on some occasions to the disadvantage of the Fund. In addition, under certain circumstances, the Fund will not be charged the same commission or commission equivalent rates in connection with a bunched or aggregated order.

Subject to applicable law, BlackRock may select brokers that furnish BlackRock, the Fund, other BlackRock client accounts or personnel, directly or through correspondent relationships, with research or other appropriate services which provide, in BlackRock's view, appropriate assistance to BlackRock in the investment decision-making process (including with respect to futures, fixed-price offerings and OTC transactions). Such research or other services may include, to the extent permitted by law, research reports on companies, industries and securities; economic and financial data; financial publications; proxy analysis; trade industry seminars; computer data bases; research-oriented software and other services and products. Research or other services obtained in this manner may be used in servicing any or all of the Fund and other BlackRock client accounts, including in connection with BlackRock client accounts other than those that pay commissions to the broker relating to the research or other service arrangements. Such products and services may disproportionately benefit other BlackRock client accounts relative to the Fund based on the amount of brokerage commissions paid by the Fund and such other BlackRock client accounts. For example, research or other services that are paid for through one client's commissions may not be used in managing that client's account. In addition, other BlackRock client accounts may receive the benefit, including disproportionate benefits, of economies of scale or price discounts in connection with products and services that may be provided to the Fund and to such other BlackRock client accounts. To the extent that BlackRock uses soft dollars, it will not have to pay for those products and services itself.

BlackRock does not currently enter into arrangements to use the Fund's assets for, or participate in, soft dollars, although BlackRock may receive research that is bundled with the trade execution, clearing, and/or settlement services provided by a particular broker-dealer. To the extent that BlackRock receives research on this basis, many of the same conflicts related to traditional soft dollars may exist. For example, the research effectively will be paid by client commissions that also will be used to pay for the execution, clearing, and settlement services provided by the broker-dealer and will not be paid by BlackRock. BlackRock, unless prohibited by applicable law, may endeavor to execute trades through brokers who, pursuant to such arrangements, provide research or other services in order to ensure the continued receipt of research or other services BlackRock believes are useful in its investment decision-making process. BlackRock may from time to time choose not to engage in the above described arrangements to varying degrees. BlackRock, unless prohibited by applicable law, may also enter into commission sharing arrangements under which BlackRock may execute transactions through a broker-dealer, and request that the broker-dealer allocate a portion of the commissions or commission credits to another firm that provides research to BlackRock. To the extent that BlackRock engages in commission sharing arrangements, many of the same conflicts related to traditional soft dollars may exist.

BlackRock may utilize certain electronic crossing networks ("ECNs") (including, without limitation, ECNs in which BlackRock has an investment or other interest, to the extent permitted by applicable law) in executing client securities transactions for certain types of securities. These ECNs may charge fees for their services, including access fees and transaction fees. The transaction fees, which are similar to commissions or markups/markdowns, will generally be charged to clients and, like commissions and markups/markdowns, would generally be included in the cost of the securities purchased. Access fees may be paid by BlackRock even though incurred in connection with executing transactions on behalf of clients, including the Fund. In certain circumstances, ECNs may offer volume discounts that will reduce the access fees typically paid by BlackRock. BlackRock will only utilize ECNs consistent with its obligation to seek to obtain best execution in client transactions.

BlackRock owns a minority interest in, and is a member of, Members Exchange ("MEMX"), a newly created U.S. stock exchange. Transactions for the Fund may be executed on MEMX if third party brokers select MEMX as the appropriate venue

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for execution of orders placed by BlackRock traders on behalf of such Funds. In addition, transactions in Fund shares may be executed on MEMX if third party brokers select MEMX as the appropriate venue for the execution of such orders.

BlackRock has adopted policies and procedures designed to prevent conflicts of interest from influencing proxy voting decisions that it makes on behalf of advisory clients, including the Fund, and to help ensure that such decisions are made in accordance with BlackRock's fiduciary obligations to its clients. Nevertheless, notwithstanding such proxy voting policies and procedures, actual proxy voting decisions of BlackRock may have the effect of favoring the interests of other clients or businesses of other divisions or units of BlackRock, provided that BlackRock believes such voting decisions to be in accordance with its fiduciary obligations. For a more detailed discussion of these policies and procedures, see the *Proxy Voting Policy* section of this SAI.

It is also possible that, from time to time, BlackRock and/or its advisory clients (including other funds and separately managed accounts) may, subject to compliance with applicable law, purchase and hold shares of the Fund. Increasing the Fund's assets may enhance liquidity, investment flexibility and diversification and may contribute to economies of scale that tend to reduce the Fund's expense ratio. BlackRock reserves the right, subject to compliance with applicable law, to sell into the market or redeem in Creation Units through an Authorized Participant at any time some or all of the shares of the Fund acquired for its own accounts or the account of a BlackRock advisory client. A large sale or redemption of shares of the Fund by BlackRock itself or a BlackRock advisory client could significantly reduce the asset size of the Fund, which might have an adverse effect on the Fund's liquidity, investment flexibility, portfolio diversification, expense ratio or ability to comply with the listing requirements for the Fund.

It is possible that the Fund may invest in securities of, or engage in transactions with, companies in which BlackRock has significant debt or equity investments or other interests. The Fund may also invest in issuances (such as structured notes) by entities for which BlackRock provides and is compensated for cash management services relating to the proceeds from the sale of such issuances. In making investment decisions for the Fund, BlackRock is not permitted to obtain or use material non-public information acquired by any unit of BlackRock in the course of these activities. In addition, from time to time, the activities of BlackRock may limit the Fund's flexibility in purchases and sales of securities. As indicated below, BlackRock may engage in transactions with companies in which BlackRock-advised funds or other clients of BlackRock have an investment.

BlackRock, its personnel and other financial service providers may have interests in promoting sales of the Fund. With respect to BlackRock and its personnel, the remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of the Fund or other products may be greater than remuneration and profitability relating to services to and sales of certain funds or other products that might be provided or offered. BlackRock and its sales personnel may directly or indirectly receive a portion of the fees and commissions charged to the Fund or its shareholders. BlackRock and its advisory or other personnel may also benefit from increased amounts of assets under management. Fees and commissions may also be higher than for other products or services, and the remuneration and profitability to BlackRock and such personnel resulting from transactions on behalf of or management of the Fund may be greater than the remuneration and profitability resulting from other funds or products.

Third parties, including service providers to BlackRock or the Fund, may sponsor events (including, but not limited to, marketing and promotional activities and presentations, educational training programs and conferences) for registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors. There is a potential conflict of interest as such sponsorships may defray the costs of such activities to BlackRock, and may provide an incentive to BlackRock to retain such third parties to provide services to the Fund.

BlackRock may provide valuation assistance to certain clients with respect to certain securities or other investments and the valuation recommendations made for such clients' accounts may differ from the valuations for the same securities or investments assigned by the Fund's pricing vendors, especially if such valuations are based on broker-dealer quotes or other data sources unavailable to the Fund's pricing vendors. While BlackRock will generally communicate its valuation information or determinations to the Fund's pricing vendors and/or fund accountants, there may be instances where the Fund's pricing vendors or fund accountants assign a different valuation to a security or other investment than the valuation for such security or investment determined or recommended by BlackRock.

As disclosed in more detail in the *Determination of Net Asset Value* section in this SAI, when market quotations are not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund's investments are valued at fair value by BFA. BFA has been designated as the Fund's valuation designee pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act and acts through BFA's Rule 2a-5 Committee (the "2a-5 Committee"), with assistance from other BFA pricing committees and in accordance

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with BFA's policies and procedures (the "Valuation Procedures"). When determining a "fair value price," the 2a-5 Committee seeks to determine the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or liability in an arm's-length transaction. The price generally may not be determined based on what the Fund might reasonably expect to receive for selling an asset or liability at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to maturity. While fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that BFA deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by BFA using proprietary or third-party valuation models, fair value represents only a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the Fund's NAV. As a result, the Fund's sale or redemption of its shares at NAV, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued by the 2a-5 Committee at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders and may affect the amount of revenue received by BFA with respect to services for which it receives an asset-based fee.

To the extent permitted by applicable law, the Fund may invest all or some of its short-term cash investments in any money market fund or similarly-managed private fund advised or managed by BlackRock. In connection with any such investments, the Fund, to the extent permitted by the 1940 Act, may pay its share of expenses of a money market fund or other similarly-managed private fund in which it invests, which may result in the Fund bearing some additional expenses.

BlackRock and its directors, officers and employees, may buy and sell securities or other investments for their own accounts and may have conflicts of interest with respect to investments made on behalf of the Fund. As a result of differing trading and investment strategies or constraints, positions may be taken by directors, officers and employees that are the same, different from or made at different times than positions taken for the Fund. To lessen the possibility that the Fund will be adversely affected by this personal trading, the Fund, BFA and BlackRock have each adopted a code of ethics in compliance with Section 17(j) of the 1940 Act that restricts securities trading in the personal accounts of investment professionals and others who normally come into possession of information regarding the Fund's portfolio transactions. Each code of ethics is available by contacting BlackRock at the telephone number on the back cover of the Fund's Prospectus or by accessing the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail at publicinfo@sec.gov.

BlackRock will not purchase securities or other property from, or sell securities or other property to, the Fund, except that the Fund may in accordance with rules or guidance adopted under the 1940 Act engage in transactions with another Fund or accounts that are affiliated with the Fund as a result of common officers, directors, or investment advisers or pursuant to exemptive orders granted to the Fund and/or BlackRock by the SEC. These transactions would be effected in circumstances in which BlackRock determined that it would be appropriate for the Fund to purchase and another client of BlackRock to sell, or the Fund to sell and another client of BlackRock to purchase, the same security or instrument on the same day. From time to time, the activities of the Fund may be restricted because of regulatory requirements applicable to BlackRock and/or BlackRock's internal policies designed to comply with, limit the applicability of, or otherwise relate to such requirements. A client not advised by BlackRock would not be subject to some of those considerations. There may be periods when BlackRock may not initiate or recommend certain types of transactions, or may otherwise restrict or limit its advice in certain securities or instruments issued by or related to companies for which BlackRock is performing advisory or other services or has proprietary positions. For example, when BlackRock is engaged to provide advisory or risk management services for a company, BlackRock may be prohibited from or limited in purchasing or selling securities of that company on behalf of the Fund, particularly where such services result in BlackRock obtaining material non-public information about the company (*e.g.*, in connection with participation in a creditors' committee). Similar situations could arise if personnel of BlackRock serve as directors of companies the securities of which the Fund wishes to purchase or sell. However, if permitted by applicable law, and where consistent with BlackRock's policies and procedures (including the necessary implementation of appropriate information barriers), the Fund may purchase securities or instruments that are issued by such companies, are the subject of an advisory or risk management assignment by BlackRock, or where personnel of BlackRock are directors or officers of the issuer.

The investment activities of BlackRock for its proprietary accounts and for client accounts may also limit the investment strategies and rights of the Fund. For example, in certain circumstances where the Fund invests in securities issued by companies that operate in certain regulated industries or in certain emerging or international markets, or is subject to corporate or regulatory ownership restrictions, or invests in certain futures or other derivative transactions, there may be limits on the aggregate amount invested by BlackRock for their proprietary accounts and for client accounts (including the

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Fund) that may not be exceeded without the grant of a license or other regulatory or corporate consent or, if exceeded, may cause BlackRock, the Fund or other client accounts to suffer disadvantages or business restrictions.

If certain aggregate ownership thresholds are reached either through the actions of BlackRock or the Fund or as a result of third-party transactions, the ability of BlackRock, on behalf of clients (including the Fund), to purchase or dispose of investments, or exercise rights or undertake business transactions, may be restricted by regulation or otherwise impaired. As a result, BlackRock, on behalf of its clients (including the Fund), may limit purchases, sell existing investments, or otherwise restrict, forgo or limit the exercise of rights (including transferring, outsourcing or limiting voting rights or forgoing the right to receive dividends) when BlackRock, in its sole discretion, deems it appropriate in light of potential regulatory or other restrictions on ownership or other consequences resulting from reaching investment thresholds.

In those circumstances where ownership thresholds or limitations must be observed, BlackRock seeks to allocate limited investment opportunities equitably among clients (including the Fund), taking into consideration benchmark weight and investment strategy. BlackRock has adopted certain controls designed to prevent the occurrence of a breach of any applicable ownership threshold or limits, including, for example, when ownership in certain securities nears an applicable threshold, BlackRock may remove such securities from the list of Deposit Securities to be delivered to the Fund in connection with purchases of Creation Units of such Fund and may limit purchases in such securities to the issuer's weighting in the applicable benchmark used by BlackRock to manage such Fund. If client (including Fund) holdings of an issuer exceed an applicable threshold and BlackRock is unable to obtain relief to enable the continued holding of such investments, it may be necessary to sell down these positions to meet the applicable limitations. In these cases, benchmark overweight positions will be sold prior to benchmark positions being reduced to meet applicable limitations.

In addition to the foregoing, other ownership thresholds may trigger reporting requirements to governmental and regulatory authorities, and such reports may entail the disclosure of the identity of a client or BlackRock's intended strategy with respect to such security or asset.

BlackRock may not serve as an Authorized Participant in the creation and redemption of iShares ETFs.

BlackRock may maintain securities indices. To the extent permitted by applicable laws, the Fund may seek to license and use such indices as part of its investment strategy. Index based funds that seek to track the performance of securities indices also may use the name of the index or index provider in the fund name. Index providers, including BlackRock (to the extent permitted by applicable law), may be paid licensing fees for use of their index or index name. BlackRock may benefit from the Fund using BlackRock indices by creating increasing acceptance in the marketplace for such indices. BlackRock is not obligated to license its indices to the Fund and the Fund is under no obligation to use BlackRock indices. Any Fund that enters into a license for a BlackRock index cannot be assured that the terms of any index licensing agreement with BlackRock will be as favorable as those terms offered to other licensees.

The custody arrangement described in "Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution Services" may lead to potential conflicts of interest with BlackRock where BlackRock has agreed to waive fees and/or reimburse ordinary operating expenses in order to cap expenses of the Fund (or where BlackRock charges a unitary management fee). This is because the custody arrangements with the Fund's custodian may have the effect of reducing custody fees when the Fund leaves cash balances uninvested. This could be viewed as having the potential to provide BlackRock an incentive to keep high positive cash balances for the Fund in order to offset fund custody fees that BlackRock might otherwise reimburse or pay. However, BlackRock's portfolio managers do not intentionally keep uninvested balances high, but rather make investment decisions that they anticipate will be beneficial to fund performance. For funds without a unitary management fee, when a fund's actual operating expense ratio exceeds a stated cap, a reduction in custody fees reduces the amount of waivers and/or reimbursements BlackRock would be required to make to the fund.

BlackRock may enter into contractual arrangements with third-party service providers to the Fund (*e.g.*, custodians, administrators and index providers) pursuant to which BlackRock receives fee discounts or concessions in recognition of BlackRock's overall relationship with such service providers. BlackRock may also enter into contractual arrangements with such service providers pursuant to which BlackRock incurs additional costs if the service provider's services are terminated with respect to the Fund. To the extent that BlackRock is responsible for paying these service providers out of its management fee, the benefits of any such fee discounts or concessions, or any additional costs, may accrue, in whole or in part, to BlackRock, which could result in conflicts of interest relating to the use or termination of service providers to the Fund.

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BlackRock owns or has an ownership interest in certain trading, portfolio management, operations and/or information systems used by Fund service providers. These systems are, or will be, used by the Fund service provider in connection with the provision of services to accounts managed by BlackRock and funds managed and sponsored by BlackRock, including the Fund, that engage the service provider (typically the custodian). The Fund's service provider remunerates BlackRock for the use of the systems. The Fund service provider's payments to BlackRock for the use of these systems may enhance the profitability of BlackRock.

BlackRock's receipt of fees from a service provider in connection with the use of systems provided by BlackRock may create an incentive for BlackRock to recommend that the Fund enter into or renew an arrangement with the service provider.

In recognition of a BlackRock client's overall relationship with BlackRock, BlackRock may offer special pricing arrangements for certain services provided by BlackRock. Any such special pricing arrangements will not apply to the client's investment in the Fund.

Present and future activities of BlackRock (including BFA), its directors, officers and employees, in addition to those described in this section, may give rise to additional conflicts of interest.

## Investment Advisory, Administrative and Distribution Services
**Investment Adviser. BFA serves as investment adviser to the Fund pursuant to an investment advisory agreement between the Trust, on behalf of the Fund, and BFA. BFA is a California corporation indirectly owned by BlackRock, Inc. and is registered as an investment adviser under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Under the investment advisory agreement, BFA, subject to the supervision of the Board and in conformity with the stated investment policies of the Fund, manages and administers the Trust and the investment of the Fund's assets. BFA is responsible for placing purchase and sale orders and providing continuous supervision of the investment portfolio of the Fund.**

Pursuant to the investment advisory agreement, BFA may, from time to time, in its sole discretion and to the extent permitted by applicable law, appoint one or more sub-advisers, including, without limitation, affiliates of BFA, to perform investment advisory or other services with respect to the Fund. In addition, BFA may delegate certain of its investment advisory functions under the investment advisory agreement to one or more of its affiliates to the extent permitted by applicable law. BFA may terminate any or all sub-advisers or such delegation arrangements in its sole discretion upon appropriate notice at any time to the extent permitted by applicable law.

BFA is responsible, under the investment advisory agreement, for substantially all expenses of the Fund, including the cost of transfer agency, custody, fund administration, legal, audit and other services. BFA is not responsible for, and the Fund will bear, the management fees, interest expenses, taxes, expenses incurred with respect to the acquisition and disposition of portfolio securities and the execution of portfolio transactions, including brokerage commissions, distribution fees or expenses, and litigation expenses and any extraordinary expenses (as determined by a majority of the Independent Trustees). BFA may from time to time voluntarily waive and/or reimburse fees or expenses to reduce the Total Annual Fund Operating Expenses (excluding Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses, if any). Any such voluntary waiver or reimbursement may be eliminated by BFA at any time.

For its investment advisory services to the Fund, BFA will be paid a management fee by the Fund, based on a percentage of the Fund's average daily net assets, at an annual rate of 0.47 %.

The investment advisory agreement with respect to the Fund continues in effect for two years from its effective date, and thereafter is subject to annual approval by (i) the Board, or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, provided that in either event such continuance also is approved by a majority of the Board members who are not interested persons (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund, by a vote cast in person at a meeting called for the purpose of voting on such approval.

The investment advisory agreement with respect to the Fund is terminable without penalty, on 60 days' notice, by the Board or by a vote of the holders of a majority of the Fund's outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act). The

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investment advisory agreement is also terminable upon 60 days' notice by BFA and will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

**Portfolio Managers. As of October 31, 2022, the individuals named as Portfolio Managers in the Fund's Prospectus were also primarily responsible for the day-to-day management of other iShares funds and certain other types of portfolios and/or accounts as follows:**

---

| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Jennifer Hsui** <br>**Types of Accounts** | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;**Number** | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;**Total Assets** |
| Registered Investment Companies | &nbsp;&nbsp;323 | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1712321000000 |
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2 | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4059000000 |
| Other Accounts | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;19 | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;29331000000 |

---

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Greg Savage** <br>**Types of Accounts** | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;**Number** | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;**Total Assets** |
| Registered Investment Companies | &nbsp;&nbsp;283 | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1628794000000 |
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;36 | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;8776000000 |
| Other Accounts | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;57 | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4167000000 |

---

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Paul Whitehead** <br>**Types of Accounts** | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;**Number** | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;**Total Assets** |
| Registered Investment Companies | &nbsp;&nbsp;303 | &nbsp;&nbsp;$1626750000000 |
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2 | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5400000000 |
| Other Accounts | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;5 | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;4230000000 |

---

Each of the portfolios or accounts for which the Portfolio Managers are primarily responsible for the day-to-day management seeks to track the rate of return, risk profile and other characteristics of independent third-party indexes by either replicating the same combination of securities and other financial instruments that constitute those indexes or through a representative sampling of the securities and other financial instruments that constitute those indexes based on objective criteria and data. Pursuant to BFA's policy, investment opportunities are allocated equitably among the Fund and other portfolios and accounts. For example, under certain circumstances, an investment opportunity may be restricted due to limited supply in the market, legal constraints or other factors, in which event the investment opportunity will be allocated equitably among those portfolios and accounts, including the Fund, seeking such investment opportunity. As a consequence, from time to time the Fund may receive a smaller allocation of an investment opportunity than it would have if the Portfolio Managers and BFA and its affiliates did not manage other portfolios or accounts.

Like the Fund, the other portfolios or accounts for which the Portfolio Managers are primarily responsible for the day-to-day portfolio management generally pay an asset-based fee to BFA or its affiliates, as applicable, for its advisory services. One or more of those other portfolios or accounts, however, may pay BFA or its affiliates a performance-based fee in lieu of, or in addition to, an asset-based fee for its advisory services. A portfolio or account with a performance-based fee would pay BFA or its affiliates a portion of that portfolio's or account's gains, or would pay BFA or its affiliates more for its services than would otherwise be the case if BFA or any of its affiliates meets or exceeds specified performance targets. Performance-based fee arrangements could present an incentive for BFA or its affiliates to devote greater resources, and allocate more investment opportunities, to the portfolios or accounts that have those fee arrangements, relative to other portfolios or accounts, in order to earn larger fees. Although BFA and each of its affiliates have an obligation to allocate resources and opportunities equitably among portfolios and accounts and intend to do so, shareholders of the Fund should be aware that, as with any group of portfolios and accounts managed by an investment adviser and/or its affiliates pursuant to varying fee arrangements, including performance-based fee arrangements, there is the potential for a conflict of interest, which may result in the Portfolio Managers favoring those portfolios or accounts with performance-based fee arrangements.

The tables below show, for each Portfolio Manager, the number of portfolios or accounts of the types set forth in the above tables and the aggregate of total assets in those portfolios or accounts with respect to which the investment management fees are based on the performance of those portfolios or accounts as of October 31, 2022:

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Jennifer Hsui** <br>**Types of Accounts** | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;**Number of Other Accounts<br> with Performance Fees<br> Managed by Portfolio Manager** | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;**Aggregate <br> of Total Assets** |
| Registered Investment Companies | &nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;N/A |
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | &nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;N/A |
| Other Accounts | &nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;N/A |

---

---

| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Greg Savage** <br>**Types of Accounts** | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;**Number of Other Accounts<br> with Performance Fees<br> Managed by Portfolio Manager** | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;**Aggregate <br> of Total Assets** |
| Registered Investment Companies | &nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;N/A |
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | &nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;N/A |
| Other Accounts | &nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;N/A |

---

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| | | |
|:---|:---|:---|
| **Paul Whitehead** <br>**Types of Accounts** | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;**Number of Other Accounts<br> with Performance Fees<br> Managed by Portfolio Manager** | <br>&nbsp;&nbsp;**Aggregate <br> of Total Assets** |
| Registered Investment Companies | &nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;N/A |
| Other Pooled Investment Vehicles | &nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;N/A |
| Other Accounts | &nbsp;&nbsp;0 | &nbsp;&nbsp;N/A |

---

*Portfolio Manager Compensation Overview*

The discussion below describes the Portfolio Managers' compensation as of March 14, 2023.

BlackRock, Inc.'s financial arrangements with its portfolio managers, its competitive compensation and its career path emphasis at all levels reflect the value senior management places on key resources. Compensation may include a variety of components and may vary from year to year based on a number of factors. The principal components of compensation include a base salary, a performance-based discretionary bonus, participation in various benefits programs and one or more of the incentive compensation programs established by BlackRock, Inc.

Each portfolio manager receives base compensation based on their position with the firm, as well as retirement and other benefits offered to all BlackRock employees. Additionally, each portfolio manager receives discretionary incentive compensation, determined based on several components, including: the performance of BlackRock, Inc., the performance of the portfolio manager's group within BlackRock, the performance of portfolios managed by the portfolio manager and the team relative to the portfolios' investment objectives (which in the case of index ETFs would be how closely the ETF tracks its Underlying Index), and the individual's performance and contribution to the overall performance of these portfolios and BlackRock. Discretionary incentive compensation is paid in cash up to a certain threshold with the remaining portion represented by deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock awards. In some cases, additional deferred BlackRock, Inc. stock may be granted to certain key employees as part of a long-term incentive award to aid in retention, align interests with long-term shareholders and motivate performance.

As of March 14, 2023, the Portfolio Managers did not beneficially own shares of the Fund.

**Codes of Ethics. The Trust, BFA and the Distributor have adopted codes of ethics pursuant to Rule 17j-1 under the 1940 Act. The codes of ethics permit personnel subject to the codes of ethics to invest in securities, subject to certain limitations, including securities that may be purchased or held by the Fund. Each code of ethics is available by contacting BlackRock at the telephone number on the back cover of the Fund's Prospectus or by accessing the EDGAR Database on the SEC's Internet site at http://www.sec.gov, and copies may be obtained, after paying a duplicating fee, by e-mail at publicinfo@sec.gov.**

**Anti-Money Laundering Requirements. The Fund is subject to the USA PATRIOT Act (the "Patriot Act"). The Patriot Act is intended to prevent the use of the U.S. financial system in furtherance of money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities. Pursuant to requirements under the Patriot Act, the Fund may request information from Authorized Participants to enable it**

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to form a reasonable belief that it knows the true identity of its Authorized Participants. This information will be used to verify the identity of Authorized Participants or, in some cases, the status of financial professionals; it will be used only for compliance with the requirements of the Patriot Act.

The Fund reserves the right to reject purchase orders from persons who have not submitted information sufficient to allow the Fund to verify their identity. The Fund also reserves the right to redeem any amounts in the Fund from persons whose identity it is unable to verify on a timely basis. It is the Fund's policy to cooperate fully with appropriate regulators in any investigations conducted with respect to potential money laundering, terrorism or other illicit activities.

#### Administrator, Custodian and Transfer Agent.
State Street Bank and Trust Company ("State Street") serves as administrator, custodian and transfer agent for the Fund under the Master Services Agreement and related Service Schedule (the "Service Module"). State Street's principal address is 1 Lincoln Street, Boston, MA 02111. Pursuant to the Service Module for Fund Administration and Accounting Services with the Trust, State Street provides necessary administrative, legal, tax and accounting and financial reporting services for the maintenance and operations of the Trust and the Fund. In addition, State Street makes available the office space, equipment, personnel and facilities required to provide such services. Pursuant to the Service Module for Custodial Services with the Trust, State Street maintains, in separate accounts, cash, securities and other assets of the Trust and the Fund, keeps all necessary accounts and records and provides other services. State Street is required, upon the order of the Trust, to deliver securities held by State Street and to make payments for securities purchased by the Trust for the Fund. State Street is authorized to appoint certain foreign custodians or foreign custody managers for Fund investments outside the U.S. Pursuant to the Service Module for Transfer Agency Services with the Trust, State Street acts as a transfer agent for the Fund's authorized and issued shares of beneficial interest, and as dividend disbursing agent of the Trust. As compensation for these services, State Street receives certain out-of-pocket costs, transaction fees and asset-based fees which are accrued daily and paid monthly by BFA from its management fee.

JPMorgan serves as custodian for the Fund in connection with certain securities lending activities under a Custody Services Agreement. JPMorgan's principal address is 383 Madison Avenue, 11<sup>th</sup> Floor, New York, NY 10179. Pursuant to the Custody Services Agreement with BTC and the Trust, JPMorgan provides custody and related services required to facilitate securities lending by the Fund. JPMorgan maintains custody as may be necessary to facilitate Fund securities lending activity in coordination with other funds, maintains custodial records and provides other services. As compensation for these services, JPMorgan receives certain fees and expenses paid by BTC from its compensation for its services as securities lending agent.

**Distributor. The Distributor's principal address is 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540. Shares are continuously offered for sale by the Fund through the Distributor or its agent only in Creation Units, as described in the Prospectus and below in the *Creation and Redemption of Creation Units* section of this SAI. Fund shares in amounts less than Creation Units are generally not distributed by the Distributor or its agent. The Distributor or its agent will arrange for the delivery of the Prospectus and, upon request, this SAI to persons purchasing Creation Units and will maintain records of both orders placed with it or its agents and confirmations of acceptance furnished by it or its agents. The Distributor is a broker-dealer registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the "1934 Act"), and a member of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc. ("FINRA"). The Distributor is also licensed as a broker-dealer in all 50 U.S. states, as well as in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia.**

The Distribution Agreement for the Fund provides that it may be terminated at any time, without the payment of any penalty, on at least 60 days' prior written notice to the other party following (i) the vote of a majority of the Independent Trustees, or (ii) the vote of a majority of the outstanding voting securities (as defined in the 1940 Act) of the Fund. The Distribution Agreement will terminate automatically in the event of its assignment (as defined in the 1940 Act).

The Distributor may also enter into agreements with securities dealers ("Soliciting Dealers") who will solicit purchases of Creation Units of Fund shares. Such Soliciting Dealers may also be Authorized Participants (as described below), Depository Trust Company ("DTC") participants and/or investor services organizations.

BFA or its affiliates may, from time to time and from its own resources, pay, defray or absorb costs relating to distribution, including payments out of its own resources to the Distributor, or to otherwise promote the sale of shares.

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**Securities Lending. To the extent that the Fund engages in securities lending, the Fund conducts its securities lending pursuant to SEC exemptive relief, and BTC acts as securities lending agent for the Fund, subject to the overall supervision of BFA, pursuant to a written agreement (the "Securities Lending Agency Agreement").**

The Fund retains a portion of the securities lending income and remits the remaining portion to BTC as compensation for its services as securities lending agent. Securities lending income is generally equal to the total of income earned from the reinvestment of cash collateral (and excludes collateral investment fees as defined below), and any fees or other payments to and from borrowers of securities. As securities lending agent, BTC bears all operational costs directly related to securities lending, including custodial costs of JPMorgan. The Fund is responsible for fees in connection with the investment of cash collateral received for securities on loan in a money market fund managed by BFA (the "collateral investment fees"); however, BTC has agreed to reduce the amount of securities lending income it receives in order to effectively limit the collateral investment fees the Fund bears to an annual rate of 0.04%. Such money market fund shares will not be subject to a sales load, redemption fee, distribution fee or service fee.

Under the securities lending program, the Fund is categorized into one of several specific asset classes. The determination of the Fund's asset class category (fixed-income, domestic equity, international equity or fund-of-funds), each of which may be subject to a different fee arrangement, is based on a methodology agreed to by the Trust and BTC.

Pursuant to the current Securities Lending Agency Agreement:

(i) international equity funds, such as the Fund, retain 82% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment fees), and (ii) this amount can never be less than 70% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment fees.

In addition, commencing the business day following the date that the aggregate securities lending income (which includes, for this purpose, collateral investment fees) earned across the Exchange-Traded Fund Complex (as defined in the *Management — Trustees and Officers* section of this SAI) in a calendar year exceeds a specified threshold, each applicable international equity fund, pursuant to the current Securities Lending Agency Agreement, will receive for the remainder of that calendar year securities lending income as follows:

(i) 85% of securities lending income (which excludes collateral investment fees); and (ii) this amount can never be less than 70% of the sum of securities lending income plus collateral investment fees.

Because the Fund is newly launched, no services have been provided by BTC as the Fund's securities lending agent, and the Fund had no income and fees/compensation related to securities lending activities for the fiscal year ended July 31, 2022.

**Payments by BFA and its Affiliates. BFA and/or its affiliates ("BFA Entities") may pay certain broker-dealers, registered investment advisers, banks and other financial intermediaries ("Intermediaries") for certain activities related to the Fund, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products in general. BFA Entities make these payments from their own assets and not from the assets of the Fund. Although a portion of BFA Entities' revenue comes directly or indirectly in part from fees paid by the Fund, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products, these payments do not increase the price paid by investors for the purchase of shares of, or the cost of owning, the Fund, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products. BFA Entities make payments for Intermediaries' participation in activities that are designed to make registered representatives, other professionals and individual investors more knowledgeable about exchange-traded products, including the Fund and other iShares funds, or for other activities, such as participation in marketing activities and presentations, educational training programs, conferences, the development of technology platforms and reporting systems ("Education Costs"). BFA Entities also make payments to Intermediaries for certain printing, publishing and mailing costs or materials relating to the Fund, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products ("Publishing Costs"). In addition, BFA Entities make payments to Intermediaries that make shares of the Fund, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products available to their clients, in some cases at a waived or reduced commission rate or ticket charge, develop new products that feature iShares, create educational content about the Fund, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products that is featured on an Intermediary's platform, or otherwise promote the Fund, other iShares funds and exchange-traded products. BFA Entities may also reimburse expenses or make payments from their own assets to Intermediaries or other persons in consideration of services or other activities that the BFA Entities believe may benefit the iShares business or facilitate investment in the Fund, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products. Payments of the type described above are sometimes referred to as revenue-sharing payments.**

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Payments to an Intermediary may be significant to the Intermediary, and amounts that Intermediaries pay to your salesperson or other investment professional may also be significant for your salesperson or other investment professional. Because an Intermediary may make decisions about which investment options it will recommend or make available to its clients, what services to provide for various products, or what marketing content to make available to its clients based on payments it receives or is eligible to receive, such payments may create conflicts of interest between the Intermediary and its clients. These financial incentives may cause the Intermediary to recommend the Fund, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products, or otherwise promote the Fund, other iShares funds or exchange-traded products over other investments. The same conflicts of interest and financial incentives exist with respect to your salesperson or other investment professional if he or she receives similar payments from his or her Intermediary firm.

In addition to the payments described above, BFA Entities have developed proprietary tools, calculators and related interactive or digital content that is made available through the www.BlackRock.com website at no additional cost to Intermediaries. BlackRock may configure these tools and calculators and localize the content for Intermediaries as part of its customary digital marketing support and promotion of the Fund, other iShares funds, exchange-traded products and BlackRock mutual funds.

As of March 1, 2013, BFA Entities have contractual arrangements to make payments (in addition to payments for Education Costs or Publishing Costs) to one Intermediary, Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC ("FBS"). Effective June 4, 2016, this relationship was expanded to include National Financial Services, LLC ("NFS"), an affiliate of FBS. Pursuant to this special, long-term and significant arrangement (the "Marketing Program"), FBS, NFS and certain of their affiliates (collectively "Fidelity") have agreed, among other things, to actively promote iShares funds to customers, investment professionals and other intermediaries and in advertising campaigns as the preferred exchange-traded product, to offer certain iShares funds in certain Fidelity platforms and investment programs, in some cases at a waived or reduced commission rate or ticket charge, and to provide marketing data to BFA Entities. BFA Entities have agreed to facilitate the Marketing Program by, among other things, making certain payments to FBS and NFS for marketing and implementing certain brokerage and investment programs. Upon termination of the arrangement, the BFA Entities will make additional payments to FBS and/or NFS based upon a number of criteria, including the overall success of the Marketing Program and the level of services provided by FBS and NFS during the wind-down period.

In addition, BFA Entities may enter into other contractual arrangements with Intermediaries and certain other third parties that the BFA Entities believe may benefit the iShares business or facilitate investment in iShares funds. Such agreements may include payments by BFA Entities to such Intermediaries and third parties for data collection and provision, technology support, platform enhancement, or educational content, co-marketing and cross-promotional efforts. Payments made pursuant to such arrangements may vary in any year and may be different for different Intermediaries and third parties. In certain cases, the payments to Intermediaries are subject to certain minimum payment levels or tiered payments. As of the date of this SAI, the Intermediaries and other third parties receiving one or more types of the contractual payments described above include (in addition to FBS and NFS): Advisor Credit Exchange, BNY Mellon Capital Markets, LLC, BNY Mellon Performance & Risk Analytics, LLC, Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., Commonwealth Equity Services, LLC, Dorsey Wright and Associates, LLC, Edward D. Jones & Co., L.P., Envestnet Asset Management, Inc., FDx Advisors, Inc., LPL Financial LLC, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC, Orion Portfolio Solutions, LLC, Pershing LLC, Public Holdings, Inc., Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., Riskalyze, Inc., TD Ameritrade, Inc., UBS Financial Services Inc., Wells Fargo Clearing Services, LLC and Wells Fargo Advisors Financial Network, LLC. Any additions, modifications, or deletions to Intermediaries and other third parties listed above that have occurred since the date of this SAI are not included in the list.

Further, BFA Entities make Education Costs and Publishing Costs payments to other Intermediaries that are not listed in the immediately preceding paragraph. BFA Entities may determine to make such payments based on any number of metrics. For example, BFA Entities may make payments at year-end or other intervals in a fixed amount, an amount based upon an Intermediary's services at defined levels or an amount based on the Intermediary's net sales of one or more iShares funds in a year or other period, any of which arrangements may include an agreed-upon minimum or maximum payment, or any combination of the foregoing. As of the date of this SAI, BFA anticipates that the payments paid by BFA Entities in connection with the Fund, iShares funds and exchange-traded products in general will be immaterial to BFA Entities in the aggregate for the next year. **Please contact your salesperson or other investment professional for more information regarding any such payments or financial incentives his or her Intermediary firm may receive. Any payments made, or financial incentives offered, by the BFA Entities to an Intermediary may create the incentive for the Intermediary to encourage customers to buy shares of the Fund, other iShares funds or other exchange-traded products.**

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The Fund may participate in certain market maker incentive programs of a national securities exchange in which an affiliate of the Fund would pay a fee to the exchange used for the purpose of incentivizing one or more market makers in the securities of the Fund to enhance the liquidity and quality of the secondary market of securities of the Fund. The fee would then be credited by the exchange to one or more market makers that meet or exceed liquidity and market quality standards with respect to the securities of the Fund. Each market maker incentive program is subject to approval from the SEC. Any such fee payments made to an exchange will be made by an affiliate of the Fund solely for the benefit of the Fund and will not be paid from any Fund assets. Other funds managed by BFA may also participate in such programs.

## Determination of Net Asset Value
**Valuation of Shares. The NAV for the Fund is generally calculated as of the close of regular trading hours on the New York Stock Exchange ("NYSE") (normally 4:00 p.m., Eastern Time) on each business day the NYSE is open. Valuation of assets held by the Fund is as follows:**

**Equity Investments. Equity securities traded on a recognized securities exchange (*e.g.*, NYSE), on separate trading boards of a securities exchange or through a market system that provides contemporaneous transaction pricing information (each an "Exchange") are valued using information obtained via independent pricing services, generally at the closing price or, if an Exchange closing price is not available, the last traded price on that Exchange prior to the time as of which the assets or liabilities are valued. However, under certain circumstances, other means of determining current market value may be used. If an equity security is traded on more than one Exchange, the current market value of the security where it is primarily traded generally will be used. In the event that there are no sales involving an equity security held by the Fund on a day on which the Fund values such security, the prior day's price will be used, unless BFA determines that such prior day's price no longer reflects the fair value of the security, in which case such asset would be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below).**

**Options, Futures, Swaps and Other Derivatives. Exchange-traded equity options (except those that are customized) for which market quotations are readily available are valued at the mean of the last bid and ask prices as quoted on the Exchange or the board of trade on which such options are traded. In the event that there is no mean price available for an exchange traded equity option held by the Fund on a day on which the Fund values such option, the last bid (long positions) or ask (short positions) price, if available, will be used as the value of such option. If no bid or ask price is available on a day on which the Fund values such option, the prior day's price will be used, unless BFA determines that such prior day's price no longer reflects the fair value of the option, in which case such option will be treated as a Fair Value Asset (as defined below). Customized exchange-traded equity options, as well as OTC derivatives, may be valued using a mathematical model which may incorporate a number of market data factors. Financial futures contracts and options thereon, which are traded on exchanges, are valued at their last sale price or settle price as of the close of such exchanges. Swap agreements and other derivatives are generally valued daily based upon quotations from market makers or by a pricing service in accordance with the Valuation Procedures.**

**Underlying Funds. Shares of underlying open-end funds (including money market funds) are valued at NAV. Shares of underlying exchange-traded closed-end funds or other ETFs will be valued at their most recent closing price.**

**General Valuation Information. Prices obtained from independent third-party pricing services, broker-dealers or market makers to value the Fund's securities and other assets and liabilities are based on information available at the time the Fund values its assets and liabilities. In the event that a pricing service quotation is revised or updated subsequent to the day on which the Fund valued such security, the revised pricing service quotation generally will be applied prospectively. Such determination will be made considering pertinent facts and circumstances surrounding the revision.**

The price the Fund could receive upon the sale of any particular portfolio investment may differ from the Fund's valuation of the investment, particularly for assets that trade in thin or volatile markets or that are valued using a fair valuation methodology or a price provided by an independent pricing service. As a result, the price received upon the sale of an investment may be less than the value ascribed by the Fund, and the Fund could realize a greater than expected loss or lesser than expected gain upon the sale of the investment. The Fund's ability to value its investment may also be impacted by technological issues and/or errors by pricing services or other third-party service providers.

All cash, receivables and current payables are carried on the Fund's books at their fair value.

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In the event that application of the methods of valuation discussed above result in a price for a security which is deemed not to be representative of the fair market value of such security, the security will be valued by, under the direction of or in accordance with a method approved by BFA, the Fund's valuation designee, as reflecting fair value. All other assets and liabilities (including securities for which market quotations are not readily available) held by the Fund (including restricted securities) are valued at fair value as determined in good faith by BFA pursuant to the Valuation Procedures. Any assets and liabilities which are denominated in a foreign currency are translated into U.S. dollars at the prevailing market rates.

Use of fair value prices and certain current market valuations could result in a difference between the prices used to calculate the Fund's NAV and the prices used in the Underlying Index, which, in turn, could result in a difference between the Fund's performance and the performance of the Underlying Index.

**Fair Value. When market quotations are not readily available or are believed by BFA to be unreliable, the Fund's investments are valued at fair value ("Fair Value Assets"). Fair Value Assets are valued by BFA in accordance with the Valuation Procedures. Pursuant to Rule 2a-5 under the Investment Company Act, the Board of Trustees has designated BFA as the valuation designee for the respective Funds for which it serves as investment adviser. BFA may reasonably conclude that a market quotation is not readily available or is unreliable if, among other things, a security or other asset or liability does not have a price source due to its complete lack of trading, if BFA believes a market quotation from a broker-dealer or other source is unreliable (*e.g.*, where it varies significantly from a recent trade, or no longer reflects the fair value of the security or other asset or liability subsequent to the most recent market quotation), or where the security or other asset or liability is only thinly traded or due to the occurrence of a significant event subsequent to the most recent market quotation. For this purpose, a "significant event" is deemed to occur if BFA determines, in its reasonable business judgment, that an event has occurred after the close of trading for an asset or liability but prior to or at the time of pricing the Fund's assets or liabilities, is likely to cause a material change to the last exchange closing price or closing market price of one or more assets held by, or liabilities of, the Fund. On any day the NYSE is open and a foreign market or the primary exchange on which a foreign asset or liability is traded is closed, such asset or liability will be valued using the prior day's price, provided that BFA is not aware of any significant event or other information that would cause such price to no longer reflect the fair value of the asset or liability, in which case such asset or liability would be treated as a Fair Value Asset.**

For certain foreign assets, a third-party vendor supplies evaluated, systematic fair value pricing based upon the movement of a proprietary multi-factor model after the relevant foreign markets have closed. This systematic fair value pricing methodology is designed to correlate the prices of foreign assets in one or more non-U.S. markets following the close of the local markets to the prices that might have prevailed as of a Fund's pricing time.

BFA's Rule 2a-5 Committee is responsible for reviewing and approving methodologies by investment type and significant inputs used in the fair valuation of Fund assets or liabilities. In addition, the Fund's accounting agent assists BFA by periodically endeavoring to confirm the prices it receives from all third-party pricing services, index providers and broker-dealers and regularly evaluating the values assigned to the securities and other assets and liabilities of the Fund. The pricing of all Fair Value Assets is subsequently reported to the Board or a committee thereof.

When determining the price for a Fair Value Asset, BFA will seek to determine the price that the Fund might reasonably expect to receive from the current sale of that asset or liability in an arm's-length transaction on the date on which the asset or liability is being valued, and does not seek to determine the price the Fund might reasonably expect to receive for selling an asset or liability at a later time or if it holds the asset or liability to maturity. Fair value determinations will be based upon all available factors that BFA deems relevant at the time of the determination, and may be based on analytical values determined by BFA using proprietary or third-party valuation models.

Fair value represents a good faith approximation of the value of an asset or liability. When determining the fair value of an investment, one or more fair value methodologies may be used (depending on certain factors, including the asset type). For example, the investment may be initially priced based on the original cost of the investment or, alternatively, using proprietary or third-party models that may rely upon one or more unobservable inputs. Prices of actual, executed or historical transactions in the relevant investment (or comparable instruments) or, where appropriate, an appraisal by a third-party experienced in the valuation of similar instruments, may also be used as a basis for establishing the fair value of an investment.

The fair value of one or more assets or liabilities may not, in retrospect, be the price at which those assets or liabilities could have been sold during the period in which the particular fair values were used in determining the Fund's NAV. As a result, the

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Fund's sale or redemption of its shares at NAV, at a time when a holding or holdings are valued at fair value, may have the effect of diluting or increasing the economic interest of existing shareholders.

The Fund's annual audited financial statements, which are prepared in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America ("US GAAP"), follow the requirements for valuation set forth in Financial Accounting Standards Board Accounting Standards Codification Topic 820, "Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures" ("ASC 820"), which defines and establishes a framework for measuring fair value under US GAAP and expands financial statement disclosure requirements relating to fair value measurements.

Generally, ASC 820 and other accounting rules applicable to funds and various assets in which they invest are evolving. Such changes may adversely affect the Fund. For example, the evolution of rules governing the determination of the fair market value of assets or liabilities, to the extent such rules become more stringent, would tend to increase the cost and/or reduce the availability of third-party determinations of fair market value. This may in turn increase the costs associated with selling assets or affect their liquidity due to the Fund's inability to obtain a third-party determination of fair market value.

## Brokerage Transactions
Subject to policies established by the Board, BFA is primarily responsible for the execution of the Fund's portfolio transactions and the allocation of brokerage. BFA does not execute transactions through any particular broker or dealer, but seeks to obtain the best net results for the Fund, taking into account such factors as price (including the applicable brokerage commission or dealer spread), size of order, difficulty of execution, operational facilities of the firm and the firm's risk and skill in positioning blocks of securities. While BFA generally seeks reasonable trade execution costs, the Fund does not necessarily pay the lowest spread or commission available, and payment of the lowest commission or spread is not necessarily consistent with obtaining the best price and execution in particular transactions. Subject to applicable legal requirements, BFA may select a broker based partly upon brokerage or research services provided to BFA and its clients, including the Fund. In return for such services, BFA may cause the Fund to pay a higher commission than other brokers would charge if BFA determines in good faith that the commission is reasonable in relation to the services provided.

In selecting brokers or dealers to execute portfolio transactions, BFA seeks to obtain the best price and most favorable execution for the Fund and may take into account a variety of factors including: (i) the size, nature and character of the security or instrument being traded and the markets in which it is purchased or sold; (ii) the desired timing of the transaction; (iii) BFA's knowledge of the expected commission rates and spreads currently available; (iv) the activity existing and expected in the market for the particular security or instrument, including any anticipated execution difficulties; (v) the full range of brokerage services provided; (vi) the broker's or dealer's capital; (vii) the quality of research and research services provided; (viii) the reasonableness of the commission, dealer spread or its equivalent for the specific transaction; and (ix) BFA's knowledge of any actual or apparent operational problems of a broker or dealer. Brokers may also be selected because of their ability to handle special or difficult executions, such as may be involved in large block trades, thinly traded securities, or other circumstances.

Section 28(e) of the 1934 Act ("Section 28(e)") permits a U.S. investment adviser, under certain circumstances, to cause an account to pay a broker or dealer a commission for effecting a transaction in securities that exceeds the amount another broker or dealer would have charged for effecting the same transaction in recognition of the value of brokerage and research services provided by that broker or dealer. This includes commissions paid on riskless principal transactions in securities under certain conditions.

From time to time, the Fund may purchase new issues of securities in a fixed price offering. In these situations, the broker may be a member of the selling group that will, in addition to selling securities, provide BFA with research services. FINRA has adopted rules expressly permitting these types of arrangements under certain circumstances. Generally, the broker will provide research "credits" in these situations at a rate that is higher than that available for typical secondary market transactions. These arrangements may not fall within the safe harbor of Section 28(e).

The Fund anticipates that brokerage transactions involving foreign equity securities generally will be conducted primarily on the principal stock exchanges of the applicable country. Foreign equity securities may be held by the Fund in the form of depositary receipts, or other securities convertible into foreign equity securities. Depositary receipts may be listed on stock exchanges, or traded in OTC markets in the U.S. or Europe, as the case may be. ADRs, like other securities traded in the U.S., will be subject to negotiated commission rates.

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OTC issues, including most fixed-income securities such as corporate debt and U.S. Government securities, are normally traded on a "net" basis without a stated commission, through dealers acting for their own account and not as brokers. The Fund will primarily engage in transactions with these dealers or deal directly with the issuer unless a better price or execution could be obtained by using a broker. Prices paid to a dealer with respect to both foreign and domestic securities will generally include a "spread," which is the difference between the prices at which the dealer is willing to purchase and sell the specific security at the time, and includes the dealer's normal profit.

Under the 1940 Act, persons affiliated with the Fund and persons who are affiliated with such affiliated persons are prohibited from dealing with the Fund as principal in the purchase and sale of securities unless a permissive order allowing such transactions is obtained from the SEC. Since transactions in the OTC market usually involve transactions with the dealers acting as principal for their own accounts, the Fund will not deal with affiliated persons and affiliated persons of such affiliated persons in connection with such transactions. The Fund will not purchase securities during the existence of any underwriting or selling group relating to such securities of which BFA, BRIL or any affiliated person (as defined in the 1940 Act) thereof is a member except pursuant to procedures adopted by the Board in accordance with Rule 10f-3 under the 1940 Act.

Purchases of money market instruments by the Fund are made from dealers, underwriters and issuers. The Fund does not currently expect to incur any brokerage commission expense on such transactions because money market instruments are generally traded on a "net" basis with dealers acting as principal for their own accounts without a stated commission. The price of the security, however, usually includes a profit to the dealer.

BFA may, from time to time, effect trades on behalf of and for the account of the Fund with brokers or dealers that are affiliated with BFA, in conformity with Rule 17e-1 under the 1940 Act and SEC rules and regulations. Under these provisions, any commissions paid to affiliated brokers or dealers must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions charged by other brokers or dealers in comparable transactions.

Securities purchased in underwritten offerings include a fixed amount of compensation to the underwriter, generally referred to as the underwriter's concession or discount. When securities are purchased or sold directly from or to an issuer, no commissions or discounts are paid.

Investment decisions for the Fund and for other investment accounts managed by BFA and the other Affiliates are made independently of each other in light of differing conditions. A variety of factors will be considered in making investment allocations. These factors include: (i) investment objectives or strategies for particular accounts, including sector, industry, country or region and capitalization weightings; (ii) tax considerations of an account; (iii) risk or investment concentration parameters for an account; (iv) supply or demand for a security at a given price level; (v) size of available investment; (vi) cash availability and liquidity requirements for accounts; (vii) regulatory restrictions; (viii) minimum investment size of an account; (ix) relative size of account; and (x) such other factors as may be approved by BlackRock's general counsel. Moreover, investments may not be allocated to one client account over another based on any of the following considerations: (i) to favor one client account at the expense of another; (ii) to generate higher fees paid by one client account over another or to produce greater performance compensation to BlackRock; (iii) to develop or enhance a relationship with a client or prospective client; (iv) to compensate a client for past services or benefits rendered to BlackRock or to induce future services or benefits to be rendered to BlackRock; or (v) to manage or equalize investment performance among different client accounts. BFA and the other Affiliates may deal, trade and invest for their own respective accounts in the types of securities in which the Fund may invest.

Initial public offerings ("IPOs") of securities may be over-subscribed and subsequently trade at a premium in the secondary market. When BFA is given an opportunity to invest in such an initial offering or "new" or "hot" issue, the supply of securities available for client accounts is often less than the amount of securities the accounts would otherwise take. In order to allocate these investments fairly and equitably among client accounts over time, each portfolio manager or a member of his or her respective investment team will indicate to BFA's trading desk their level of interest in a particular offering with respect to eligible clients' accounts for which that team is responsible. IPOs of U.S. equity securities will be identified as eligible for particular client accounts that are managed by portfolio teams who have indicated interest in the offering based on market capitalization of the issuer of the security and the investment mandate of the client account and in the case of international equity securities, the country where the offering is taking place and the investment mandate of the client account. Generally, shares received during the IPO will be allocated among participating client accounts within each investment mandate on a *pro rata* basis. This *pro rata* allocation may result in the Fund receiving less of a particular security than if pro-rating had not

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occurred. All allocations of securities will be subject, where relevant, to share minimums established for accounts and compliance constraints. In situations where supply is too limited to be allocated among all accounts for which the investment is eligible, portfolio managers may rotate such investment opportunities among one or more accounts so long as the rotation system provides for fair access for all client accounts over time. Other allocation methodologies that are considered by BFA to be fair and equitable to clients may be used as well.

Because different accounts may have differing investment objectives and policies, BFA may buy and sell the same securities at the same time for different clients based on the particular investment objective, guidelines and strategies of those accounts. For example, BFA may decide that it may be entirely appropriate for a growth fund to sell a security at the same time a value fund is buying that security. To the extent that transactions on behalf of more than one client of BFA or the other Affiliates during the same period increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, there may be an adverse effect on price. For example, sales of a security by BlackRock on behalf of one or more of its clients may decrease the market price of such security, adversely impacting other BlackRock clients that still hold the security. If purchases or sales of securities arise for consideration at or about the same time that would involve the Fund or other clients or funds for which BFA or another Affiliate act as investment manager, transactions in such securities will be made, insofar as feasible, for the respective funds and clients in a manner deemed equitable to all.

In certain instances, BFA may find it efficient for purposes of seeking to obtain best execution, to aggregate or "bunch" certain contemporaneous purchases or sale orders of its advisory accounts and advisory accounts of affiliates. In general, all contemporaneous trades for client accounts under management by the same portfolio manager or investment team will be bunched in a single order if the trader believes the bunched trade would provide each client with an opportunity to achieve a more favorable execution at a potentially lower execution cost. The costs associated with a bunched order will be shared *pro rata* among the clients in the bunched order. Generally, if an order for a particular portfolio manager or management team is filled at several different prices through multiple trades, all accounts participating in the order will receive the average price (except in the case of certain international markets where average pricing is not permitted). While in some cases this practice could have a detrimental effect upon the price or value of the security as far as the Fund is concerned, in other cases it could be beneficial to the Fund. Transactions effected by BFA or the other Affiliates on behalf of more than one of its clients during the same period may increase the demand for securities being purchased or the supply of securities being sold, causing an adverse effect on price. The trader will give the bunched order to the broker-dealer that the trader has identified as being able to provide the best execution of the order. Orders for purchase or sale of securities will be placed within a reasonable amount of time of the order receipt and bunched orders will be kept bunched only long enough to execute the order.

The Fund's purchase and sale orders for securities may be combined with those of other investment companies, clients or accounts that BlackRock manages or advises. If purchases or sales of portfolio securities of the Fund and one or more other accounts managed or advised by BlackRock are considered at or about the same time, transactions in such securities are allocated among the Fund and the other accounts in a manner deemed equitable to all by BlackRock. In some cases, this procedure could have a detrimental effect on the price or volume of the security as far as the Fund is concerned. However, in other cases, it is possible that the ability to participate in volume transactions and to negotiate lower transaction costs will be beneficial to the Fund. BlackRock may deal, trade and invest for its own account in the types of securities in which the Fund may invest. BlackRock may, from time to time, effect trades on behalf of and for the account of the Fund with brokers or dealers that are affiliated with BFA, in conformity with the 1940 Act and SEC rules and regulations. Under these provisions, any commissions paid to affiliated brokers or dealers must be reasonable and fair compared to the commissions charged by other brokers or dealers in comparable transactions. The Fund will not deal with affiliates in principal transactions unless permitted by applicable SEC rules or regulations, or by SEC exemptive order.

Portfolio turnover may vary from year to year, as well as within a year. High turnover rates may result in comparatively greater brokerage expenses. Because the Fund is newly launched, there is no reportable portfolio turnover.

Creation or redemption transactions, to the extent consisting of cash, may require the Fund to contemporaneously transact with broker-dealers for purchases of Deposit Securities (as defined below under *Fund Deposit*) or sales of Fund Securities (as defined below under *Redemption of Creation Units*), as applicable. Such transactions with a particular broker-dealer may be conditioned upon the broker-dealer's agreement to transact at guaranteed price levels in order to reduce transaction costs the Fund would otherwise incur as a consequence of settling creation or redemption baskets in cash rather than in-kind.<br>

Following the Fund's receipt of an order to purchase or redeem creation or redemption baskets, to the extent such purchases or redemptions consist of a cash portion, the Fund will enter an order with a broker or dealer to purchase or sell the Deposit

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Securities or Fund Securities, as applicable. The terms of such order may, depending on the timing of the transaction and certain other factors, require the broker or dealer to guarantee that the Fund will achieve execution of its order at a price at least as favorable to the Fund as the Fund's valuation of the Deposit Securities/Fund Securities used for purposes of calculating the NAV applied to the creation or redemption transaction giving rise to the order (the "Execution Performance Guarantee"). Such orders may be placed with the purchasing or redeeming Authorized Participant (or a broker-dealer affiliated with the Authorized Participant or a third-party broker-dealer engaged through the Authorized Participant) in its capacity as a broker-dealer. The amount payable to the Fund in respect of any Execution Performance Guarantee will depend on the results achieved by the executing firm and will vary depending on market activity, timing and a variety of other factors. The Execution Performance Guarantee will apply for any orders executed by the Authorized Participant (or an affiliated or unaffiliated broker-dealer), even if the trades have not settled before the redemption transaction settles.<br>

To ensure that an Execution Performance Guarantee will be honored on orders arising from creation transactions executed by an Authorized Participant (or an affiliated or unaffiliated broker-dealer), an Authorized Participant is required to deposit an amount with the Fund (the "Execution Performance Deposit"). If the broker-dealer executing the order achieves executions in market transactions at a price more favorable than the Fund's valuation of the Deposit Securities, then the Authorized Participant generally may retain the benefit of the favorable executions, and the Fund will return to the Authorized Participant the Execution Performance Deposit. If, however, the broker-dealer executing the order is unable to achieve executions in market transactions at a price at least equal to the Fund's valuation of the securities, the Fund retains the portion of the Execution Performance Deposit equal to the full amount of the execution shortfall (including any taxes, brokerage commissions or other costs) and may require the Authorized Participant to deposit any additional amount required to cover the full amount of the actual Execution Performance Guarantee.

To ensure that an Execution Performance Guarantee will be honored for brokerage orders arising from redemption transactions executed by an Authorized Participant (or an affiliated or unaffiliated broker-dealer) as broker-dealer, an Authorized Participant agrees to pay the shortfall amount (the "Execution Performance Offset"). If the broker-dealer executing the order achieves executions in market transactions at a price more favorable than the Fund's valuation of the Fund Securities, then the Authorized Participant generally may retain the benefit of the favorable executions and the Authorized Participant is not called upon to honor the Execution Performance Offset. If, however, the broker-dealer is unable to achieve executions in market transactions at a price at least equal to the Fund's valuation of the securities, the Fund will be entitled to the portion of the Execution Performance Offset equal to the full amount of the execution shortfall (including any taxes, brokerage commissions or other costs).

The circumstances under which the Execution Performance Guarantee will be used and the expected amount of any Execution Performance Deposit or Execution Performance Offset for the Fund will be disclosed in the procedures handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time based on the actual experience of the Fund.

## Additional Information Concerning the Trust
**Shares. The Trust currently consists of more than 310 separate investment series or portfolios called funds. The Trust issues shares of beneficial interests in the funds with no par value. The Board may designate additional iShares funds.**

Each share issued by a fund has a *pro rata* interest in the assets of that fund. Shares have no preemptive, exchange, subscription or conversion rights and are freely transferable. Each share is entitled to participate equally in dividends and distributions declared by the Board with respect to the relevant fund, and in the net distributable assets of such fund on liquidation.

Each share has one vote with respect to matters upon which the shareholder is entitled to vote. In any matter submitted to shareholders for a vote, each fund shall hold a separate vote, provided that shareholders of all affected funds will vote together when: (i) required by the 1940 Act, or (ii) the Trustees determine that the matter affects the interests of more than one fund.

Under Delaware law, the Trust is not required to hold an annual meeting of shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. The policy of the Trust is not to hold an annual meeting of shareholders unless required to do so under the 1940 Act. All shares (regardless of the fund) have noncumulative voting rights in the election of members of the Board. Under Delaware law, Trustees of the Trust may be removed by vote of the shareholders.

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Following the creation of the initial Creation Unit(s) of shares of a fund and immediately prior to the commencement of trading in such fund's shares, a holder of shares may be a "control person" of the fund, as defined in Rule 0-1 under the 1940 Act. A fund cannot predict the length of time for which one or more shareholders may remain a control person of the fund.

Shareholders may make inquiries by writing to iShares Trust, c/o BlackRock Investments, LLC, 1 University Square Drive, Princeton, NJ 08540.

Absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC or its staff, beneficial owners of more than 5% of the shares of a fund may be subject to the reporting provisions of Section 13 of the 1934 Act and the SEC's rules promulgated thereunder. In addition, absent an applicable exemption or other relief from the SEC or its staff, officers and trustees of a fund and beneficial owners of 10% of the shares of a fund ("Insiders") may be subject to the insider reporting, short-swing profit and short sale provisions of Section 16 of the 1934 Act and the SEC's rules promulgated thereunder. Beneficial owners and Insiders should consult with their own legal counsel concerning their obligations under Sections 13 and 16 of the 1934 Act and existing guidance provided by the SEC staff.

In accordance with the Trust's current Agreement and Declaration of Trust (the "Declaration of Trust"), the Board may, without shareholder approval (unless such shareholder approval is required by the Declaration of Trust or applicable law, including the 1940 Act), authorize certain funds to merge, reorganize, consolidate, sell all or substantially all of their assets, or take other similar actions with, to or into another fund. The Trust or a fund may be terminated by a majority vote of the Board, subject to the affirmative vote of a majority of the shareholders of the Trust or such fund entitled to vote on termination; however, in certain circumstances described in the Declaration of Trust, only a majority vote of the Board is required. Although the shares are not automatically redeemable upon the occurrence of any specific event, the Declaration of Trust provides that the Board will have the unrestricted power to alter the number of shares in a Creation Unit. Therefore, in the event of a termination of the Trust or a fund, the Board, in its sole discretion, could determine to permit the shares to be redeemable in aggregations smaller than Creation Units or to be individually redeemable. In such circumstance, the Trust or a fund may make redemptions in-kind, for cash or for a combination of cash or securities. Further, in the event of a termination of the Trust or a fund, the Trust or a fund might elect to pay cash redemptions to all shareholders, with an in-kind election for shareholders owning in excess of a certain stated minimum amount.

**DTC as Securities Depository for Shares of the Fund. Shares of the Fund are represented by securities registered in the name of DTC or its nominee and deposited with, or on behalf of, DTC.**

DTC was created in 1973 to enable electronic movement of securities between its participants ("DTC Participants"), and NSCC was established in 1976 to provide a single settlement system for securities clearing and to serve as central counterparty for securities trades among DTC Participants. In 1999, DTC and NSCC were consolidated within The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation ("DTCC") and became wholly-owned subsidiaries of DTCC. The common stock of DTCC is owned by the DTC Participants, but NYSE and FINRA, through subsidiaries, hold preferred shares in DTCC that provide them with the right to elect one member each to the DTCC board of directors. Access to the DTC system is available to entities, such as banks, brokers, dealers and trust companies, that clear through or maintain a custodial relationship with a DTC Participant, either directly or indirectly ("Indirect Participants").

Beneficial ownership of shares is limited to DTC Participants, Indirect Participants and persons holding interests through DTC Participants and Indirect Participants. Ownership of beneficial interests in shares (owners of such beneficial interests are referred to herein as "Beneficial Owners") is shown on, and the transfer of ownership is effected only through, records maintained by DTC (with respect to DTC Participants) and on the records of DTC Participants (with respect to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners that are not DTC Participants). Beneficial Owners will receive from or through the DTC Participant a written confirmation relating to their purchase of shares. The laws of some jurisdictions may require that certain purchasers of securities take physical delivery of such securities in definitive form. Such laws may impair the ability of certain investors to acquire beneficial interests in shares of the Fund.

Conveyance of all notices, statements and other communications to Beneficial Owners is effected as follows. Pursuant to the Depositary Agreement between the Trust and DTC, DTC is required to make available to the Trust upon request and for a fee to be charged to the Trust a listing of the shares of the Fund held by each DTC Participant. The Trust shall inquire of each such DTC Participant as to the number of Beneficial Owners holding shares, directly or indirectly, through such DTC Participant. The Trust shall provide each such DTC Participant with copies of such notice, statement or other communication, in such form, number and at such place as such DTC Participant may reasonably request, in order that such notice, statement or communication may be transmitted by such DTC Participant, directly or indirectly, to such Beneficial Owners. In

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addition, the Trust shall pay to each such DTC Participant a fair and reasonable amount as reimbursement for the expenses attendant to such transmittal, all subject to applicable statutory and regulatory requirements.

Share distributions shall be made to DTC or its nominee, Cede & Co., as the registered holder of all shares of the Trust. DTC or its nominee, upon receipt of any such distributions, shall credit immediately DTC Participants' accounts with payments in amounts proportionate to their respective beneficial interests in shares of the Fund as shown on the records of DTC or its nominee. Payments by DTC Participants to Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners of shares held through such DTC Participants will be governed by standing instructions and customary practices, as is now the case with securities held for the accounts of customers in bearer form or registered in a "street name," and will be the responsibility of such DTC Participants.

The Trust has no responsibility or liability for any aspect of the records relating to or notices to Beneficial Owners, or payments made on account of beneficial ownership interests in such shares, or for maintaining, supervising or reviewing any records relating to such beneficial ownership interests, or for any other aspect of the relationship between DTC and the DTC Participants or the relationship between such DTC Participants and the Indirect Participants and Beneficial Owners owning through such DTC Participants. DTC may decide to discontinue providing its service with respect to shares of the Trust at any time by giving reasonable notice to the Trust and discharging its responsibilities with respect thereto under applicable law. Under such circumstances, the Trust shall take action to find a replacement for DTC to perform its functions at a comparable cost.

**Distribution of Shares. In connection with the Fund's launch, the Fund will be seeded through the sale of one or more Creation Units by the Fund to one or more initial investors. Initial investors participating in the seeding may be Authorized Participants, a lead market maker or other third party investor or an affiliate of the Fund or the Fund's adviser. Each such initial investor may sell some or all of the shares underlying the Creation Unit(s) held by them pursuant to the registration statement for the Fund (each, a "Selling Shareholder"), which shares have been registered to permit the resale from time to time after purchase. The Fund will not receive any of the proceeds from the resale by the Selling Shareholders of these shares.**

Selling Shareholders may sell shares owned by them directly or through broker-dealers, in accordance with applicable law, on any national securities exchange on which the shares may be listed or quoted at the time of sale, through trading systems, in the OTC market or in transactions other than on these exchanges or systems at fixed prices, at prevailing market prices at the time of the sale, at varying prices determined at the time of sale, or at negotiated prices. These sales may be effected through brokerage transactions, privately negotiated trades, block sales, entry into options or other derivatives transactions or through any other means authorized by applicable law. Selling Shareholders may redeem the shares held in Creation Unit size by them through an Authorized Participant.

Any Selling Shareholder and any broker-dealer or agents participating in the distribution of shares may be deemed to be "underwriters" within the meaning of Section 2(a)(11) of the 1933 Act, in connection with such sales.

Any Selling Shareholder and any other person participating in such distribution will be subject to applicable provisions of the 1934 Act and the rules and regulations thereunder.

## Creation and Redemption of Creation Units
**General. The Trust issues and sells shares of the Fund only in Creation Units on a continuous basis through the Distributor or its agent, without a sales load, at a price based on the Fund's NAV next determined after receipt, on any Business Day (as defined below), of an order received by the Distributor or its agent in proper form. On days when the Listing Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to be placed earlier in the day. The following table sets forth the number of shares of the Fund that constitute a Creation Unit for the Fund and the approximate value of such Creation Unit as of March 14, 2023:**

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Shares Per<br> Creation Unit** | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**Approximate <br> Value Per<br> Creation<br> Unit (U.S.$)** |
| 40000 | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;$1000000 |

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In its discretion, the Trust reserves the right to increase or decrease the number of the Fund's shares that constitute a Creation Unit. The Board reserves the right to declare a split or a consolidation in the number of shares outstanding of the Fund, and to make a corresponding change in the number of shares constituting a Creation Unit, in the event that the per share price in the secondary market rises (or declines) to an amount that falls outside the range deemed desirable by the Board.

A "Business Day" with respect to the Fund is any day the Fund is open for business, including any day when it satisfies redemption requests as required by Section 22(e) of the 1940 Act. The Fund is open for business any day on which the Listing Exchange on which the Fund is listed for trading is open for business. As of the date of this SAI, the Listing Exchange observes the following holidays, as observed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

**Fund Deposit. The consideration for purchase of Creation Units of the Fund generally consists of Deposit Securities and the Cash Component computed as described below. Together, the Deposit Securities and the Cash Component constitute the "Fund Deposit," which, when combined with the Fund's portfolio securities is designed to generate performance that has a collective investment profile similar to that of the Underlying Index. The Fund Deposit represents the minimum initial and subsequent investment amount for a Creation Unit of the Fund. Such Fund Deposit is applicable, subject to any adjustments as described below, to purchases of Creation Units of shares of the Fund until such time as the next-announced Fund Deposit is made available.**

The "Cash Component" is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares (per Creation Unit) and the "Deposit Amount," which is an amount equal to the market value of the Deposit Securities, and serves to compensate for any differences between the NAV per Creation Unit and the Deposit Amount. Payment of any stamp duty or other similar fees and expenses payable upon transfer of beneficial ownership of the Deposit Securities are the sole responsibility of the Authorized Participant purchasing the Creation Unit. The Fund generally offers Creation Units partially for cash, but may, in certain circumstances, offer Creation Units solely for cash or solely in-kind.

The identity and number of shares of the Deposit Securities change pursuant to changes in the composition of the Fund's portfolio and as rebalancing adjustments and corporate action events are reflected from time to time by BFA with a view to the investment objective of the Fund. The composition of the Deposit Securities may also change in response to adjustments to the weighting or composition of the component securities constituting the Underlying Index.

The Fund Deposit may also be modified to minimize the Cash Component by redistributing the cash to the Deposit Securities portion of the Fund Deposit through "systematic rounding." The rounding methodology "rounds up" position sizes of securities in the Deposit Securities (which in turn reduces the cash portion). However, the methodology limits the maximum allowed percentage change in weight and share quantity of any given security in the Fund Deposit.

Fund Deposits may also be modified to position a fund towards a forward index rebalance to reflect revisions that account for index additions, deletions, and re-weights.

The Trust may, in its sole discretion, substitute a "cash in lieu" amount to be added to the Cash Component to replace any Deposit Security in certain circumstances, including: (i) when instruments are not available in sufficient quantity for delivery; (ii) when instruments are not eligible for transfer through DTC or the clearing process (as discussed below); (iii) when instruments that the Authorized Participant (or an investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting) are not able to be traded due to a trading restriction; (iv) when delivery of the Deposit Security by the Authorized Participant (or by an investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting) would be restricted under applicable securities or other local laws; (v) in connection with distribution payments to be made by the Fund; or (vi) in certain other situations.

**Cash Purchase Method. Although the Trust does not generally permit full cash purchases of Creation Units of its funds, when partial or full cash purchases of Creation Units are available or specified (Creation Units of the Fund are generally offered partially for cash), they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind purchases thereof. In the case of a partial or full cash purchase, the Authorized Participant must pay the cash equivalent of the Deposit Securities it would otherwise be required to provide through an in-kind purchase, plus the same Cash Component required to be paid by an in-kind purchaser. The Authorized Participant will also be required to pay certain transaction fees and charges for cash purchases, as described below, and, if transacting as broker with the Fund, may be required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution and price movement costs through an Execution Performance Guarantee, as described in the Brokerage Transactions section of this SAI.**

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**Procedures for Creation of Creation Units. To be eligible to place orders with the Distributor and to create a Creation Unit of the Fund, an entity must be: (i) a "Participating Party," *i.e*., a broker-dealer or other participant in the clearing process through the Continuous Net Settlement System of the NSCC (the "Clearing Process"), a clearing agency that is registered with the SEC, or (ii) a DTC Participant, and must have executed an agreement with the Distributor, with respect to creations and redemptions of Creation Units ("Authorized Participant Agreement") (discussed below). A member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows such member or participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units is referred to as an "Authorized Participant." All shares of the Fund, however created, will be entered on the records of DTC in the name of Cede & Co. for the account of a DTC Participant.**

**Role of the Authorized Participant. Creation Units may be purchased only by or through a member or participant of a clearing agency registered with the SEC, which has a written agreement with the Fund or one of its service providers that allows such member or participant to place orders for the purchase and redemption of Creation Units (an "Authorized Participant"). Such Authorized Participant will agree, pursuant to the terms of such Authorized Participant Agreement and on behalf of itself or any investor on whose behalf it will act, to certain conditions, including that such Authorized Participant will make available in advance of each purchase of shares an amount of cash sufficient to pay the Cash Component, once the NAV of a Creation Unit is next determined after receipt of the purchase order in proper form, together with the transaction fees described below. An Authorized Participant, acting on behalf of an investor, may require the investor to enter into an agreement with such Authorized Participant with respect to certain matters, including payment of the Cash Component. Investors who are not Authorized Participants must make appropriate arrangements with an Authorized Participant. Investors should be aware that their particular broker may not be a DTC Participant or may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement and that orders to purchase Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant. As a result, purchase orders placed through an Authorized Participant may result in additional charges to such investor. The Trust does not expect to enter into an Authorized Participant Agreement with more than a small number of DTC Participants. A list of current Authorized Participants may be obtained from the Distributor. The Distributor has adopted guidelines regarding Authorized Participants' transactions in Creation Units that are made available to all Authorized Participants. These guidelines set forth the processes and standards for Authorized Participants to transact with the Distributor and its agents in connection with creation and redemption transactions. In addition, the Distributor may be appointed as the proxy of the Authorized Participant and may be granted a power of attorney under its Authorized Participant Agreement.**

**Purchase Orders. To initiate an order for a Creation Unit, an Authorized Participant must submit to the Distributor or its agent an irrevocable order to purchase shares of the Fund, in proper form, generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day to receive that day's NAV. The Distributor or its agent will notify BFA and the custodian of such order. The custodian will then provide such information to any appropriate sub-custodian. Procedures and requirements governing the delivery of the Fund Deposit are set forth in the procedures handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a creation request to be made through an Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request. Those placing orders to purchase Creation Units through an Authorized Participant should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the purchase order to the Distributor or its agent by the Cutoff Time (as defined below) on such Business Day.**

The Authorized Participant must also make available on or before the contractual settlement date, by means satisfactory to the Fund, immediately available or same day funds estimated by the Fund to be sufficient to pay the Cash Component next determined after acceptance of the purchase order, together with the applicable purchase transaction fees. Those placing orders should ascertain the deadline for cash transfers by contacting the operations department of the broker or depositary institution effectuating the transfer of the Cash Component. This deadline is likely to be significantly earlier than the Cutoff Time of the Fund. Investors should be aware that an Authorized Participant may require orders for purchases of shares placed with it to be in the particular form required by the individual Authorized Participant.

The Authorized Participant is responsible for any and all expenses and costs incurred by the Fund, including any applicable cash amounts, in connection with any purchase order.

**Timing of Submission of Purchase Orders. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable order to purchase shares of the Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. Creation Orders must be transmitted by an Authorized Participant in the form required by the Fund to the Distributor or its agent pursuant to**

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procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Economic or market disruptions or changes, or telephone or other communication failure, may impede the ability to reach the Distributor or its agent or an Authorized Participant. Orders to create shares of the Fund that are submitted on the Business Day immediately preceding a holiday or a day (other than a weekend) when the equity markets in the relevant non-U.S. market are closed may not be accepted. The Fund's deadline specified above for the submission of purchase orders is referred to as the Fund's "Cutoff Time." The Distributor or its agent, in their discretion, may permit the submission of such orders and requests by or through an Authorized Participant at any time (including on days on which the Listing Exchange is not open for business) via communication through the facilities of the Distributor's or its agent's proprietary website maintained for this purpose. Purchase orders and redemption requests, if accepted by the Trust, will be processed based on the NAV next determined after such acceptance in accordance with the Fund's Cutoff Times as provided in the Authorized Participant Agreement and disclosed in this SAI.

**Acceptance of Orders for Creation Units. Subject to the conditions that (i) an irrevocable purchase order has been submitted by the Authorized Participant (either on its own or another investor's behalf) and (ii) arrangements satisfactory to the Fund are in place for payment of the Cash Component and any other cash amounts which may be due, the Fund will accept the order, subject to the Fund's right (and the right of the Distributor and BFA) to reject any order until acceptance, as set forth below.**

Once the Fund has accepted an order, upon the next determination of the NAV of the shares, the Fund will confirm the issuance of a Creation Unit, against receipt of payment, at such NAV. The Distributor or its agent will then transmit a confirmation of acceptance to the Authorized Participant that placed the order.

The Fund reserves the right to reject or revoke a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor or its agent provided that a rejection or revocation of a creation order does not violate Rule 6c-11 under the Investment Company Act. For example, the Fund may reject or revoke a creation order transmitted to it by the Distributor or its agent if (i) the order is not in proper form; (ii) the investor(s), upon obtaining the shares ordered, would own 80% or more of the currently outstanding shares of the Fund; (iii) the Deposit Securities delivered do not conform to the identity and number of shares specified, as described above; (iv) acceptance of the Deposit Securities is not legally required or would, in the opinion of counsel, be unlawful or have an adverse effect on the Fund or its shareholders (*e.g*., jeopardize the Fund's tax status); or (v) circumstances outside the control of the Fund, the Distributor or its agent and BFA make it impracticable to process purchase orders. The Distributor or its agent shall notify a prospective purchaser of a Creation Unit and/or the Authorized Participant acting on behalf of such purchaser of its rejection of such order. The Fund, State Street, the sub-custodian and the Distributor or its agent are under no duty, however, to give notification of any defects or irregularities in the delivery of Fund Deposits nor shall any of them incur any liability for failure to give such notification.

**Issuance of a Creation Unit. Except as provided herein, a Creation Unit will not be issued until the transfer of good title to the Fund of the Deposit Securities and the payment of the Cash Component have been completed. When the sub-custodian has confirmed to the custodian that the securities included in the Fund Deposit (or the cash value thereof) have been delivered to the account of the relevant sub-custodian or sub-custodians, the Distributor or its agent and BFA shall be notified of such delivery and the Fund will issue and cause the delivery of the Creation Unit. Creation Units are generally issued on a "T+2 basis" (*i.e.*, two Business Days after trade date). However, the Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+2, including a shorter settlement period, if necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law. For example, the Fund reserves the right to settle Creation Unit transactions on a basis other than T+2 in order to accommodate non-U.S. market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among non-U.S. and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and ex-dividend dates (*i.e.*, the last day the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security) and in certain other circumstances.**

To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant Agreement with the Distributor, the Fund will issue Creation Units to such Authorized Participant, notwithstanding the fact that the corresponding Fund Deposits have not been received in part or in whole, in reliance on the undertaking of the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing Deposit Securities as soon as possible, which undertaking shall be secured by such Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral as set forth in the handbook for Authorized Participants. The Trust may use such collateral at any time to buy Deposit Securities for the Fund. Such collateral must be delivered no later than the time specified by the Fund or its custodian on the contractual settlement date. Information concerning the Fund's current procedures for collateralization of missing Deposit Securities is available from the Distributor or its agent. The Authorized Participant Agreement will permit the Fund to buy the missing

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Deposit Securities at any time and will subject the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the cost to the Fund of purchasing such securities and the collateral including, without limitation, liability for related brokerage, borrowings and other charges.

In certain cases, Authorized Participants may create and redeem Creation Units on the same trade date and in these instances, the Fund reserves the right to settle these transactions on a net basis or require a representation from the Authorized Participants that the creation and redemption transactions are for separate beneficial owners. All questions as to the number of shares of each security in the Deposit Securities and the validity, form, eligibility and acceptance for deposit of any securities to be delivered shall be determined by the Fund and the Fund's determination shall be final and binding.

#### Costs Associated with Creation Transactions.

The following table sets forth the Fund's standard creation transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):<br>

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|:---|:---|
| **Standard Creation<br> Transaction Fee** | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**Maximum Additional<br> Charge\*** |
| $925 | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;7% |

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\* As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit.

If a purchase consists of a cash portion and the Fund places a brokerage transaction to purchase portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant (or an affiliated or unaffiliated broker-dealer), the Authorized Participant may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and price movement costs through an Execution Performance Guarantee, as described in the *Brokerage Transactions* section of this SAI.

**Redemption of Creation Units. Shares of the Fund may be redeemed by Authorized Participants only in Creation Units at their NAV next determined after receipt of a redemption request in proper form by the Distributor or its agent and only on a Business Day. The Fund will not redeem shares in amounts less than Creation Units. There can be no assurance, however, that there will be sufficient liquidity in the secondary market at any time to permit assembly of a Creation Unit. Investors should expect to incur brokerage and other costs in connection with assembling a sufficient number of shares to constitute a Creation Unit that could be redeemed by an Authorized Participant. Beneficial owners also may sell shares in the secondary market.**

The Fund generally redeems Creation Units partially for cash. However, the Fund reserves the right to distribute securities and other portfolio instruments in-kind as payment for Creation Units being redeemed. Please see the *Cash Redemption Method* section below and the following discussion summarizing the in-kind method for further information on redeeming Creation Units of the Fund.

The Fund publishes the designated portfolio of securities (including any portion of such securities for which cash may be substituted) that will be applicable to redemption requests received in proper form (as defined below) on that day ("Fund Securities" or "Redemption Basket"), and an amount of cash (the "Cash Amount," as described below) in order to effect redemptions of Creation Units of the Fund. Such Fund Securities and Cash Amount will remain in effect until such time as the

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next announced composition of the Fund Securities and Cash Amount is made available. The Fund Securities and Cash Amount are subject to possible amendment or correction. Fund Securities received on redemption may not be identical to Deposit Securities that are applicable to creations of Creation Units. Procedures and requirements governing redemption transactions are set forth in the handbook for Authorized Participants and may change from time to time.

If redemptions are not paid in cash, the redemption proceeds for a Creation Unit generally consist of Fund Securities, plus the Cash Amount, which is an amount equal to the difference between the NAV of the shares being redeemed, as next determined after the receipt of a redemption request in proper form, and the value of Fund Securities, less a redemption transaction fee (as described below).

The Trust may, in its sole discretion, substitute a "cash in lieu" amount to replace any Fund Security in certain circumstances, including: (i) when the delivery of a Fund Security to the Authorized Participant (or to an investor on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting) would be restricted under applicable securities or other local laws or due to a trading restriction; (ii) when the delivery of a Fund Security to the Authorized Participant would result in the disposition of the Fund Security by the Authorized Participant due to restrictions under applicable securities or other local laws; (iii) when the delivery of a Fund Security to the Authorized Participant would result in unfavorable tax treatment; (iv) when a Fund Security cannot be settled or otherwise delivered in time to facilitate an in-kind redemption; or (v) in certain other situations. The amount of cash paid out in such cases will be equivalent to the value of the substituted security listed as a Fund Security. In the event that the Fund Securities have a value greater than the NAV of the shares, a compensating cash payment equal to the difference is required to be made by or through an Authorized Participant by the redeeming shareholder. The Fund generally redeems Creation Units partially for cash. The Fund may, in its sole discretion, provide such redeeming Authorized Participant a portfolio of securities that differs from the exact composition of the Fund Securities, but does not differ in NAV. The Redemption Basket may also be modified to minimize the Cash Component by redistributing the cash to the Fund Securities portion of the Redemption Basket through systematically rounding. The rounding methodology allows position sizes of securities in the Fund Securities to be "rounded up," while limiting the maximum allowed percentage change in weight and share quantity of any given security in the Redemption Basket. Redemption Baskets may also be modified to position a fund towards a forward index rebalance to reflect revisions that account for index additions, deletions, and re-weights.

**Cash Redemption Method. Although the Trust does not generally permit full cash redemptions of Creation Units of its funds, when partial or full cash redemptions of Creation Units are available or specified (Creation Units of the Fund are generally redeemed partially for cash), to the extent that cash redemptions are offered, they will be effected in essentially the same manner as in-kind redemptions thereof. In the case of partial or full cash redemption, the Authorized Participant receives the cash equivalent of the Fund Securities and other instruments it would otherwise receive through an in-kind redemption, plus the same Cash Amount to be paid to an in-kind redeemer. The Authorized Participant will also be required to pay certain transaction fees and charges for cash redemptions, as described below, and, if transacting as broker with the Fund, may be required to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution and price movement costs through an Execution Performance Guarantee, as described in the *Brokerage Transactions* section of this SAI.**

Cash redemption proceeds will be paid to the Authorized Participant redeeming shares as soon as practicable after the date of redemption or within seven calendar days thereafter. If a Fund settles redemptions on a cash basis and an Authorized Participant has entered into an Execution Performance Guarantee, but the Authorized Participant is unable, as determined by BFA in its sole discretion, to execute the market transactions that are the subject of the Execution Performance Guarantee due to an extended market holiday that goes over seven calendar days or in certain other situations where all or a portion of the transactions are unable to be executed within seven calendar days, then the Fund may pay the full amount of the redemption order (or the remaining amount of the redemption order based on the unexecuted portion of the transaction) within the original seven calendar day period by using the Fund's overdraft facility, line of credit or cash on hand. The Authorized Participant (or an affiliated or unaffiliated broker-dealer), acting on an agency basis, will subsequently enter into one or more separate market transactions when the markets reopen or the trades are otherwise able to be executed through which a Fund sells the Fund Securities (or the remaining unsold Fund Securities) subject to a guaranteed sales price. If the Authorized Participant (or an affiliated or unaffiliated broker-dealer) achieves executions in market transactions at a price more favorable than a Fund's valuation of the Fund Securities as of the NAV calculation applicable on the date of the redemption, then the Authorized Participant generally may retain the excess transaction proceeds. Specifically, if the Authorized Participant is unable to achieve executions in market transactions at a price at least equal to the Fund's valuation of the Fund Securities as of the NAV calculation applicable on the date of the redemption, then the Authorized Participant is generally required to make the applicable shortfall payment to the Fund.

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In addition, if transacting as broker with a Fund in a non-U.S. jurisdiction, the Authorized Participant may be required to cover foreign exchange costs through an Execution Performance Guarantee, as described in the Brokerage Transactions section of this SAI. If the foreign exchange transaction associated with the applicable security trades can only occur upon the settlement of a security trade and such trades are unable, as determined by BFA in its sole discretion, to be settled by the seventh calendar day after receipt of the Authorized Participant's redemption order, then a Fund may pay within the original seven calendar day period the amount due in respect of the redemption order based on the foreign exchange rate as of the date of the redemption order by using the Fund's overdraft facility, line of credit or cash on hand (in addition to any sales proceeds from the executed portion of the original brokerage order) and subsequently enter into one or more separate foreign exchange transactions with the Authorized Participant (or a broker-dealer affiliate of the Authorized Participant or a third-party broker-dealer engaged through the Authorized Participant), acting on an agency basis, and be subject to a guaranteed sales price. If the Authorized Participant achieves execution of the foreign exchange transactions at a price more favorable than the foreign exchange rate as of the NAV calculation applicable on the date of the redemption, then the Authorized Participant generally may retain the excess transaction proceeds. If the Authorized Participant is unable to achieve execution of the foreign exchange transactions at a price at least equal to the foreign exchange rate as of the NAV calculation applicable on the date of the redemption, then the Authorized Participant is required to make the applicable shortfall payment to the Fund.

#### Costs Associated with Redemption Transactions.
A standard redemption transaction fee is imposed to offset transfer, processing and other transaction costs that may be incurred by the Fund. The standard redemption transaction fee is charged on each Creation Unit redeemed by an Authorized Participant on the day of the transaction. The standard redemption transaction fee is generally fixed at the amount shown in the table below regardless of the number of Creation Units being redeemed, but may be reduced by the Fund if transfer and processing expenses associated with the redemption are anticipated to be lower than the stated fee. If a redemption consists of a cash portion, the Authorized Participant may also be required to pay an additional transaction charge (up to the maximum amount shown below) to cover brokerage and certain other costs related to the redemption transaction (which may, in certain instances, be based on a good faith estimate of transaction costs). Authorized Participants will also bear the costs of transferring the Fund Securities from the Fund to their account on their order. Certain fees/costs associated with redemption transactions may be waived in certain circumstances. Investors who use the services of a broker or other financial intermediary to dispose of Fund shares may be charged a fee for such services.

The following table sets forth the Fund's standard redemption transaction fees and maximum additional charge (as described above):<br>

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Standard Redemption<br> Transaction Fee** | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;**Maximum Additional<br> Charge\*** |
| $925 | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;2% |

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\* As a percentage of the net asset value per Creation Unit, inclusive of the standard redemption transaction fee.

If a redemption consists of a cash portion and the Fund places a brokerage transaction to sell portfolio securities with the Authorized Participant (or an affiliated or unaffiliated broker-dealer), the Authorized Participant may be required, in its capacity as broker-dealer with respect to that transaction, to cover certain brokerage, tax, foreign exchange, execution, and price movement costs through an Execution Performance Guarantee, as described in the *Brokerage Transactions* section of this SAI.

**Placement of Redemption Orders. Redemption requests for Creation Units of the Fund must be submitted to the Distributor or its agent by or through an Authorized Participant. An Authorized Participant must submit an irrevocable request to redeem shares of the Fund generally before 4:00 p.m., Eastern time on any Business Day in order to receive that day's NAV. On days when the Listing Exchange closes earlier than normal, the Fund may require orders to redeem Creation Units to be placed earlier that day. Investors, other than Authorized Participants, are responsible for making arrangements for a redemption request to be made through an Authorized Participant. The Distributor or its agent will provide a list of current Authorized Participants upon request.**

The Authorized Participant must transmit the request for redemption in the form required by the Fund to the Distributor or its agent in accordance with procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors should be aware that their

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particular broker may not have executed an Authorized Participant Agreement and that, therefore, requests to redeem Creation Units may have to be placed by the investor's broker through an Authorized Participant who has executed an Authorized Participant Agreement. At any time, only a limited number of broker-dealers will have an Authorized Participant Agreement in effect. Investors making a redemption request should be aware that such request must be in the form specified by such Authorized Participant. Investors making a request to redeem Creation Units should allow sufficient time to permit proper submission of the request by an Authorized Participant and transfer of the shares to the Fund's transfer agent; such investors should allow for the additional time that may be required to effect redemptions through their banks, brokers or other financial intermediaries if such intermediaries are not Authorized Participants.

A redemption request is considered to be in "proper form" if: (i) an Authorized Participant has transferred or caused to be transferred to the Fund's transfer agent the Creation Unit redeemed through the book-entry system of DTC so as to be effective by the Listing Exchange closing time on any Business Day on which the redemption request is submitted; (ii) a request in form satisfactory to the Fund is received by the Distributor or its agent from the Authorized Participant on behalf of itself or another redeeming investor within the time periods specified above; and (iii) all other procedures set forth in the Authorized Participant Agreement are properly followed.

Upon receiving a redemption request, the Distributor or its agent shall notify the Fund and the Fund's transfer agent of such redemption request. The tender of an investor's shares for redemption and the distribution of the securities and/or cash included in the redemption payment made in respect of Creation Units redeemed will be made through DTC and the relevant Authorized Participant to the Beneficial Owner thereof as recorded on the book-entry system of DTC or the DTC Participant through which such investor holds, as the case may be, or by such other means specified by the Authorized Participant submitting the redemption request.

A redeeming Authorized Participant, whether on its own account or acting on behalf of a Beneficial Owner, must maintain appropriate security arrangements with a qualified broker-dealer, bank or other custody providers in each jurisdiction in which any of the portfolio securities are customarily traded, to which account such portfolio securities will be delivered.

Deliveries of redemption proceeds by the Fund are generally made within two Business Days (*i.e*., "T+2"). However, the Fund reserves the right to settle redemption transactions on a basis other than T+2, including a shorter settlement period, if necessary or appropriate under the circumstances and compliant with applicable law. For example, the Fund reserves the right to settle redemption transactions on a basis other than T+2 in order to accommodate non-U.S. market holiday schedules, to account for different treatment among non-U.S. and U.S. markets of dividend record dates and dividend ex-dates (*i.e.*, the last date the holder of a security can sell the security and still receive dividends payable on the security sold) and in certain other circumstances consistent with applicable law.

<br> If neither the Authorized Participant nor the Beneficial Owner on whose behalf the Authorized Participant is acting has appropriate arrangements to take delivery of Fund Securities in the applicable non-U.S. jurisdiction and it is not possible to make other such arrangements, or if it is not possible to effect deliveries of Fund Securities in such jurisdiction, the Fund may in its discretion exercise its option to redeem such shares in cash, and the Beneficial Owner will be required to receive its redemption proceeds in cash. In such case, the investor will receive a cash payment equal to the net asset value of its shares based on the NAV of the Fund next determined after the redemption request is received in proper form (minus a redemption transaction fee and additional charges specified above to offset the Fund's brokerage and other transaction costs associated with the disposition of Fund Securities). Redemptions of shares for Fund Securities will be subject to compliance with applicable U.S. federal and state securities laws and the Fund (whether or not it otherwise permits cash redemptions) reserves the right to redeem Creation Units for cash to the extent that the Fund cannot lawfully deliver specific Fund Securities upon redemptions or cannot do so without first registering the Fund Securities under such laws.

Although the Trust does not ordinarily permit cash redemptions of Creation Units (except that, as noted above, Creation Units of the Fund generally will be redeemed partially for cash), in the event that cash redemptions are permitted or required by the Trust, proceeds will be paid to the Authorized Participant redeeming shares as soon as practicable after the date of redemption (within seven calendar days thereafter). If the Fund includes a foreign investment in its basket, and if a local market holiday, or series of consecutive holidays, or the extended delivery cycles for transferring foreign investments to redeeming Authorized Participants prevents timely delivery of the foreign investment in response to a redemption request, the Fund may delay delivery of the foreign investment more than seven days if the Fund delivers the foreign investment as soon as practicable, but in no event later than 15 days.

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To the extent contemplated by an Authorized Participant's agreement with the Distributor or its agent, in the event an Authorized Participant has submitted a redemption request in proper form but is unable to transfer all or part of the Creation Unit to be redeemed to the Fund, at or prior to the time specified by the Fund or its custodian on the Business Day after the date of submission of such redemption request, the Distributor or its agent will accept the redemption request in reliance on the undertaking by the Authorized Participant to deliver the missing shares as soon as possible. Such undertaking shall be secured by the Authorized Participant's delivery and maintenance of collateral as set forth in the handbook for Authorized Participants. Such collateral must be delivered no later than the time specified by the Fund or its custodian on the Business Day after the date of submission of such redemption request and shall be held by State Street and marked-to-market daily. The fees of State Street and any sub-custodians in respect of the delivery, maintenance and redelivery of the collateral shall be payable by the Authorized Participant. The Authorized Participant Agreement permits the Fund to acquire shares of the Fund at any time and subjects the Authorized Participant to liability for any shortfall between the aggregate of the cost to the Fund of purchasing such shares, plus the value of the Cash Amount, and the value of the collateral together with liability for related brokerage and other charges.

Because the portfolio securities of the Fund may trade on exchange(s) on days that the Listing Exchange is closed or are otherwise not Business Days for the Fund, shareholders may not be able to redeem their shares of the Fund or purchase or sell shares of the Fund on the Listing Exchange on days when the NAV of the Fund could be significantly affected by events in the relevant non-U.S. markets.

The right of redemption may be suspended or the date of payment postponed with respect to the Fund: (i) for any period during which the Listing Exchange is closed (other than customary weekend and holiday closings); (ii) for any period during which trading on the Listing Exchange is suspended or restricted; (iii) for any period during which an emergency exists as a result of which disposal of the shares of the Fund's portfolio securities or determination of its NAV is not reasonably practicable; or (iv) in such other circumstance as is permitted by the SEC.

**Custom Baskets. Creation and Redemption baskets may differ and the Fund may accept "custom baskets." A custom basket may include any of the following: (i) a basket that is composed of a non-representative selection of the Fund's portfolio holdings; (ii) a representative basket that is different from the initial basket used in transactions on the same business day; or (iii) a basket that contains bespoke cash substitutions for a single Authorized Participant. The Fund has adopted policies and procedures that govern the construction and acceptance of baskets, including heightened requirements for certain types of custom baskets. Such policies and procedures provide the parameters for the construction and acceptance of custom baskets that are in the best interests of the Fund and its shareholders, establish processes for revisions to, or deviations from, such parameters, and specify the titles and roles of the employees of BFA who are required to review each custom basket for compliance with those parameters. In addition, when constructing custom baskets for redemptions, the tax efficiency of the Fund may be taken into account. The policies and procedures distinguish among different types of custom baskets that may be used for the Fund and impose different requirements for different types of custom baskets in order to seek to mitigate against potential risks of conflicts and/or overreaching by an Authorized Participant. BlackRock has established a governance process to oversee basket compliance for the Fund, as set forth in the Fund's policies and procedures.**

**Taxation on Creations and Redemptions of Creation Units. An Authorized Participant generally will recognize either gain or loss upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units. This gain or loss is calculated by taking the market value of the Creation Units purchased over the Authorized Participant's aggregate basis in the Deposit Securities exchanged therefor. However, the IRS may apply the wash sales rules to determine that any loss realized upon the exchange of Deposit Securities for Creation Units is not currently deductible. Authorized Participants should consult their own tax advisors.**

Current U.S. federal income tax laws dictate that capital gain or loss realized from the redemption of Creation Units will generally create long-term capital gain or loss if the Authorized Participant holds the Creation Units for more than one year, or short-term capital gain or loss if the Creation Units were held for one year or less, if the Creation Units are held as capital assets.

## Taxes
The following is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations regarding the purchase, ownership and disposition of shares of the Fund. This summary does not address all of the potential U.S. federal income tax consequences that may be applicable to the Fund or to all categories of investors, some of which may be subject to special tax rules. Current and prospective shareholders are urged to consult their own tax advisors with respect to the specific U.S. federal,

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state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of investing in the Fund. The summary is based on the laws and judicial and administrative interpretations thereof in effect on the date of this SAI, all of which are subject to change, possibly with retroactive effect.

**Regulated Investment Company Qualifications. The Fund intends to qualify for treatment as a separate RIC under Subchapter M of the Internal Revenue Code. To qualify for treatment as a RIC, the Fund must annually distribute at least 90% of its investment company taxable income (which includes dividends, interest and net short-term capital gains) and meet several other requirements. Among such other requirements are the following: (i) at least 90% of the Fund's annual gross income must be derived from dividends, interest, payments with respect to securities loans, gains from the sale or other disposition of stock or securities or non-U.S. currencies, other income (including, but not limited to, gains from options, futures or forward contracts) derived with respect to its business of investing in such stock, securities or currencies, and net income derived from interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships (*i.e.,* partnerships that are traded on an established securities market or tradable on a secondary market, other than partnerships that derive at least 90% of their income from interest, dividends, capital gains and other traditionally permitted RIC income); and (ii) at the close of each quarter of the Fund's taxable year, (a) at least 50% of the market value of the Fund's total assets must be represented by cash and cash items, U.S. government securities, securities of other RICs and other securities, with such other securities limited for purposes of this calculation in respect of any one issuer to an amount not greater than 5% of the value of the Fund's assets and not greater than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of such issuer, and (b) not more than 25% of the value of the Fund's total assets may be invested in the securities (other than U.S. government securities or the securities of other RICs) of any one issuer, of two or more issuers of which 20% or more of the voting stock is held by the Fund and that are engaged in the same or similar trades or businesses or related trades or businesses, or the securities of one or more qualified publicly-traded partnerships.**

The Fund may be able to cure a failure to derive at least 90% of its income from the sources specified above or a failure to diversify its holdings in the manner described above by paying a tax and/or by disposing of certain assets. If, in any taxable year, the Fund fails one of these tests and does not timely cure the failure, the Fund will be taxed in the same manner as an ordinary corporation and distributions to its shareholders will not be deductible by the Fund in computing its taxable income.

Although, in general, the passive loss rules of the Internal Revenue Code do not apply to RICs, such rules do apply to a RIC with respect to items attributable to interests in qualified publicly-traded partnerships. The Fund's investments in partnerships, including in qualified publicly-traded partnerships, may result in the Fund being subject to state, local, or non-U.S. income, franchise or withholding tax liabilities.

**Taxation of RICs. As a RIC, the Fund will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on the portion of its taxable investment income and capital gains that it distributes to its shareholders, provided that it satisfies a minimum distribution requirement. To satisfy the minimum distribution requirement, the Fund must distribute to its shareholders at least the sum of (i) 90% of its "investment company taxable income" (*i.e.,* income other than its net realized long-term capital gain over its net realized short-term capital loss), plus or minus certain adjustments, and (ii) 90% of its net tax-exempt income for the taxable year. The Fund will be subject to income tax at regular corporate rates on any taxable income or gains that it does not distribute to its shareholders. If the Fund fails to qualify for any taxable year as a RIC or fails to meet the distribution requirement, all of its taxable income will be subject to tax at regular corporate income tax rates without any deduction for distributions to shareholders, and such distributions generally will be taxable to shareholders as ordinary dividends to the extent of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits. In such event, distributions to individuals should be eligible to be treated as qualified dividend income and distributions to corporate shareholders generally should be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Although the Fund intends to distribute substantially all of its net investment income and its capital gains for each taxable year, the Fund may decide to retain a portion of its income or gains if the Fund determines that doing so is in the interest of its shareholders. The Fund will be subject to U.S. federal income taxation to the extent any such income or gains are not distributed. If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC in any year, it must pay out its earnings and profits accumulated in that year in order to qualify again as a RIC. If the Fund fails to qualify as a RIC for a period greater than two taxable years, the Fund may be required to recognize any net built-in gains with respect to certain of its assets (*i.e.,* the excess of the aggregate gains, including items of income, over aggregate losses that would have been realized with respect to such assets if the Fund had been liquidated) if it qualifies as a RIC in a subsequent year.**

**Excise Tax. The Fund will be subject to a 4% excise tax on certain undistributed income if it does not distribute to its shareholders in each calendar year at least 98% of its ordinary income for the calendar year plus at least 98.2% of its capital gain net income for the 12 months ended October 31 of such year. For this purpose, however, any ordinary income or capital**

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gain net income retained by the Fund that is subject to corporate income tax will be considered to have been distributed by year-end. In addition, the minimum amounts that must be distributed in any year to avoid the excise tax will be increased or decreased to reflect any underdistribution or overdistribution, as the case may be, from the previous year. The Fund intends to declare and distribute dividends and distributions in the amounts and at the times necessary to avoid the application of this 4% excise tax.

**Net Capital Loss Carryforwards. Net capital loss carryforwards may be applied against any net realized capital gains in each succeeding year, until they have been reduced to zero.**

In the event that the Fund were to experience an ownership change as defined under the Internal Revenue Code, the loss carryforwards and other favorable tax attributes of the Fund, if any, may be subject to limitation.

**Taxation of U.S. Shareholders. Dividends and other distributions by the Fund are generally treated under the Internal Revenue Code as received by the shareholders at the time the dividend or distribution is made. However, any dividend or distribution declared by the Fund in October, November or December of any calendar year and payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in such a month shall be deemed to have been received by each shareholder on December 31 of such calendar year and to have been paid by the Fund not later than such December 31, provided such dividend is actually paid by the Fund during January of the following calendar year.**

The Fund intends to distribute annually to its shareholders substantially all of its investment company taxable income and any net realized long-term capital gains in excess of net realized short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers). However, if the Fund retains for investment an amount equal to all or a portion of its net long-term capital gains in excess of its net short-term capital losses (including any capital loss carryovers), it will be subject to a corporate tax (at a flat rate of 21%) on the amount retained. In that event, the Fund will designate such retained amounts as undistributed capital gains in a notice to its shareholders who (a) will be required to include in income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as long-term capital gains, their proportionate shares of the undistributed amount, (b) will be entitled to credit their proportionate shares of the tax paid by the Fund on the undistributed amount against their U.S. federal income tax liabilities, if any, and to claim refunds to the extent their credits exceed their liabilities, if any, and (c) will be entitled to increase their tax basis, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, in their shares by an amount equal to the excess of the amount in clause (a) over the amount in clause (b). Organizations or persons not subject to U.S. federal income tax on such capital gains will be entitled to a refund of their *pro rata* share of such taxes paid by the Fund upon filing appropriate returns or claims for refund with the IRS.

Distributions of net realized long-term capital gains, if any, that the Fund reports as capital gains dividends are taxable as long-term capital gains, whether paid in cash or in shares and regardless of how long a shareholder has held shares of the Fund. All other dividends of the Fund (including dividends from short-term capital gains) from its current and accumulated earnings and profits ("regular dividends") are generally subject to tax as ordinary income, subject to the discussion of qualified dividend income below. Long-term capital gains are eligible for taxation at a maximum rate of 15% or 20% for non-corporate shareholders, depending on whether their income exceeds certain threshold amounts.

If an individual receives a regular dividend qualifying for the long-term capital gains rates and such dividend constitutes an "extraordinary dividend," and the individual subsequently recognizes a loss on the sale or exchange of stock in respect of which the extraordinary dividend was paid, then the loss will be long-term capital loss to the extent of such extraordinary dividend. An "extraordinary dividend" on common stock for this purpose is generally a dividend (i) in an amount greater than or equal to 10% of the taxpayer's tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within an 85-day period, or (ii) in an amount greater than 20% of the taxpayer's tax basis (or trading value) in a share of stock, aggregating dividends with ex-dividend dates within a 365-day period.

Distributions in excess of the Fund's current and accumulated earnings and profits will, as to each shareholder, be treated as a tax-free return of capital to the extent of a shareholder's basis in shares of the Fund, and as a capital gain thereafter (if the shareholder holds shares of the Fund as capital assets). Distributions in excess of the Fund's minimum distribution requirements, but not in excess of the Fund's earnings and profits, will be taxable to shareholders and will not constitute nontaxable returns of capital. Shareholders receiving dividends or distributions in the form of additional shares should be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as receiving a distribution in an amount equal to the amount of money that the shareholders receiving cash dividends or distributions will receive and should have a cost basis in the shares received equal to such amount.

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A 3.8% U.S. federal Medicare contribution tax is imposed on net investment income, including, but not limited to, interest, dividends, and net gain from investments, of U.S. individuals with income exceeding $200,000 (or $250,000 if married and filing jointly) and of estates and trusts.

Investors considering buying shares just prior to a dividend or capital gain distribution should be aware that, although the price of shares purchased at that time may reflect the amount of the forthcoming distribution, such dividend or distribution may nevertheless be taxable to them. If the Fund is the holder of record of any security on the record date for any dividends payable with respect to such security, such dividends will be included in the Fund's gross income not as of the date received but as of the later of (a) the date such security became ex-dividend with respect to such dividends (*i.e.*, the date on which a buyer of the security would not be entitled to receive the declared, but unpaid, dividends); or (b) the date the Fund acquired such security. Accordingly, in order to satisfy its income distribution requirements, the Fund may be required to pay dividends based on anticipated earnings, and shareholders may receive dividends in an earlier year than would otherwise be the case.

In certain situations, the Fund may, for a taxable year, defer all or a portion of its net capital loss (or if there is no net capital loss, then any net long-term or short-term capital loss) realized after October and its late-year ordinary loss (defined as the sum of (i) the excess of post-October foreign currency and passive foreign investment company ("PFIC") losses over post-October foreign currency and PFIC gains and (ii) the excess of post-December ordinary losses over post-December ordinary income) until the next taxable year in computing its investment company taxable income and net capital gain, which will defer the recognition of such realized losses. Such deferrals and other rules regarding gains and losses realized after October (or December) may affect the tax character of shareholder distributions.

**Sales of Shares. Upon the sale or exchange of shares of the Fund, a shareholder will realize a taxable gain or loss equal to the difference between the amount realized and the shareholder's basis in shares of the Fund. A redemption of shares by the Fund will be treated as a sale for this purpose. Such gain or loss will be treated as capital gain or loss if the shares are capital assets in the shareholder's hands and will be long-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for more than one year and short-term capital gain or loss if the shares are held for one year or less. Any loss realized on a sale or exchange will be disallowed to the extent the shares disposed of are replaced, including replacement through the reinvesting of dividends or capital gains distributions, or by an option or contract to acquire substantially identical shares, within a 61-day period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the disposition of the shares. In such a case, the basis of the shares acquired will be increased to reflect the disallowed loss. Any loss realized by a shareholder on the sale of Fund shares held by the shareholder for six months or less will be treated for U.S. federal income tax purposes as a long-term capital loss to the extent of any distributions or deemed distributions of long-term capital gains received by the shareholder with respect to such share. The Medicare contribution tax described above will apply to the sale of Fund shares.**

If a shareholder incurs a sales charge in acquiring shares of the Fund, disposes of those shares within 90 days and then, on or before January 31 of the following calendar year, acquires shares in a mutual fund for which the otherwise applicable sales charge is reduced by reason of a reinvestment right (*e.g.*, an exchange privilege), the original sales charge will not be taken into account in computing gain/loss on the original shares to the extent the subsequent sales charge is reduced. Instead, the disregarded portion of the original sales charge will be added to the tax basis of the newly acquired shares. Furthermore, the same rule also applies to a disposition of the newly acquired shares made within 90 days of the second acquisition. This provision prevents shareholders from immediately deducting the sales charge by shifting their investments within a family of mutual funds.

**Backup Withholding. In certain cases, the Fund will be required to withhold at a 24% rate and remit to the U.S. Treasury such amounts withheld from any distributions paid to a shareholder who: (i) has failed to provide a correct taxpayer identification number; (ii) is subject to backup withholding by the IRS; (iii) has failed to certify to the Fund that such shareholder is not subject to backup withholding; or (iv) has not certified that such shareholder is a U.S. person (including a U.S. resident alien). Backup withholding is not an additional tax and any amount withheld may be credited against a shareholder's U.S. federal income tax liability.**

**Sections 351 and 362. The Trust, on behalf of the Fund, has the right to reject an order for a purchase of shares of the Fund if the purchaser (or group of purchasers) would, upon obtaining the shares so ordered, own 80% or more of the outstanding shares of the Fund and if, pursuant to Sections 351 and 362 of the Internal Revenue Code, the Fund would have a basis in the securities different from the market value of such securities on the date of deposit. If the Fund's basis in such securities on the date of deposit was less than market value on such date, the Fund, upon disposition of the securities, would recognize more taxable gain or less taxable loss than if its basis in the securities had been equal to market value. It is not anticipated**

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that the Trust will exercise the right of rejection except in a case where the Trust determines that accepting the order could result in material adverse tax consequences to the Fund or its shareholders. The Trust also has the right to require information necessary to determine beneficial share ownership for purposes of the 80% determination.

**Taxation of Certain Derivatives. The Fund's transactions in zero coupon securities, non-U.S. currencies, forward contracts, options and futures contracts (including options and futures contracts on non-U.S. currencies), to the extent permitted, will be subject to special provisions of the Internal Revenue Code (including provisions relating to "hedging transactions" and "straddles") that, among other consequences, may affect the character of gains and losses realized by the Fund (*i.e.*, may affect whether gains or losses are ordinary or capital), accelerate recognition of income to the Fund and defer Fund losses. These rules could therefore affect the character, amount and timing of distributions to shareholders. These provisions also (a) will require the Fund to mark-to-market certain types of the positions in its portfolio (*i.e.*, treat them as if they were closed out at the end of each year) and (b) may cause the Fund to recognize income without receiving cash with which to pay dividends or make distributions in amounts necessary to satisfy the distribution requirements for avoiding income and excise taxes. The Fund will monitor its transactions, will make the appropriate tax elections and will make the appropriate entries in its books and records when it acquires any zero coupon security, non-U.S. currency, forward contract, option, futures contract or hedged investment in order to mitigate the effect of these rules and prevent disqualification of the Fund as a RIC.**

The Fund's investments in so-called "Section 1256 contracts," such as regulated futures contracts, most non-U.S. currency forward contracts traded in the interbank market and options on most security indexes, are subject to special tax rules. All Section 1256 contracts held by the Fund at the end of its taxable year are required to be marked to their market value, and any unrealized gain or loss on those positions will be included in the Fund's income as if each position had been sold for its fair market value at the end of the taxable year. The resulting gain or loss will be combined with any gain or loss realized by the Fund from positions in Section 1256 contracts closed during the taxable year. Provided such positions were held as capital assets and were not part of a "hedging transaction" nor part of a "straddle," 60% of the resulting net gain or loss will be treated as long-term capital gain or loss, and 40% of such net gain or loss will be treated as short-term capital gain or loss, regardless of the period of time the positions were actually held by the Fund.

As a result of entering into swap contracts, the Fund may make or receive periodic net payments. The Fund may also make or receive a payment when a swap is terminated prior to maturity through an assignment of the swap or other closing transaction. Periodic net payments will generally constitute ordinary income or deductions, while termination of a swap will generally result in capital gain or loss (which will be a long-term capital gain or loss if the Fund has been a party to the swap for more than one year). With respect to certain types of swaps, the Fund may be required to currently recognize income or loss with respect to future payments on such swaps or may elect under certain circumstances to mark such swaps to market annually for tax purposes as ordinary income or loss.

**Qualified Dividend Income. Distributions by the Fund of investment company taxable income (including any short-term capital gains), whether received in cash or shares, will be taxable either as ordinary income or as qualified dividend income, which is eligible to be taxed at long-term capital gain rates to the extent the Fund receives qualified dividend income on the securities it holds and the Fund reports the distribution as qualified dividend income. Qualified dividend income is, in general, dividend income from taxable U.S. corporations (but generally not from U.S. REITs) and certain non-U.S. corporations (*e.g.*, non-U.S. corporations that are not PFICs and which are incorporated in a possession of the U.S. or in certain countries with a comprehensive tax treaty with the U.S., or the stock of which is readily tradable on an established securities market in the U.S. (where the dividends are paid with respect to such stock)). Under current IRS guidance, the U.S. has appropriate comprehensive income tax treaties with the following countries: Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China (but not with Hong Kong, which is treated as a separate jurisdiction for U.S. tax purposes), Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, the Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the U.K. and Venezuela. Substitute payments received by the Fund for securities lent out by the Fund will not be qualified dividend income.**

A dividend from the Fund will not be treated as qualified dividend income to the extent that: (i) the shareholder has not held the shares on which the dividend was paid for 61 days during the 121-day period that begins on the date that is 60 days before the date on which the shares become ex-dividend with respect to such dividend or the Fund fails to satisfy those holding period requirements with respect to the securities it holds that paid the dividends distributed to the shareholder (or, in the case of certain preferred stocks, the holding requirement of 91 days during the 181-day period beginning on the date

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that is 90 days before the date on which the stock becomes ex-dividend with respect to such dividend); (ii) the Fund or the shareholder is under an obligation (whether pursuant to a short sale or otherwise) to make related payments with respect to substantially similar or related property; or (iii) the shareholder elects to treat such dividend as investment income under Section 163(d)(4)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code. Dividends received by the Fund from a REIT or another RIC may be treated as qualified dividend income only to the extent the dividend distributions are attributable to qualified dividend income received by such REIT or other RIC. It is expected that dividends received by the Fund from a REIT and distributed to a shareholder generally will be taxable to the shareholder as ordinary income. However, for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, a non-corporate taxpayer who is a direct REIT shareholder may claim a 20% "qualified business income" deduction for ordinary REIT dividends, and a RIC may report dividends as eligible for this deduction to the extent the RIC's income is derived from ordinary REIT dividends (reduced by allocable RIC expenses). A shareholder may treat the dividends as such provided the RIC and the shareholder satisfy applicable holding period requirements. Distributions by the Fund of its net short-term capital gains will be taxable as ordinary income.

**Corporate Dividends Received Deduction. Dividends paid by the Fund that are attributable to dividends received by the Fund from U.S. corporations may qualify for the U.S. federal dividends received deduction for corporations. A 46-day minimum holding period during the 90-day period that begins 45 days prior to ex-dividend date (or 91-day minimum holding period during the 180 period beginning 90 days prior to ex-dividend date for certain preference dividends) during which risk of loss may not be diminished is required for the applicable shares, at both the Fund and shareholder level, for a dividend to be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Restrictions may apply if indebtedness, including a short sale, is attributable to the investment.**

**Excess Inclusion Income. Under current law, the Fund serves to block unrelated business taxable income ("UBTI") from being realized by its tax-exempt shareholders. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a tax-exempt shareholder could realize UBTI by virtue of its investment in the Fund if shares in the Fund constitute debt-financed property in the hands of the tax-exempt shareholder within the meaning of Section 514(b) of the Internal Revenue Code. Certain types of income received by the Fund from REITs, real estate mortgage investment conduits, taxable mortgage pools or other investments may cause the Fund to report some or all of its distributions as "excess inclusion income." To Fund shareholders, such excess inclusion income may: (i) constitute taxable income, as UBTI for those shareholders who would otherwise be tax-exempt such as individual retirement accounts, 401(k) accounts, Keogh plans, pension plans and certain charitable entities; (ii) not be offset by otherwise allowable deductions for tax purposes; (iii) not be eligible for reduced U.S. withholding for non-U.S. shareholders even from tax treaty countries; and (iv) cause the Fund to be subject to tax if certain "disqualified organizations," as defined by the Internal Revenue Code, are Fund shareholders. If a charitable remainder annuity trust or a charitable remainder unitrust (each as defined in Section 664 of the Internal Revenue Code) has UBTI for a taxable year, a 100% excise tax on the UBTI is imposed on the trust.**

The Fund tries to avoid investing in REITs that are expected to generate excess inclusion income, but the Fund may not always be successful in doing so. Because information about a REIT's investments may be inadequate or inaccurate, or because a REIT may change its investment program, the Fund may not be successful in avoiding the consequences described above. Avoidance of investments in REITs that generate excess inclusion income may require the Fund to forego otherwise attractive investment opportunities.

**Non-U.S. Investments. Under Section 988 of the Internal Revenue Code, gains or losses attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the time the Fund accrues income or receivables or expenses or other liabilities denominated in a non-U.S. currency and the time the Fund actually collects such income or pays such liabilities are generally treated as ordinary income or ordinary loss. In general, gains (and losses) realized on debt instruments will be treated as Section 988 gain (or loss) to the extent attributable to changes in exchange rates between the U.S. dollar and the currencies in which the instruments are denominated. Similarly, gains or losses on non-U.S. currency, non-U.S. currency forward contracts and certain non-U.S. currency options or futures contracts denominated in non-U.S. currency, to the extent attributable to fluctuations in exchange rates between the acquisition and disposition dates, are also treated as ordinary income or loss unless the Fund were to elect otherwise.**

The Fund may be subject to non-U.S. income taxes withheld at the source. The Fund, if permitted to do so, may elect to "pass through" to its investors the amount of non-U.S. income taxes paid by the Fund provided that the Fund held the security on the dividend settlement date and for at least 15 additional days immediately before and/or thereafter, with the result that each investor with respect to shares of the Fund held for a minimum 16-day holding period at the time of deemed distribution will (i) include in gross income, even though not actually received, the investor's *pro rata* share of the Fund's

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non-U.S. income taxes, and (ii) either deduct (in calculating U.S. taxable income, but only for investors who itemize their deductions on their personal tax returns) or credit (in calculating U.S. federal income tax) the investor's *pro rata* share of the Fund's non-U.S. income taxes. Withholding taxes on dividends on non-U.S. securities while such securities are lent out by the Fund are not eligible for non-U.S. tax credit pass through. Taxes not "passed through" for tax purposes will not be available to shareholders for foreign tax credit purposes. A non-U.S. person invested in the Fund in a year that the Fund elects to "pass through" its non-U.S. taxes may be treated as receiving additional dividend income subject to U.S. withholding tax. A non-U.S. tax credit may not exceed the investor's U.S. federal income tax otherwise payable with respect to the investor's non-U.S. source income. For this purpose, shareholders must treat as non-U.S. source gross income (i) their proportionate shares of non-U.S. taxes paid by the Fund and (ii) the portion of any dividend paid by the Fund that represents income derived from non-U.S. sources; the Fund's gain from the sale of securities will generally be treated as U.S.-source income. Certain limitations will be imposed to the extent to which the non-U.S. tax credit may be claimed. If your Fund shares are loaned pursuant to securities lending arrangements, you may lose the ability to use any non-U.S. tax credits passed through by the Fund or to treat Fund dividends (paid while the shares are held by the borrower) as qualified dividends. Regarding a short sale with respect to shares of the Fund, substitute payments made to the lender of such shares may not be deductible under certain circumstances. Consult your financial intermediary or tax advisor.

**Passive Foreign Investment Companies. If the Fund purchases shares in PFICs, it may be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a portion of any "excess distribution" or gain from the disposition of such shares even if such income is distributed as a taxable dividend by the Fund to its shareholders. Additional charges in the nature of interest may be imposed on the Fund in respect of deferred taxes arising from such distributions or gains.**

If the Fund were to invest in a PFIC and elect to treat the PFIC as a "qualified electing fund" under the Internal Revenue Code, in lieu of the foregoing requirements, the Fund might be required to include in income each year a portion of the ordinary earnings and net capital gains of the qualified electing fund, even if not distributed to the Fund, and such amounts would be subject to the 90% and excise tax distribution requirements described above. In order to make this election, the Fund would be required to obtain certain annual information from the PFICs in which it invests, which may be difficult or impossible to obtain. Currently proposed IRS regulations, if adopted, would treat such included amounts as nonqualifying RIC income to the Fund unless such amounts were also distributed to the Fund.

Alternatively, the Fund may make a mark-to-market election that would result in the Fund being treated as if it had sold and repurchased its PFIC stock at the end of each year. In such case, the Fund would report any such gains as ordinary income and would deduct any such losses as ordinary losses to the extent of previously recognized gains. The election must be made separately for each PFIC owned by the Fund and, once made, would be effective for all subsequent taxable years, unless revoked with the consent of the IRS. By making the election, the Fund could potentially ameliorate the adverse tax consequences with respect to its ownership of shares in a PFIC, but in any particular year may be required to recognize income in excess of the distributions it receives from PFICs and its proceeds from dispositions of PFIC stock. The Fund may have to distribute this "phantom" income and gain to satisfy the 90% distribution requirement and to avoid imposition of the 4% excise tax.

The Fund will make the appropriate tax elections, if possible, and take any additional steps that are necessary to mitigate the effects of these rules.

**Reporting. If a shareholder recognizes a loss with respect to the Fund's shares of $2 million or more for an individual shareholder or $10 million or more for a corporate shareholder, the shareholder must file with the IRS a disclosure statement on IRS Form 8886. Direct shareholders of portfolio securities are in many cases exempted from this reporting requirement, but under current guidance, shareholders of a RIC are not exempted. The fact that a loss is reportable under these regulations does not affect the legal determination of whether the taxpayer's treatment of the loss is proper. Shareholders should consult their tax advisors to determine the applicability of these regulations in light of their individual circumstances.**

#### Other Taxes. Dividends, distributions and redemption proceeds may also be subject to additional state, local and non-U.S. taxes depending on each shareholder's particular situation.
**Taxation of Non-U.S. Shareholders. Dividends paid by the Fund to non-U.S. shareholders are generally subject to withholding tax at a 30% rate or a reduced rate specified by an applicable income tax treaty to the extent derived from investment income and short-term capital gains. Dividends paid by the Fund from net tax-exempt income or long-term capital gains are generally not subject to such withholding tax. In order to obtain a reduced rate of withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will be required to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN or IRS Form W-8BEN-E certifying its entitlement to benefits**

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under a treaty. The withholding tax does not apply to regular dividends paid to a non-U.S. shareholder who provides an IRS Form W-8ECI, certifying that the dividends are effectively connected with the non-U.S. shareholder's conduct of a trade or business within the U.S. Instead, the effectively connected dividends will be subject to regular U.S. income tax as if the non-U.S. shareholder were a U.S. shareholder. A non-U.S. corporation receiving effectively connected dividends may also be subject to additional "branch profits tax" imposed at a rate of 30% (or lower treaty rate). A non-U.S. shareholder who fails to provide an IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or other applicable form may be subject to backup withholding at the appropriate rate.

Properly-reported dividends are generally exempt from U.S. federal withholding tax where they (i) are paid in respect of the Fund's "qualified net interest income" (generally, the Fund's U.S. source interest income, other than certain contingent interest and interest from obligations of a corporation or partnership in which the Fund is at least a 10% shareholder or partner, reduced by expenses that are allocable to such income) or (ii) are paid in respect of the Fund's "qualified short-term capital gains" (generally, the excess of the Fund's net short-term capital gain over the Fund's long-term capital loss for such taxable year). However, depending on its circumstances, the Fund may report all, some or none of its potentially eligible dividends as such qualified net interest income or as qualified short-term capital gains and/or treat such dividends, in whole or in part, as ineligible for this exemption from withholding. In order to qualify for this exemption from withholding, a non-U.S. shareholder will need to comply with applicable certification requirements relating to its non-U.S. status (including, in general, furnishing an IRS Form W-8BEN, IRS Form W-8BEN-E or substitute Form). In the case of shares held through an intermediary, the intermediary may withhold even if the Fund reports the payment as qualified net interest income or qualified short-term capital gain. Non-U.S. shareholders should contact their intermediaries with respect to the application of these rules to their accounts.

Special rules may apply to a foreign shareholder receiving a Fund distribution if at least 50% of the Fund's assets consist of interests in U.S. real property interests, including certain REITs and U.S. real property holding corporations (as defined in the Internal Revenue Code and Treasury regulations). Fund distributions that are attributable to gain from the disposition of a U.S. real property interest will be taxable as ordinary dividends and subject to withholding at a 30% or lower treaty rate if the foreign shareholder held no more than 5% of the Fund's shares at any time during the one-year period ending on the date of the distribution. If the foreign shareholder held at least 5% of the Fund's shares, the distribution would be treated as income effectively connected with a trade or business within the U.S. and the foreign shareholder would be subject to withholding tax at a rate of 21% and would generally be required to file a U.S. federal income tax return.

Similar consequences would generally apply to a foreign shareholder's gain on the sale of Fund shares unless the Fund is domestically controlled (meaning that more than 50% of the value of the Fund's shares is held by U.S. shareholders) or the foreign shareholder owns no more than 5% of the Fund's shares at any time during the five-year period ending on the date of sale. Finally, a domestically controlled Fund may be required to recognize a portion of its gain on the in-kind distribution of certain U.S. real property interests. Shareholders that are nonresident aliens or foreign entities are urged to consult their own tax advisors concerning the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.

The rules laid out in the previous two paragraphs, other than the withholding rules, will apply notwithstanding the Fund's participation in a wash sale transaction or its payment of a substitute dividend.

Shareholders that are nonresident aliens or foreign entities are urged to consult their own tax advisors concerning the particular tax consequences to them of an investment in the Fund.

Separately, a 30% withholding tax is currently imposed on U.S.-source dividends, interest and other income items paid to: (i) foreign financial institutions, including non-U.S. investment funds, unless they agree to collect and disclose to the IRS information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. account holders; and (ii) certain other foreign entities, unless they certify certain information regarding their direct and indirect U.S. owners. To avoid withholding, foreign financial institutions will need to: (i) enter into agreements with the IRS that state that they will provide the IRS information, including the names, addresses and taxpayer identification numbers of direct and indirect U.S. account holders; comply with due diligence procedures with respect to the identification of U.S. accounts; report to the IRS certain information with respect to U.S. accounts maintained; agree to withhold tax on certain payments made to non-compliant foreign financial institutions or to account holders who fail to provide the required information; and determine certain other information concerning their account holders, or (ii) in the event an intergovernmental agreement and implementing legislation are adopted, provide local revenue authorities with similar account holder information. Other foreign entities may need to report the name, address,

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and taxpayer identification number of each substantial U.S. owner or provide certifications of no substantial U.S. ownership unless certain exceptions apply.

Shares of the Fund held by a non-U.S. shareholder at death will be considered situated within the U.S. and subject to the U.S. estate tax.

The foregoing discussion is a summary of certain material U.S. federal income tax considerations only and is not intended as a substitute for careful tax planning. Purchasers of shares should consult their own tax advisors as to the tax consequences of investing in such shares, including consequences under state, local and non-U.S. tax laws. Finally, the foregoing discussion is based on applicable provisions of the Internal Revenue Code, regulations, judicial authority and administrative interpretations in effect on the date of this SAI. Changes in applicable authority could materially affect the conclusions discussed above, and such changes often occur.

## Financial Statements
Financial statements for the Fund are not available because, as of the date of this SAI, the Fund has no financial information to report.

## Miscellaneous Information

#### Counsel. Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP, located at 787 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10019, is counsel to the Trust.
**Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, located at Two Commerce Square, 2001<br> Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103,, serves as the Trust's independent registered public accounting firm, audits the Fund's financial statements, and may perform other services.**

**Shareholder Communications to the Board. The Board has established a process for shareholders to communicate with the Board. Shareholders may contact the Board by mail. Correspondence should be addressed to iShares Board of Trustees, c/o BlackRock Fund Advisors, iShares Fund Administration, 400 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105. Shareholder communications to the Board should include the following information: (i) the name and address of the shareholder; (ii) the number of shares owned by the shareholder; (iii) the Fund(s) of which the shareholder owns shares; and (iv) if these shares are owned indirectly through a broker, financial intermediary or other record owner, the name of the broker, financial intermediary or other record owner. All correspondence received as set forth above shall be reviewed by the Secretary of the Trust and reported to the Board.**

**Investors' Rights. The Fund relies on the services of BFA and its other service providers, including the Distributor, administrator, custodian and transfer agent. Further information about the duties and roles of these service providers is set out in this SAI. Investors who acquire shares of the Fund are not parties to the relevant agreement with these service providers and do not have express contractual rights against the Fund or its service providers, except certain institutional investors that are Authorized Participants may have certain express contractual rights with respect to the Distributor under the terms of the relevant Authorized Participant Agreement. Investors may have certain legal rights under federal or state law against the Fund or its service providers. In the event that an investor considers that it may have a claim against the Fund, or against any service provider in connection with its investment in the Fund, such investor should consult its own legal advisor.**

By contract, Authorized Participants irrevocably submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of any New York State or U.S. federal court sitting in New York City over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of or relating to the Authorized Participant Agreement. Jurisdiction over other claims, whether by investors or Authorized Participants, will turn on the facts of the particular case and the law of the jurisdiction in which the proceeding is brought.

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## Appendix A1 - iShares ETFs Proxy Voting Policy<br>

#### BlackRock U.S. Registered Funds

#### Open-End Fund Proxy Voting Policy

#### Procedures Governing Delegation of Proxy Voting to Fund Advisers

#### August 1, 2022

#### Open-End Mutual Funds (including money market funds)

#### iShares and BlackRock ETFs
The Boards of Trustees/Directors ("Directors") of open-end funds (the "Funds") advised by BlackRock Fund Advisors or BlackRock Advisors, LLC ("BlackRock"), have the responsibility for the oversight of voting proxies relating to portfolio securities of the Funds, and have determined that it is in the best interests of the Funds and their shareholders to delegate the responsibility to vote proxies to BlackRock, subject to the principles outlined in this Policy, as part of BlackRock's authority to manage, acquire and dispose of account assets, all as contemplated by the Funds' respective investment management agreements.

BlackRock has adopted guidelines and procedures (together and as from time to time amended, the "BlackRock Proxy Voting Guidelines") governing proxy voting by accounts managed by BlackRock.

BlackRock will cast votes on behalf of each of the Funds on specific proxy issues in respect of securities held by each such Fund (or may refrain from voting) in accordance with the BlackRock Proxy Voting Guidelines.

BlackRock will report on an annual basis to the Directors on (1) a summary of all proxy votes that BlackRock has made on behalf of the Funds in the preceding year together with a representation that all votes were in accordance with the BlackRock Proxy Voting Guidelines, and (2) any changes to the BlackRock Proxy Voting Guidelines that have not previously been reported.

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## Appendix A2 – BlackRock Global Proxy Voting Policies<br>

#### BlackRock Investment Stewardship

#### Global Corporate Governance & Engagement Principles

#### January 2020

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Contents** |  |
| [Introduction to BlackRock](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_1) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-4 |
| [Philosophy on corporate governance](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_1) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-4 |
| [Corporate governance, engagement and voting](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_1) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-4 |
| [- Boards and directors](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_2) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-5 |
| [- Auditors and audit-related issues](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_3) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-6 |
| [- Capital structure, mergers, asset sales and other special transactions](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_4) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-7 |
| [- Compensation and benefits](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_4) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-7 |
| [- Environmental and social issues](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_5) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-8 |
| [- General corporate governance matters and shareholder protections](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_6) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-9 |
| [BlackRock's oversight of its investment stewardship activities](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_6) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-9 |
| [- Oversight](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_6) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-9 |
| [- Vote execution](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_7) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-10 |
| [- Conflicts management policies and procedures](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_8) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-11 |
| [- Voting guidelines](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_9) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-12 |
| [- Reporting and vote transparency](#xx_ad3a9d5b-7585-4f3f-91b8-4902f732cdb2_9) | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-12 |

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#### INTRODUCTION TO BLACKROCK
BlackRock's purpose is to help more and more people experience financial well-being. As a fiduciary to our clients, we provide the investment and technology solutions they need when planning for their most important goals. We manage assets on behalf of institutional and individual clients, across a full spectrum of investment strategies, asset classes and regions. Our client base includes pension plans, endowments, foundations, charities, official institutions, insurers and other financial institutions, as well as individuals around the world.

#### PHILOSOPHY ON CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
BlackRock Investment Stewardship ("BIS") activities are focused on maximizing long-term value for our clients. BIS does this through engagement with boards and management of investee companies and, for those clients who have given us authority, through voting at shareholder meetings.

We believe that there are certain fundamental rights attached to shareholding. Companies and their boards should be accountable to shareholders and structured with appropriate checks and balances to ensure that they operate in shareholders' best interests. Effective voting rights are central to the rights of ownership and there should be one vote for one share. Shareholders should have the right to elect, remove and nominate directors, approve the appointment of the auditor and to amend the corporate charter or by-laws. Shareholders should be able to vote on matters that are material to the protection of their investment, including but not limited to, changes to the purpose of the business, dilution levels and pre-emptive rights, and the distribution of income and capital structure. In order to make informed decisions, we believe that shareholders have the right to sufficient and timely information.

Our primary focus is on the performance of the board of directors. As the agent of shareholders, the board should set the company's strategic aims within a framework of prudent and effective controls, which enables risk to be assessed and managed. The board should provide direction and leadership to management and oversee management's performance. Our starting position is to be supportive of boards in their oversight efforts on shareholders' behalf and we would generally expect to support the items of business they put to a vote at shareholder meetings. Votes cast against or withheld from resolutions proposed by the board are a signal that we are concerned that the directors or management have either not acted in the best interests of shareholders or have not responded adequately to shareholder concerns. We assess voting matters on a case-by-case basis and in light of each company's unique circumstances taking into consideration regional best practices and long-term value creation.

These principles set out our approach to engaging with companies, provide guidance on our position on corporate governance and outline how our views might be reflected in our voting decisions. Corporate governance practices can vary internationally, so our expectations in relation to individual companies are based on the legal and regulatory framework of each local market. However, we believe there are overarching principles of corporate governance that apply globally and provide a framework for more detailed, market-specific assessments.

We believe BlackRock has a responsibility in relation to monitoring and providing feedback to companies, sometimes known as "stewardship." These ownership responsibilities include engaging with management or board members on corporate governance matters, voting proxies in the best long-term economic interests of our clients, and engaging with regulatory bodies to ensure a sound policy framework consistent with promoting long-term shareholder value creation. We also believe in the responsibility to our clients to have appropriate resources and oversight structures. Our approach is set out in the section below titled "BlackRock's oversight of its investment stewardship activities" and is further detailed in a <u>team profile on our website</u>.

#### CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, ENGAGEMENT AND VOTING
We recognize that accepted standards of corporate governance differ between markets, but we believe there are sufficient common threads globally to identify an overarching set of principles. The objective of our investment stewardship activities is the protection and enhancement of the value of our clients' investments in public corporations. Thus, these principles focus on practices and structures that we consider to be supportive of long-term value creation. We discuss below the principles under six key themes. In our regional and market-specific voting guidelines we explain how these principles inform our voting decisions in relation to specific resolutions that may appear on the agenda of a shareholder meeting in the relevant market.

The six key themes are:

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• Boards and directors

• Auditors and audit-related
issues

• Capital structure, mergers,
asset sales and other special transactions

• Compensation and benefits

• Environmental and social
issues

• General
corporate governance matters and shareholder protections

At a minimum, we expect companies to observe the accepted corporate governance standards in their domestic market or to explain why doing so is not in the interests of shareholders. Where company reporting and disclosure is inadequate or the approach taken is inconsistent with our view of what is in the best interests of shareholders, we will engage with the company and/or use our vote to encourage a change in practice. In making voting decisions, we perform independent research and analysis, such as reviewing relevant information published by the company and apply our voting guidelines to achieve the outcome we believe best protects our clients' long-term economic interests. We also work closely with our active portfolio managers, and may take into account internal and external research.

BlackRock views engagement as an important activity; engagement provides us with the opportunity to improve our understanding of the challenges and opportunities that investee companies are facing and their governance structures. Engagement also allows us to share our philosophy and approach to investment and corporate governance with companies to enhance their understanding of our objectives. Our engagements often focus on providing our feedback on company disclosures, particularly where we believe they could be enhanced. There are a range of approaches we may take in engaging companies depending on the nature of the issue under consideration, the company and the market.

BlackRock's engagements emphasize direct dialogue with corporate leadership on the governance issues identified in these principles that have a material impact on financial performance. These engagements enable us to cast informed votes aligned with clients' long-term economic interests. We generally prefer to engage in the first instance where we have concerns and give management time to address or resolve the issue. As a long-term investor, we are patient and persistent in working with our portfolio companies to have an open dialogue and develop mutual understanding of governance matters, to promote the adoption of best practices and to assess the merits of a company's approach to its governance. We monitor the companies in which we invest and engage with them constructively and privately where we believe doing so helps protect shareholders' interests. We do not try to micro-manage companies, or tell management and boards what to do. We present our views as a long-term shareholder and listen to companies' responses. The materiality and immediacy of a given issue will generally determine the level of our engagement and whom we seek to engage at the company, which could be management representatives or board directors.

#### Boards and directors
The performance of the board is critical to the economic success of the company and to the protection of shareholders' interests. Board members serve as agents of shareholders in overseeing the strategic direction and operation of the company. For this reason, BlackRock focuses on directors in many of our engagements and sees the election of directors as one of our most important responsibilities in the proxy voting context.

We expect the board of directors to promote and protect shareholder interests by:

• establishing an appropriate
corporate governance structure

• supporting and
 overseeing management in setting long-term strategic goals, applicable measures of value-creation and milestones that will demonstrate progress, and steps taken if any obstacles are anticipated or incurred

• ensuring the integrity of
financial statements

• making independent decisions
regarding mergers, acquisitions and disposals

• establishing appropriate
executive compensation structures

• addressing
 business issues, including environmental and social issues, when they have the potential to materially impact company reputation and performance

There should be clear definitions of the role of the board, the committees of the board and senior management such that the responsibilities of each are well understood and accepted. Companies should report publicly the approach taken to

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governance (including in relation to board structure) and why this approach is in the best interest of shareholders. We will seek to engage with the appropriate directors where we have concerns about the performance of the board or the company, the broad strategy of the company, or the performance of individual board members. We believe that when a company is not effectively addressing a material issue, its directors should be held accountable.

BlackRock believes that directors should stand for re-election on a regular basis. We assess directors nominated for election or re-election in the context of the composition of the board as a whole. There should be detailed disclosure of the relevant credentials of the individual directors in order for shareholders to assess the caliber of an individual nominee. We expect there to be a sufficient number of independent directors on the board to ensure the protection of the interests of all shareholders. Common impediments to independence may include but are not limited to:

• current or former employment
at the company or a subsidiary within the past several years

• being, or representing, a
shareholder with a substantial shareholding in the company

• interlocking directorships

• having
 any other interest, business or other relationship which could, or could reasonably be perceived to, materially interfere with the director's ability to act in the best interests of the company

BlackRock believes that the operation of the board is enhanced when there is a clearly independent, senior non-executive director to chair it or, where the chairman is also the CEO (or is otherwise not independent), an independent lead director. The role of this director is to enhance the effectiveness of the independent members of the board through shaping the agenda, ensuring adequate information is provided to the board and encouraging independent participation in board deliberations. The lead independent board director should be available to shareholders in those situations where a director is best placed to explain and justify a company's approach.

To ensure that the board remains effective, regular reviews of board performance should be carried out and assessments made of gaps in skills or experience amongst the members. BlackRock believes it is beneficial for new directors to be brought onto the board periodically to refresh the group's thinking and to ensure both continuity and adequate succession planning. In identifying potential candidates, boards should take into consideration the multiple dimensions of diversity, including personal factors such as gender, ethnicity, and age; as well as professional characteristics, such as a director's industry, area of expertise, and geographic location. The board should review these dimensions of the current directors and how they might be augmented by incoming directors. We believe that directors are in the best position to assess the optimal size for the board, but we would be concerned if a board seemed too small to have an appropriate balance of directors or too large to be effective.

There are matters for which the board has responsibility that may involve a conflict of interest for executives or for affiliated directors. BlackRock believes that shareholders' interests are best served when the board forms committees of fully independent directors to deal with such matters. In many markets, these committees of the board specialize in audit, director nominations and compensation matters. An ad hoc committee might also be formed to decide on a special transaction, particularly one with a related party or to investigate a significant adverse event.

#### Auditors and audit-related issues
Comprehensive disclosure provides investors with a sense of the company's long-term operational risk management practices and, more broadly, the quality of the board's oversight. In the absence of robust disclosures, we may reasonably conclude that companies are not adequately managing risk.

BlackRock recognizes the critical importance of financial statements, which should provide a true and fair picture of a company's financial condition. We will hold the members of the audit committee or equivalent responsible for overseeing the management of the audit function. We take particular note of cases involving significant financial restatements or ad hoc notifications of material financial weakness.

The integrity of financial statements depends on the auditor being free of any impediments to being an effective check on management. To that end, we believe it is important that auditors are, and are seen to be, independent. Where the audit firm provides services to the company in addition to the audit, the fees earned should be disclosed and explained. Audit committees should have in place a procedure for assessing annually the independence of the auditor.

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#### Capital structure, mergers, asset sales and other special transactions
The capital structure of a company is critical to its owners, the shareholders, as it impacts the value of their investment and the priority of their interest in the company relative to that of other equity or debt investors. Pre-emptive rights are a key protection for shareholders against the dilution of their interests.

Effective voting rights are central to the rights of ownership and we believe strongly in one vote for one share as a guiding principle that supports good corporate governance. Shareholders, as the residual claimants, have the strongest interest in protecting company value, and voting power should match economic exposure.

We are concerned that the creation of a dual share class may result in an over-concentration of power in the hands of a few shareholders, thus disenfranchising other shareholders and amplifying the potential conflict of interest, which the one share, one vote principle is designed to mitigate. However, we recognize that in certain circumstances, companies may have a valid argument for dual-class listings, at least for a limited period of time. We believe that such companies should review these dual-class structures on a regular basis or as company circumstances change. Additionally, they should receive shareholder approval of their capital structure on a periodic basis via a management proposal in the company's proxy. The proposal should give unaffiliated shareholders the opportunity to affirm the current structure or establish mechanisms to end or phase out controlling structures at the appropriate time, while minimizing costs to shareholders.

In assessing mergers, asset sales or other special transactions, BlackRock's primary consideration is the long-term economic interests of shareholders. Boards proposing a transaction need to clearly explain the economic and strategic rationale behind it. We will review a proposed transaction to determine the degree to which it enhances long-term shareholder value. We would prefer that proposed transactions have the unanimous support of the board and have been negotiated at arm's length. We may seek reassurance from the board that executives' and/or board members' financial interests in a given transaction have not adversely affected their ability to place shareholders' interests before their own. Where the transaction involves related parties, we would expect the recommendation to support it to come from the independent directors and it is good practice to be approved by a separate vote of the non-conflicted shareholders.

BlackRock believes that shareholders have a right to dispose of company shares in the open market without unnecessary restriction. In our view, corporate mechanisms designed to limit shareholders' ability to sell their shares are contrary to basic property rights. Such mechanisms can serve to protect and entrench interests other than those of the shareholders. We believe that shareholders are broadly capable of making decisions in their own best interests. We expect any so-called 'shareholder rights plans' proposed by a board to be subject to shareholder approval upon introduction and periodically thereafter for continuation.

#### Compensation and benefits
BlackRock expects a company's board of directors to put in place a compensation structure that incentivizes and rewards executives appropriately and is aligned with shareholder interests, particularly generating sustainable long-term shareholder returns. We would expect the compensation committee to take into account the specific circumstances of the company and the key individuals the board is trying to incentivize. We encourage companies to ensure that their compensation plans incorporate appropriate and challenging performance conditions consistent with corporate strategy and market practice. We use third party research, in addition to our own analysis, to evaluate existing and proposed compensation structures. We hold members of the compensation committee or equivalent board members accountable for poor compensation practices or structures.

BlackRock believes that there should be a clear link between variable pay and company performance that drives shareholder returns. We are not supportive of one-off or special bonuses unrelated to company or individual performance. We acknowledge that the use of peer group evaluation by compensation committees can help ensure competitive pay; however, we are concerned when increases in total compensation at a company are justified solely on peer benchmarking rather than outperformance. We support incentive plans that foster the sustainable achievement of results relative to competitors. The vesting timeframes associated with incentive plans should facilitate a focus on long -term value creation. We believe consideration should be given to building claw back provisions into incentive plans such that executives would be required to forgo rewards when they are not justified by actual performance. Compensation committees should guard against contractual arrangements that would entitle executives to material compensation for early termination of their contract. Finally, pension contributions and other deferred compensation arrangements should be reasonable in light of market practice.

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Non-executive directors should be compensated in a manner that is commensurate with the time and effort expended in fulfilling their professional responsibilities. Additionally, these compensation arrangements should not risk compromising their independence or aligning their interests too closely with those of the management, whom they are charged with overseeing.

#### Environmental and social issues
Our fiduciary duty to clients is to protect and enhance their economic interest in the companies in which we invest on their behalf. It is within this context that we undertake our corporate governance activities. We believe that well -managed companies will deal effectively with the material environmental and social ("E&S") factors relevant to their businesses.

Robust disclosure is essential for investors to effectively gauge companies' business practices and planning related to E&S risks and opportunities.

BlackRock expects companies to issue reports aligned with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate -related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the standards put forward by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). We view the SASB and TCFD frameworks as complementary in achieving the goal of disclosing more financially material information, particularly as it relates to industry -specific metrics and target setting. TCFD's recommendations provide an overarching framework for disclosure on the business implications of climate change, and potentially other E&S factors. We find SASB's industry-specific guidance (as identified in its materiality map) beneficial in helping companies identify and discuss their governance, risk assessments, and performance against these key performance indicators (KPIs). Any global standards adopted, peer group benchmarking undertaken, and verification processes in place should also be disclosed and discussed in this context.

BlackRock has been engaging with companies for several years on disclosure of material E&S factors. Given the increased understanding of sustainability risks and opportunities, and the need for better information to assess them, we specifically ask companies to:

1) publish a disclosure in line with industry-specific SASB guidelines by year-end, if they have not already done so, or disclose a similar set of data in a way that is relevant to their particular business; and

2) disclose climate-related risks in line with the TCFD's recommendations, if they have not already done so. This should include the company's plan for operating under a scenario where the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to less than two degrees is fully realized, as expressed by the TCFD guidelines.

See our <u>commentary</u> on our approach to engagement on TCFD and SASB aligned reporting for greater detail of our expectations.

We will use these disclosures and our engagements to ascertain whether companies are properly managing and overseeing these risks within their business and adequately planning for the future. In the absence of robust disclosures, investors, including BlackRock, will increasingly conclude that companies are not adequately managing risk.

We believe that when a company is not effectively addressing a material issue, its directors should be held accountable. We will generally engage directly with the board or management of a company when we identify issues. We may vote against the election of directors where we have concerns that a company might not be dealing with E&S factors appropriately.

Sometimes we may reflect such concerns by supporting a shareholder proposal on the issue, where there seems to be either a significant potential threat or realized harm to shareholders' interests caused by poor management of material E&S factors.

In deciding our course of action, we will assess the company's disclosures and the nature of our engagement with the company on the issue over time, including whether:

• The company has already
taken sufficient steps to address the concern

• The company is in the
process of actively implementing a response

• There
 is a clear and material economic disadvantage to the company in the near-term if the issue is not addressed in the manner requested by the shareholder proposal

We do not see it as our role to make social or political judgments on behalf of clients. Our consideration of these E&S factors is consistent with protecting the long-term economic interest of our clients' assets. We expect investee companies to comply,

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at a minimum, with the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which they operate. They should explain how they manage situations where local laws or regulations that significantly impact the company's operations are contradictory or ambiguous to global norms.

#### Climate risk
Within the framework laid out above, as well as our guidance on "<u>How BlackRock Investment Stewardship engages on climate risk</u>," we believe that climate presents significant investment risks and opportunities that may impact the long - term financial sustainability of companies. We believe that the reporting frameworks developed by TCFD and SASB provide useful guidance to companies on identifying, managing, and reporting on climate -related risks and opportunities.

We expect companies to help their investors understand how the company may be impacted by climate risk, in the context of its ability to realize a long-term strategy and generate value over time. We expect companies to convey their governance around this issue through their corporate disclosures aligned with TCFD and SASB. For companies in sectors that are significantly exposed to climate-related risk, we expect the whole board to have demonstrable fluency in how climate risk affects the business and how management approaches assessing, adapting to, and mitigating that risk.

Where a company receives a shareholder proposal related to climate risk, in addition to the factors laid out above, our assessment will take into account the robustness of the company's existing disclosures as well as our understanding of its management of the issues as revealed through our engagements with the company and board members over time. In certain instances, we may disagree with the details of a climate-related shareholder proposal but agree that the company in question has not made sufficient progress on climate-related disclosures. In these instances, we may not support the proposal, but may vote against the election of relevant directors.

#### General corporate governance matters and shareholder protections
BlackRock believes that shareholders have a right to timely and detailed information on the financial performance and viability of the companies in which they invest. In addition, companies should also publish information on the governance structures in place and the rights of shareholders to influence these. The reporting and disclosure provided by companies help shareholders assess whether their economic interests have been protected and the quality of the board's oversight of management. We believe shareholders should have the right to vote on key corporate governance matters, including changes to governance mechanisms, to submit proposals to the shareholders' meeting and to call special meetings of shareholders.

#### BLACKROCK'S OVERSIGHT OF ITS INVESTMENT STEWARDSHIP ACTIVITIES

#### Oversight
We hold ourselves to a very high standard in our investment stewardship activities, including proxy voting. This function is executed by a team called BlackRock Investment Stewardship ("BIS") which is comprised of BlackRock employees who do not have other responsibilities other than their roles in BIS. BIS is considered an investment function. The team does not have sales responsibilities.

BlackRock maintains three regional advisory committees ("Stewardship Advisory Committees") for (a) the Americas; (b) Europe, the Middle East and Africa ("EMEA"); and (c) Asia-Pacific, generally consisting of senior BlackRock investment professionals and/or senior employees with practical boardroom experience. The regional Stewardship Advisory Committees review and advise on amendments to the proxy voting guidelines covering markets within each respective region ("Guidelines").

In addition to the regional Stewardship Advisory Committees, the Investment Stewardship Global Oversight Committee ("Global Committee") is a risk-focused committee, comprised of senior representatives from various BlackRock investment teams, BlackRock's Deputy General Counsel, the Global Head of Investment Stewardship ("Global Head"), and other senior executives with relevant experience and team oversight.

The Global Head has primary oversight of the activities of BIS, including voting in accordance with the Guidelines, which require the application of professional judgment and consideration of each company's unique circumstances. The Global Committee reviews and approves amendments to these Global Corporate Governance & Engagement Principles. The Global

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Committee also reviews and approves amendments to the regional Guidelines, as proposed by the regional Stewardship Advisory Committees.

In addition, the Global Committee receives and reviews periodic reports regarding the votes cast by BIS, as well as regular updates on material process issues, procedural changes and other risk oversight considerations. The Global Committee reviews these reports in an oversight capacity as informed by the BIS corporate governance engagement program and Guidelines.

BIS carries out engagement with companies, monitors and executes proxy votes, and conducts vote operations (including maintaining records of votes cast) in a manner consistent with the relevant Guidelines. BIS also conducts research on corporate governance issues and participates in industry discussions to keep abreast of important developments in the corporate governance field. BIS may utilize third parties for certain of the foregoing activities and performs oversight of those third parties. BIS may raise complicated or particularly controversial matters for internal discussion with the relevant investment teams and/or refer such matters to the appropriate regional Stewardship Advisory Committees for review, discussion and guidance prior to making a voting decision.

#### Vote execution
We carefully consider proxies submitted to funds and other fiduciary account(s) ("Fund" or "Funds") for which we have voting authority. BlackRock votes (or refrains from voting) proxies for each Fund for which we have voting authority based on our evaluation of the best long-term economic interests of shareholders, in the exercise of our independent business judgment, and without regard to the relationship of the issuer of the proxy (or any shareholder proponent or dissident shareholder) to the Fund, the Fund's affiliates (if any), BlackRock or BlackRock's affiliates, or BlackRock employees (see "Conflicts management policies and procedures", below).

When exercising voting rights, BlackRock will normally vote on specific proxy issues in accordance with the Guidelines for the relevant market. The Guidelines are reviewed regularly and are amended consistent with changes in the local market practice, as developments in corporate governance occur, or as otherwise deemed advisable by BlackRock's Stewardship Advisory Committees. BIS may, in the exercise of their professional judgment, conclude that the Guidelines do not cover the specific matter upon which a proxy vote is required or that an exception to the Guidelines would be in the best long - term economic interests of BlackRock's clients.

In the uncommon circumstance of there being a vote with respect to fixed income securities or the securities of privately held issuers, the decision generally will be made by the Fund's portfolio managers and/or BIS based on their assessment of the particular transactions or other matters at issue.

In certain markets, proxy voting involves logistical issues which can affect BlackRock's ability to vote such proxies, as well as the desirability of voting such proxies. These issues include but are not limited to: (i) untimely notice of shareholder meetings; (ii) restrictions on a foreigner's ability to exercise votes; (iii) requirements to vote proxies in person; (iv) "share- blocking" (requirements that investors who exercise their voting rights surrender the right to dispose of their holdings for some specified period in proximity to the shareholder meeting); (v) potential difficulties in translating the proxy; (vi) regulatory constraints; and (vii) requirements to provide local agents with unrestricted powers of attorney to facilitate voting instructions. We are not supportive of impediments to the exercise of voting rights such as share-blocking or overly burdensome administrative requirements.

As a consequence, BlackRock votes proxies on a "best-efforts" basis. In addition, BIS may determine that it is generally in the best interests of BlackRock's clients not to vote proxies if the costs (including but not limited to opportunity costs associated with share-blocking constraints) associated with exercising a vote are expected to outweigh the benefit the client would derive by voting on the proposal.

Portfolio managers have full discretion to vote the shares in the Funds they manage based on their analysis of the economic impact of a particular ballot item. Portfolio managers may from time to time reach differing views on how best to maximize economic value with respect to a particular investment. Therefore, portfolio managers may, and sometimes do, vote shares in the Funds under their management differently from one another. However, because BlackRock's clients are mostly long-term investors with long-term economic goals, ballots are frequently cast in a uniform manner.

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#### Conflicts management policies and procedures
BIS maintains the following policies and procedures that seek to prevent undue influence on BlackRock's proxy voting activity. Such influence might stem from any relationship between the investee company (or any shareholder proponent or dissident shareholder) and BlackRock, BlackRock's affiliates, the Fund or the Fund's affiliates, or BlackRock employees. The following are examples of sources of perceived or potential conflicts of interest:

• BlackRock clients who may be
issuers of securities or proponents of shareholder resolutions

• BlackRock business partners
or third parties who may be issuers of securities or proponents of shareholder resolutions

• BlackRock employees who may
sit on the boards of public companies held in Funds managed by BlackRock

• Significant BlackRock, Inc.
investors who may be issuers of securities held in Funds managed by BlackRock

• Securities of BlackRock,
Inc. or BlackRock investment funds held in Funds managed by BlackRock

• BlackRock,
 Inc. board members who serve as senior executives of public companies held in Funds managed by BlackRock

BlackRock has taken certain steps to mitigate perceived or potential conflicts including, but not limited to, the following:

• Adopted
the Guidelines which are designed to protect and enhance the economic value of the companies in which BlackRock invests on behalf of clients.

• Established
 a reporting structure that separates BIS from employees with sales, vendor management or business partnership roles. In addition, BlackRock seeks to ensure that all engagements with corporate issuers, dissident shareholders or shareholder
proponents are managed consistently and without regard to BlackRock's relationship with such parties. Clients or business partners are not given special treatment or differentiated access to BIS. BIS prioritizes engagements based on factors
including but not limited to our need for additional information to make a voting decision or our view on the likelihood that an engagement could lead to positive outcome(s) over time for the economic value of the company. Within the normal course
of business, BIS may engage directly with BlackRock clients, business partners and/or third parties, and/or with employees with sales, vendor management or business partnership roles, in discussions regarding our approach to stewardship, general
corporate governance matters, client reporting needs, and/or to otherwise ensure that proxy-related client service levels are met.

• Determined
 to engage, in certain instances, an independent fiduciary to vote proxies as a further safeguard to avoid potential conflicts of interest, to satisfy regulatory compliance requirements, or as may be otherwise required by applicable law. In such
circumstances, the independent fiduciary provides BlackRock's proxy voting agent with instructions, in accordance with the Guidelines, as to how to vote such proxies, and BlackRock's proxy voting agent votes the proxy in accordance with
the independent fiduciary's determination. BlackRock uses an independent fiduciary to vote proxies of (i) any company that is affiliated with BlackRock, Inc., (ii) any public company that includes BlackRock employees on its board of directors,
(iii) The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., (iv) any public company of which a BlackRock, Inc. board member serves as a senior executive, and (v) companies when legal or regulatory requirements compel BlackRock to use an independent fiduciary. In
selecting an independent fiduciary, we assess several characteristics, including but not limited to: independence, an ability to analyze proxy issues and vote in the best economic interest of our clients, reputation for reliability and integrity,
and operational capacity to accurately deliver the assigned votes in a timely manner. We may engage more than one independent fiduciary, in part in order to mitigate potential or perceived conflicts of interest at an independent fiduciary. The
Global Committee appoints and reviews the performance of the independent fiduciar(ies), generally on an annual basis.

When so authorized, BlackRock acts as a securities lending agent on behalf of Funds. With regard to the relationship between securities lending and proxy voting, BlackRock's approach is driven by our clients' economic interests. The decision whether to recall securities on loan to vote is based on a formal analysis of the revenue producing value to clients of loans, against the assessed economic value of casting votes. Generally, we expect that the likely economic value to clients of casting votes would be less than the securities lending income, either because, in our assessment, the resolutions being voted on will not have significant economic consequences or because the outcome would not be affected by BlackRock recalling loaned securities in order to vote. BlackRock also may, in our discretion, determine that the value of voting outweighs the cost of recalling shares, and thus recall shares to vote in that instance.

Periodically, BlackRock reviews our process for determining whether to recall securities on loan in order to vote and may modify it as necessary.

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#### Voting guidelines
The issue-specific Guidelines published for each region/country in which we vote are intended to summarize BlackRock's general philosophy and approach to issues that may commonly arise in the proxy voting context in each market where we invest. These Guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. BIS applies the Guidelines on a case-by-case basis, in the context of the individual circumstances of each company and the specific issue under review. As such, these Guidelines do not indicate how BIS will vote in every instance. Rather, they share our view about corporate governance issues generally, and provide insight into how we typically approach issues that commonly arise on corporate ballots.

#### Reporting and vote transparency
We inform clients about our engagement and voting policies and activities through direct communication and through disclosure on our website. Each year we publish an annual report, an annual engagement and voting statistics report, and our full voting record to our website. On a quarterly basis, we publish regional reports which provide an overview of our investment stewardship engagement and voting activities during the quarter, including market developments, speaking engagements, and engagement and voting statistics. Additionally, we make public our market-specific voting guidelines for the benefit of clients and companies with whom we engage.

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## Appendix A3 – BlackRock U.S. Proxy Voting Policies<br>

#### BlackRock Investment Stewardship

#### Corporate Governance and Proxy Voting Guidelines for U.S. Securities

#### January 2020

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|:---|:---|
| **Contents** |  |
| Introduction | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-16 |
| Voting guidelines | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-16 |
| Boards and directors | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-16 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Director elections | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-16 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Independence | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-16 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Oversight | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-17 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Responsiveness to shareholders | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-17 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Shareholder rights | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-17 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Board composition and effectiveness | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-18 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Board size | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-19 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- CEO and management succession planning | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-19 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Classified board of directors / staggered terms | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-19 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Contested director elections | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-19 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Cumulative voting | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-19 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Director compensation and equity programs | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-19 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Majority vote requirements | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-19 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Risk oversight | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-20 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Separation of chairman and CEO | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-20 |
| Auditors and audit-related issues | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-20 |
| Capital structure proposals | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-21 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Equal voting rights | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-21 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Blank check preferred stock | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-21 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Increase in authorized common shares | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-21 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Increase or issuance of preferred stock | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-21 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Stock splits | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-22 |
| Mergers, asset sales, and other special transactions | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-22 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Poison pill plans | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-22 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Reimbursement of expenses for successful shareholder campaigns | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-22 |
| Executive Compensation | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-22 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Advisory resolutions on executive compensation ("Say on Pay") | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-23 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Advisory votes on the frequency of Say on Pay resolutions | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-23 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Claw back proposals | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-23 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Employee stock purchase plans | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-23 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Equity compensation plans | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-23 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Golden parachutes | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-23 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Option exchanges | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-24 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Pay-for-Performance plans | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-24 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Supplemental executive retirement plans | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-24 |
| Environmental and social issues | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-24 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Climate risk | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-25 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Corporate political activities | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-26 |
| General corporate governance matters | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-26 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Adjourn meeting to solicit additional votes | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-26 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Bundled proposals | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-26 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Exclusive forum provisions | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-26 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Multi-jurisdictional companies | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-26 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Other business | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-27 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Reincorporation | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-27 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- IPO governance | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-27 |

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| | |
|:---|:---|
| **Contents** |  |
| Shareholder Protections | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-27 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Amendment to charter / articles / bylaws | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-27 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Proxy access | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-28 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Right to act by written consent | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-28 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Right to call a special meeting | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-28 |
| &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;- Simple majority voting | &nbsp;&nbsp;A-28 |

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These guidelines should be read in conjunction with the BlackRock Investment Stewardship Global Corporate Governance Guidelines & Engagement Principles (See Appendix A2 of this SAI).

#### INTRODUCTION
BlackRock, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, "BlackRock") seek to make proxy voting decisions in the manner most likely to protect and enhance the economic value of the securities held in client accounts. The following issue-specific proxy voting guidelines (the "Guidelines") are intended to summarize BlackRock Investment Stewardship's general philosophy and approach to corporate governance issues that most commonly arise in proxy voting for U.S. securities. These Guidelines are not intended to limit the analysis of individual issues at specific companies and are not intended to provide a guide to how BlackRock will vote in every instance. Rather, they share our view about corporate governance issues generally, and provide insight into how we typically approach issues that commonly arise on corporate ballots, as well as our expectations of boards of directors. They are applied with discretion, taking into consideration the range of issues and facts specific to the company and the individual ballot item.

#### VOTING GUIDELINES
These guidelines are divided into eight key themes which group together the issues that frequently appear on the agenda of annual and extraordinary meetings of shareholders:

• Boards and directors

• Auditors and audit-related
issues

• Capital structure

• Mergers, asset sales, and
other special transactions

• Executive compensation

• Environmental and social
issues

• General corporate governance
matters

• Shareholder
 protections

#### BOARDS AND DIRECTORS

#### Director elections
In general, BlackRock supports the election of directors as recommended by the board in uncontested elections. However, we believe that when a company is not effectively addressing a material issue, its directors should be held account able. We may withhold votes from directors or members of particular board committees in certain situations, as indicated below.

#### Independence
We expect a majority of the directors on the board to be independent. In addition, all members of key committees, including audit, compensation, and nominating / governance committees, should be independent. Our view of independence may vary slightly from listing standards.

In particular, common impediments to independence in the U.S. may include:

• Employment as a senior
executive by the company or a subsidiary within the past five years

• An equity ownership in the
company in excess of 20%

• Having
 any other interest, business, or relationship which could, or could reasonably be perceived to, materially interfere with the director's ability to act in the best interests of the company

We may vote against directors serving on key committees that we do not consider to be independent.

When evaluating controlled companies, as defined by the U.S. stock exchanges, we will only vote against insiders or affiliates who sit on the audit committee, but not other key committees.

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#### Oversight
We expect the board to exercise appropriate oversight over management and business activities of the company. We will consider voting against committee members and / or individual directors in the following circumstances:

• Where the
board has failed to exercise oversight with regard to accounting practices or audit oversight, we will consider voting against the current audit committee, and any other members of the board who may be responsible. For example, this may apply to
members of the audit committee during a period when the board failed to facilitate quality, independent auditing if substantial accounting irregularities suggest insufficient oversight by that committee

• Members
of the compensation committee during a period in which executive compensation appears excessive relative to performance and peers, and where we believe the compensation committee has not already substantially addressed this issue

• The chair
of the nominating / governance committee, or where no chair exists, the nominating / governance committee member with the longest tenure, where the board is not comprised of a majority of independent directors. However, this would not apply in the
case of a controlled company

• Where it
appears the director has acted (at the company or at other companies) in a manner that compromises his / her reliability to represent the best long-term economic interests of shareholders

• Where a
director has a pattern of poor attendance at combined board and applicable key committee meetings. Excluding exigent circumstances, BlackRock generally considers attendance at less than 75% of the combined board and applicable key committee meetings
by a board member to be poor attendance

• Where
 a director serves on an excess number of boards, which may limit his / her capacity to focus on each board's requirements. The following illustrates the maximum number of boards on which a director may serve, before he / she is considered to
be over-committed:

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Public <br> Company CEO** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**# Outside<br> Public Boards\*** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Total # of<br> Public Boards** |
| Director A | &nbsp;&nbsp;x | &nbsp;&nbsp;1 | &nbsp;&nbsp;2 |
| Director B |  | &nbsp;&nbsp;3 | &nbsp;&nbsp;4 |

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\* In addition to the company under review

#### Responsiveness to shareholders
We expect a board to be engaged and responsive to its shareholders. Where we believe a board has not substantially addressed shareholder concerns, we may vote against the appropriate committees and / or individual directors. The following illustrates common circumstances:

• The
independent chair or lead independent director, members of the nominating / governance committee, and / or the longest tenured director(s), where we observe a lack of board responsiveness to shareholders, evidence of board entrenchment, and / or
failure to promote adequate board succession planning

• The chair
of the nominating / governance committee, or where no chair exists, the nominating / governance committee member with the longest tenure, where board member(s) at the most recent election of directors have received withhold votes from more than 30%
of shares voted and the board has not taken appropriate action to respond to shareholder concerns. This may not apply in cases where BlackRock did not support the initial withhold vote

• The
 independent chair or lead independent director and / or members of the nominating / governance committee, where a board fails to implement shareholder proposals that receive a majority of votes cast at a prior shareholder meeting, and the
proposals, in our view, have a direct and substantial impact on shareholders' fundamental rights or long-term economic interests

#### Shareholder rights
We expect a board to act with integrity and to uphold governance best practices. Where we believe a board has not acted in the best interests of its shareholders, we may vote against the appropriate committees and / or individual directors. The following illustrates common circumstances:

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• The
independent chair or lead independent director and members of the governance committee, where a board implements or renews a poison pill without shareholder approval

• The
independent chair or lead independent director and members of the governance committee, where a board amends the charter / articles / bylaws such that the effect may be to entrench directors or to significantly reduce shareholder rights

• Members of the compensation
committee where the company has repriced options without shareholder approval

• If
 a board maintains a classified structure, it is possible that the director(s) with whom we have a particular concern may not be subject to election in the year that the concern arises. In such situations, if we have a concern regarding a committee
or committee chair that is not up for re-election, we will generally register our concern by withholding votes from all available members of the relevant committee

#### Board composition and effectiveness
We encourage boards to periodically renew their membership to ensure relevant skills and experience within the boardroom. To this end, regular performance reviews and skills assessments should be conducted by the nominating / governance committee.

Furthermore, we expect boards to be comprised of a diverse selection of individuals who bring their personal and professional experiences to bear in order to create a constructive debate of competing views and opinions in the boardroom. We recognize that diversity has multiple dimensions. In identifying potential candidates, boards should take into consideration the full breadth of diversity including personal factors, such as gender, ethnicity, and age; as well as professional characteristics, such as a director's industry, area of expertise, and geographic location. In addition to other elements of diversity, we encourage companies to have at least two women directors on their board. Our publicly available <u>commentary</u> explains our approach to engaging on board diversity.

We encourage boards to disclose their views on:

• The mix
of competencies, experience, and other qualities required to effectively oversee and guide management in light of the stated long-term strategy of the company

• The
process by which candidates are identified and selected, including whether professional firms or other sources outside of incumbent directors' networks have been engaged to identify and / or assess candidates

• The
process by which boards evaluate themselves and any significant outcomes of the evaluation process, without divulging inappropriate and / or sensitive details

• The
 consideration given to board diversity, including, but not limited to, gender, ethnicity, race, age, experience, geographic location, skills, and perspective in the nomination process

While we support regular board refreshment, we are not opposed in principle to long-tenured directors, nor do we believe that long board tenure is necessarily an impediment to director independence. A variety of director tenures within the boardroom can be beneficial to ensure board quality and continuity of experience.

Our primary concern is that board members are able to contribute effectively as corporate strategy evolves and business conditions change, and that all directors, regardless of tenure, demonstrate appropriate responsiveness to shareholders. We acknowledge that no single person can be expected to bring all relevant skill sets to a board; at the same time, we generally do not believe it is necessary or appropriate to have any particular director on the board solely by virtue of a singular background or specific area of expertise.

Where boards find that age limits or term limits are the most efficient and objective mechanism for ensuring periodic board refreshment, we generally defer to the board's determination in setting such limits.

To the extent that we believe that a company has not adequately accounted for diversity in its board composition within a reasonable timeframe, we may vote against the nominating / governance committee for an apparent lack of commitment to board effectiveness.

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#### Board size
We typically defer to the board in setting the appropriate size and believe directors are generally in the best position to assess the optimal board size to ensure effectiveness. However, we may oppose boards that appear too small to allow for effective shareholder representation or too large to function efficiently.

#### CEO and management succession planning
There should be a robust CEO and senior management succession plan in place at the board level that is reviewed and updated on a regular basis. We expect succession planning to cover both long-term planning consistent with the strategic direction of the company and identified leadership needs over time, as well as short-term planning in the event of an unanticipated executive departure. We encourage the company to explain its executive succession planning process, including where accountability lies within the boardroom for this task, without prematurely divulging sensitive information commonly associated with this exercise.

#### Classified board of directors / staggered terms
We believe that directors should be re-elected annually and that classification of the board generally limits shareholders' rights to regularly evaluate a board's performance and select directors. While we will typically support proposals requesting board de-classification, we may make exceptions, should the board articulate an appropriate strategic rationale for a classified board structure, such as when a company needs consistency and stability during a time of transition, e.g. newly public companies or companies undergoing a strategic restructuring. A classified board structure may also be justified at non-operating companies in certain circumstances. We would, however, expect boards with a classified structure to periodically review the rationale for such structure and consider when annual elections might be appropriate.

Without a voting mechanism to immediately address concerns of a specific director, we may choose to vote against or withhold votes from the available slate of directors by default (see "Shareholder rights" for additional detail).

#### Contested director elections
The details of contested elections, or proxy contests, are assessed on a case-by-case basis. We evaluate a number of factors, which may include: the qualifications of the dissident and management candidates; the validity of the concerns identified by the dissident; the viability of both the dissident's and management's plans; the likelihood that the dissident's solutions will produce the desired change; and whether the dissident represents the best option for enhancing long-term shareholder value.

#### Cumulative voting
We believe that a majority vote standard is in the best long-term interest of shareholders. It ensures director accountability via the requirement to be elected by more than half of the votes cast. As such, we will generally oppose proposals requesting the adoption of cumulative voting, which may disproportionately aggregate votes on certain issues or director candidates.

#### Director compensation and equity programs
We believe that compensation for directors should be structured to attract and retain the best possible directors, while also aligning their interests with those of shareholders. We believe director compensation packages that are based on the company's long-term value creation and include some form of long-term equity compensation are more likely to meet this goal. In addition, we expect directors to build meaningful share ownership over time.

#### Majority vote requirements
BlackRock believes that directors should generally be elected by a majority of the shares voted and will normally support proposals seeking to introduce bylaws requiring a majority vote standard for director elections. Majority voting standards assist in ensuring that directors who are not broadly supported by shareholders are not elected to serve as their representatives. Some companies with a plurality voting standard have adopted a resignation policy for directors who do not receive support from at least a majority of votes cast. Where we believe that the company already has a sufficiently robust majority voting process in place, we may not support a shareholder proposal seeking an alternative mechanism.

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#### Risk oversight
Companies should have an established process for identifying, monitoring, and managing key risks. Independent directors should have ready access to relevant management information and outside advice, as appropriate, to ensure they can properly oversee risk management. We encourage companies to provide transparency around risk measurement, mitigation, and reporting to the board. We are particularly interested in understanding how risk oversight processes evolve in response to changes in corporate strategy and / or shifts in the business and related risk environment. Comprehensive disclosure provides investors with a sense of the company's long-term operational risk management practices and, more broadly, the quality of the board's oversight. In the absence of robust disclosures, we may reasonably conclude that companies are not adequately managing risk.

#### Separation of chairman and CEO
We believe that independent leadership is important in the boardroom. In the U.S. there are two commonly accepted structures for independent board leadership: 1) an independent chairman; or 2) a lead independent director when the roles of chairman and CEO are combined.

In the absence of a significant governance concern, we defer to boards to designate the most appropriate leadership structure to ensure adequate balance and independence.

In the event that the board chooses a combined chair / CEO model, we generally support the designation of a lead independent director if they have the power to: 1) provide formal input into board meeting agendas; 2) call meetings of the independent directors; and 3) preside at meetings of independent directors. Furthermore, while we anticipate that most directors will be elected annually, we believe an element of continuity is important for this role for an extended period of time to provide appropriate leadership balance to the chair / CEO.

The following table illustrates examples of responsibilities under each board leadership model:

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| | | | |
|:---|:---|:---|:---|
| | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Combined <br> Chair / CEO Model** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Combined <br> Chair / CEO Model** | &nbsp;&nbsp;**Separate <br> Chair Model** |
|  | &nbsp;&nbsp;Chair / CEO | &nbsp;&nbsp;Lead Director | &nbsp;&nbsp;Chair |
| Board Meetings | &nbsp;&nbsp;Authority to call full meetings of the board of directors | &nbsp;&nbsp;Attends full meetings of the board of directors<br> Authority to call meetings of independent directors<br> Briefs CEO on issues arising from executive sessions | &nbsp;&nbsp;Authority to call full meetings of the board of directors |
| Agenda | &nbsp;&nbsp;Primary responsibility for shaping board agendas, consulting with the lead director | &nbsp;&nbsp;Collaborates with chair / CEO to set board agenda and board information | &nbsp;&nbsp;Primary responsibility for shaping board agendas, in conjunction with CEO |
| Board Communications | &nbsp;&nbsp;Communicates with all directors on key issues and concerns outside of full board meetings | &nbsp;&nbsp;Facilitates discussion among independent directors on key issues and concerns outside of full board meetings, including contributing to the oversight of CEO and management succession planning | &nbsp;&nbsp;Facilitates discussion among independent directors on key issues and concerns outside of full board meetings, including contributing to the oversight of CEO and management succession planning |

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#### AUDITORS AND AUDIT-RELATED ISSUES
BlackRock recognizes the critical importance of financial statements to provide a complete and accurate portrayal of a company's financial condition. Consistent with our approach to voting on boards of directors, we seek to hold the audit committee of the board responsible for overseeing the management of the audit function at a company, and may withhold votes from the audit committee members where the board has failed to facilitate quality, independent auditing. We look to

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the audit committee report for insight into the scope of the audit committee responsibilities, including an overview of audit committee processes, issues on the audit committee agenda, and key decisions taken by the audit committee. We take particular note of cases involving significant financial restatements or material weakness disclosures, and we expect timely disclosure and remediation of accounting irregularities.

The integrity of financial statements depends on the auditor effectively fulfilling its role. To that end, we favor an independent auditor. In addition, to the extent that an auditor fails to reasonably identify and address issues that eventually lead to a significant financial restatement, or the audit firm has violated standards of practice that protect the interests of shareholders, we may also vote against ratification.

From time to time, shareholder proposals may be presented to promote auditor independence or the rotation of audit firms. We may support these proposals when they are consistent with our views as described above.

#### CAPITAL STRUCTURE PROPOSALS

#### Equal voting rights
BlackRock believes that shareholders should be entitled to voting rights in proportion to their economic interests. We believe that companies that look to add or already have dual or multiple class share structures should review these structures on a regular basis or as company circumstances change. Companies should receive shareholder approval of their capital structure on a periodic basis via a management proposal on the company's proxy. The proposal should give unaffiliated shareholders the opportunity to affirm the current structure or establish mechanisms to end or phase out controlling structures at the appropriate time, while minimizing costs to shareholders.

#### Blank check preferred stock
We frequently oppose proposals requesting authorization of a class of preferred stock with unspecified voting, conversion, dividend distribution, and other rights ("blank check" preferred stock) because they may serve as a transfer of authority from shareholders to the board and as a possible entrenchment device. We generally view the board's discretion to establish voting rights on a when-issued basis as a potential anti-takeover device, as it affords the board the ability to place a block of stock with an investor sympathetic to management, thereby foiling a takeover bid without a shareholder vote.

Nonetheless, we may support the proposal where the company:

• Appears to have a legitimate
financing motive for requesting blank check authority

• Has committed publicly that
blank check preferred shares will not be used for anti-takeover purposes

• Has a history of using blank
check preferred stock for financings

• Has
 blank check preferred stock previously outstanding such that an increase would not necessarily provide further anti-takeover protection but may provide greater financing flexibility

#### Increase in authorized common shares
BlackRock considers industry-specific norms in our analysis of these proposals, as well as a company's history with respect to the use of its common shares. Generally, we are predisposed to support a company if the board believes additional common shares are necessary to carry out the firm's business. The most substantial concern we might have with an increase is the possibility of use of common shares to fund a poison pill plan that is not in the economic interests of shareholders.

#### Increase or issuance of preferred stock
We generally support proposals to increase or issue preferred stock in cases where the company specifies the voting, dividend, conversion, and other rights of such stock where the terms of the preferred stock appear reasonable.

#### Stock splits
We generally support stock splits that are not likely to negatively affect the ability to trade shares or the economic value of a share. We generally support reverse stock splits that are designed to avoid delisting or to facilitate trading in the stock, where the reverse split will not have a negative impact on share value (e.g*.* one class is reduced while others remain at pre- split

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levels). In the event of a proposal for a reverse split that would not also proportionately reduce the company's authorized stock, we apply the same analysis we would use for a proposal to increase authorized stock.

#### MERGERS, ASSET SALES, AND OTHER SPECIAL TRANSACTIONS
BlackRock's primary concern is the best long-term economic interests of shareholders. While merger, asset sales, and other special transaction proposals vary widely in scope and substance, we closely examine certain salient features in our analyses, such as:

• The
degree to which the proposed transaction represents a premium to the company's trading price. We consider the share price over multiple time periods prior to the date of the merger announcement. In most cases, business combinations should
provide a premium. We may consider comparable transaction analyses provided by the parties' financial advisors and our own valuation assessments. For companies facing insolvency or bankruptcy, a premium may not apply

• There should be clear
strategic, operational, and / or financial rationale for the combination

• Unanimous
board approval and arm's-length negotiations are preferred. We will consider whether the transaction involves a dissenting board or does not appear to be the result of an arm's-length bidding process. We may also consider whether
executive and / or board members' financial interests in a given transaction appear likely to affect their ability to place shareholders' interests before their own

• We
 prefer transaction proposals that include the fairness opinion of a reputable financial advisor assessing the value of the transaction to shareholders in comparison to recent similar transactions

#### Poison pill plans
Where a poison pill is put to a shareholder vote by management, our policy is to examine these plans individually. Although we oppose most plans, we may support plans that include a reasonable "qualifying offer clause." Such clauses typically require shareholder ratification of the pill and stipulate a sunset provision whereby the pill expires unless it is renewed.

These clauses also tend to specify that an all cash bid for all shares that includes a fairness opinion and evidence of financing does not trigger the pill, but forces either a special meeting at which the offer is put to a shareholder vote, or the board to seek the written consent of shareholders where shareholders could rescind the pill at their discretion. We may also support a pill where it is the only effective method for protecting tax or other economic benefits that may be associated with limiting the ownership changes of individual shareholders.

We generally vote in favor of shareholder proposals to rescind poison pills.

#### Reimbursement of expenses for successful shareholder campaigns
We generally do not support shareholder proposals seeking the reimbursement of proxy contest expenses, even in situations where we support the shareholder campaign. We believe that introducing the possibility of such reimbursement may incentivize disruptive and unnecessary shareholder campaigns.

#### EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION
We note that there are both management and shareholder proposals related to executive compensation. We generally vote on these proposals as described below, except that we typically oppose shareholder proposals on issues where the company already has a reasonable policy in place that we believe is sufficient to address the issue. We may also oppose a shareholder proposal regarding executive compensation if the company's history suggests that the issue raised is not likely to present a problem for that company.

#### Advisory resolutions on executive compensation ("Say on Pay")
In cases where there is a Say on Pay vote, BlackRock will respond to the proposal as informed by our evaluation of compensation practices at that particular company and in a manner that appropriately addresses the specific question posed to shareholders. In a commentary on our website, entitled "<u>BlackRock Investment Stewardship's approach to executive compensation</u>," we explain our beliefs and expectations related to executive compensation practices, our Say on Pay analysis framework, and our typical approach to engagement and voting on Say on Pay.

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#### Advisory votes on the frequency of Say on Pay resolutions
BlackRock will generally support triennial pay frequency votes, but we defer to the board to determine the appropriate timeframe upon which pay should be reviewed. In evaluating pay, we believe that the compensation committee is responsible for constructing a plan that appropriately incentivizes executives for long-term value creation, utilizing relevant metrics and structure to ensure overall pay and performance alignment. In a similar vein, we defer to the board to establish the most appropriate timeframe for review of pay structure, absent a change in strategy that would suggest otherwise.

However, we may support an annual pay frequency vote in some situations, for example, where we conclude that a company has failed to align pay with performance. In these circumstances, we will also consider voting against the compensation committee members.

#### Claw back proposals
We generally favor recoupment from any senior executive whose compensation was based on faulty financial reporting or deceptive business practices. In addition to fraudulent acts, we also favor recoupment from any senior executive whose behavior caused direct financial harm to shareholders, reputational risk to the company, or resulted in a criminal investigation, even if such actions did not ultimately result in a material restatement of past results. This includes, but is not limited to, settlement agreements arising from such behavior and paid for directly by the company. We typically support shareholder proposals on these matters unless the company already has a robust claw back policy that sufficiently addresses our concerns.

#### Employee stock purchase plans
We believe these plans can provide performance incentives and help align employees' interests with those of shareholders. The most common form of employee stock purchase plan ("ESPP") qualifies for favorable tax treatment under Section 423 of the Internal Revenue Code. We will typically support qualified ESPP proposals.

#### Equity compensation plans
BlackRock supports equity plans that align the economic interests of directors, managers, and other employees with those of shareholders. We believe that boards should establish policies prohibiting the use of equity awards in a manner that could disrupt the intended alignment with shareholder interests (e.g. the use of stock as collateral for a loan; the use of stock in a margin account; the use of stock or an unvested award in hedging or derivative transactions). We may support shareholder proposals requesting the establishment of such policies.

Our evaluation of equity compensation plans is based on a company's executive pay and performance relative to peers and whether the plan plays a significant role in a pay-for-performance disconnect. We generally oppose plans that contain "evergreen" provisions, which allow for the unlimited increase of shares reserved without requiring further shareholder approval after a reasonable time period. We also generally oppose plans that allow for repricing without shareholder approval. We may also oppose plans that provide for the acceleration of vesting of equity awards even in situations where an actual change of control may not occur. We encourage companies to structure their change of control provisions to require the termination of the covered employee before acceleration or special payments are triggered.

#### Golden parachutes
We generally view golden parachutes as encouragement to management to consider transactions that might be beneficial to shareholders. However, a large potential pay-out under a golden parachute arrangement also presents the risk of motivating a management team to support a sub-optimal sale price for a company. When determining whether to support or oppose an advisory vote on a golden parachute plan, we normally support the plan unless it appears to result in payments that are excessive or detrimental to shareholders. In evaluating golden parachute plans, BlackRock may consider several factors, including:

• Whether we believe that the
triggering event is in the best interest of shareholders

• Whether management attempted
to maximize shareholder value in the triggering event

• The
 percentage of total premium or transaction value that will be transferred to the management team, rather than shareholders, as a result of the golden parachute payment

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• Whether excessively large
excise tax gross-up payments are part of the pay-out

• Whether
the pay package that serves as the basis for calculating the golden parachute payment was reasonable in light of performance and peers

• Whether
 the golden parachute payment will have the effect of rewarding a management team that has failed to effectively manage the company

It may be difficult to anticipate the results of a plan until after it has been triggered; as a result, BlackRock may vote against a golden parachute proposal even if the golden parachute plan under review was approved by shareholders when it was implemented.

We may support shareholder proposals requesting that implementation of such arrangements require shareholder approval. We generally support proposals requiring shareholder approval of plans that exceed 2.99 times an executive's current salary and bonus, including equity compensation.

#### Option exchanges
We believe that there may be legitimate instances where underwater options create an overhang on a company's capital structure and a repricing or option exchange may be warranted. We will evaluate these instances on a case-by-case basis. BlackRock may support a request to reprice or exchange underwater options under the following circumstances:

• The
company has experienced significant stock price decline as a result of macroeconomic trends, not individual company performance

• Directors
and executive officers are excluded; the exchange is value neutral or value creative to shareholders; tax, accounting, and other technical considerations have been fully contemplated

• There
 is clear evidence that absent repricing, the company will suffer serious employee incentive or retention and recruiting problems

BlackRock may also support a request to exchange underwater options in other circumstances, if we determine that the exchange is in the best interest of shareholders.

#### Pay-for-Performance plans
In order for executive compensation exceeding $1 million USD to qualify for federal tax deductions, related to Section 162(m) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act ("OBRA") requires companies to link compensation for the company's top five executives to disclosed performance goals and submit the plans for shareholder approval. The law further requires that a compensation committee comprised solely of outside directors administer these plans. Because the primary objective of these proposals is to preserve the deductibility of such compensation, we generally favor approval in order to preserve net income.

#### Supplemental executive retirement plans
BlackRock may support shareholder proposals requesting to put extraordinary benefits contained in Supplemental Executive Retirement Plans ("SERP") agreements to a shareholder vote unless the company's executive pension plans do not contain excessive benefits beyond what is offered under employee-wide plans.

#### ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES
Our fiduciary duty to clients is to protect and enhance their economic interest in the companies in which we invest on their behalf. It is within this context that we undertake our corporate governance activities. We believe that well-managed companies will deal effectively with the material environmental and social ("E&S") factors relevant to their businesses. Robust disclosure is essential for investors to effectively gauge companies' business practices and planning related to E&S risks and opportunities.

BlackRock expects companies to issue reports aligned with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and the standards put forward by the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB). We view the SASB and TCFD frameworks as complementary in achieving the goal of disclosing more financially material information, particularly as it relates to industry-specific metrics and target setting. TCFD's recommendations provide an

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overarching framework for disclosure on the business implications of climate change, and potentially other E&S factors. We find SASB's industry-specific guidance (as identified in its materiality map) beneficial in helping companies identify and discuss their governance, risk assessments, and performance against these key performance indicators (KPIs). Any global standards adopted, peer group benchmarking undertaken, and verification process in place should also be disclosed and discussed in this context.

BlackRock has been engaging with companies for several years on disclosure of material E&S factors. Given the increased understanding of sustainability risks and opportunities, and the need for better information to assess them, we specifically ask companies to:

• Publish
disclosures in line with industry specific SASB guidelines by year-end, if they have not already done so, or disclose a similar set of data in a way that is relevant to their particular business; and

• Disclose
 climate-related risks in line with the TCFD's recommendations, if they have not already done so. This should include the company's plan for operating under a scenario where the Paris Agreement's goal of limiting global warming to
less than two degrees is fully realized, as expressed by the TCFD guidelines.

See our <u>commentary</u> on our approach to engagement on TCFD and SASB aligned reporting for greater detail of our expectations.

We will use these disclosures and our engagements to ascertain whether companies are properly managing and overseeing these risks within their business and adequately planning for the future. In the absence of robust disclosures, investors, including BlackRock, will increasingly conclude that companies are not adequately managing risk.

We believe that when a company is not effectively addressing a material issue, its directors should be held accountable. We will generally engage directly with the board or management of a company when we identify issues. We may vote against the election of directors where we have concerns that a company might not be dealing with E&S factors appropriately.

Sometimes we may reflect such concerns by supporting a shareholder proposal on the issue, where there seems to be either a significant potential threat or realized harm to shareholders' interests caused by poor management of material E&S factors. In deciding our course of action, we will assess the nature of our engagement with the company on the issue over time, including whether:

• The company has already
taken sufficient steps to address the concern

• The company is in the
process of actively implementing a response

• There
 is a clear and material economic disadvantage to the company in the near-term if the issue is not addressed in the manner requested by the shareholder proposal

We do not see it as our role to make social, ethical, or political judgments on behalf of clients, but rather, to protect the ir long-term economic interests as shareholders. We expect investee companies to comply, at a minimum, with the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which they operate. They should explain how they manage situations where such laws or regulations are contradictory or ambiguous.

#### Climate risk
Within the framework laid out above, as well as our guidance on "<u>How BlackRock Investment Stewardship engages on climate risk</u>," we believe that climate presents significant investment risks and opportunities that may impact the long- term financial sustainability of companies. We believe that the reporting frameworks developed by TCFD and SASB provide useful guidance to companies on identifying, managing, and reporting on climate-related risks and opportunities.

We expect companies to help their investors understand how the company may be impacted by climate risk, in the context of its ability to realize a long-term strategy and generate value over time. We expect companies to convey their governance around this issue through their corporate disclosures aligned with TCFD and SASB. For companies in sectors that are significantly exposed to climate-related risk, we expect the whole board to have demonstrable fluency in how climate risk affects the business and how management approaches assessing, adapting to, and mitigating that risk.

Where a company receives a shareholder proposal related to climate risk, in addition to the factors laid out above, our assessment will take into account the robustness of the company's existing disclosures as well as our understanding of its management of the issues as revealed through our engagements with the company and board members over time. In certain

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instances, we may disagree with the details of a climate-related shareholder proposal but agree that the company in question has not made sufficient progress on climate-related disclosures. In these instances, we may not support the proposal, but may vote against the election of relevant directors.

#### Corporate political activities
Companies may engage in certain political activities, within legal and regulatory limits, in order to influence public policy consistent with the companies' values and strategies, and thus serve shareholders' best long-term economic interests. These activities can create risks, including: the potential for allegations of corruption; the potential for reputational issues associated with a candidate, party, or issue; and risks that arise from the complex legal, regulatory, and compliance considerations associated with corporate political activity. We believe that companies which choose to engage in political activities should develop and maintain robust processes to guide these activities and to mitigate risks, including a level of board oversight.

When presented with shareholder proposals requesting increased disclosure on corporate political activities, we may consider the political activities of that company and its peers, the existing level of disclosure, and our view regarding the associated risks. We generally believe that it is the duty of boards and management to determine the appropriate level of disclosure of all types of corporate activity, and we are generally not supportive of proposals that are overly prescriptive in nature. We may decide to support a shareholder proposal requesting additional reporting of corporate political activities where there seems to be either a significant potential threat or actual harm to shareholders' interests, and where we believe the company has not already provided shareholders with sufficient information to assess the company's management of the risk.

Finally, we believe that it is not the role of shareholders to suggest or approve corporate political activities; therefore we generally do not support proposals requesting a shareholder vote on political activities or expenditures.

#### GENERAL CORPORATE GOVERNANCE MATTERS

#### Adjourn meeting to solicit additional votes
We generally support such proposals unless the agenda contains items that we judge to be detrimental to shareholders' best long-term economic interests.

#### Bundled proposals
We believe that shareholders should have the opportunity to review substantial governance changes individually without having to accept bundled proposals. Where several measures are grouped into one proposal, BlackRock may reject certain positive changes when linked with proposals that generally contradict or impede the rights and economic interests of shareholders.

#### Exclusive forum provisions
BlackRock generally supports proposals to seek exclusive forum for certain shareholder litigation. In cases where a board unilaterally adopts exclusive forum provisions that we consider unfavorable to the interests of shareholders, we will vote against the independent chair or lead independent director and members of the governance committee.

#### Multi-jurisdictional companies
Where a company is listed on multiple exchanges or incorporated in a country different from its primary listing, we will seek to apply the most relevant market guideline(s) to our analysis of the company's governance structure and specific proposals on the shareholder meeting agenda. In doing so, we typically consider the governance standards of the company's primary listing, the market standards by which the company governs itself, and the market context of each specific proposal on the agenda. If the relevant standards are silent on the issue under consideration, we will use our professional judgment as to what voting outcome would best protect the long-term economic interests of investors. We expect that companies will disclose the rationale for their selection of primary listing, country of incorporation, and choice of governance structures, in particular where there is conflict between relevant market governance practices.

#### Other business

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We oppose giving companies our proxy to vote on matters where we are not given the opportunity to review and understand those measures and carry out an appropriate level of shareholder oversight.

#### Reincorporation
Proposals to reincorporate from one state or country to another are most frequently motivated by considerations of anti- takeover protections, legal advantages, and / or cost savings. We will evaluate, on a case-by-case basis, the economic and strategic rationale behind the company's proposal to reincorporate. In all instances, we will evaluate the changes to shareholder protection under the new charter / articles / bylaws to assess whether the move increases or decreases shareholder protections. Where we find that shareholder protections are diminished, we may support reincorporation if we determine that the overall benefits outweigh the diminished rights.

#### IPO governance
We expect boards to consider and disclose how the corporate governance structures adopted upon initial public offering ("IPO") are in shareholders' best long-term interests. We also expect boards to conduct a regular review of corporate governance and control structures, such that boards might evolve foundational corporate governance structures as company circumstances change, without undue costs and disruption to shareholders. In our <u>letter on unequal voting structures</u>, we articulate our view that "one vote for one share" is the preferred structure for publicly-traded companies. We also recognize the potential benefits of dual class shares to newly public companies as they establish themselves; however, we believe that these structures should have a specific and limited duration. We will generally engage new companies on topics such as classified boards and supermajority vote provisions to amend bylaws, as we believe that such arrangements may not be in the best interest of shareholders in the long-term.

We will typically apply a one-year grace period for the application of certain director-related guidelines (including, but not limited to, director independence and over-boarding considerations), during which we expect boards to take steps to bring corporate governance standards in line with our expectations.

Further, if a company qualifies as an emerging growth company (an "EGC") under the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the "JOBS Act"), we will give consideration to the NYSE and NASDAQ governance exemptions granted under the JOBS Act for the duration such a company is categorized as an EGC. We expect an EGC to have a totally independent audit committee by the first anniversary of its IPO, with our standard approach to voting on auditors and audit-related issues applicable in full for an EGC on the first anniversary of its IPO.

#### SHAREHOLDER PROTECTIONS

#### Amendment to charter / articles / bylaws
We believe that shareholders should have the right to vote on key corporate governance matters, including on changes to governance mechanisms and amendments to the charter / articles / bylaws. We may vote against certain directors where changes to governing documents are not put to a shareholder vote within a reasonable period of time, in particular if those changes have the potential to impact shareholder rights (see "Director elections" herein). In cases where a board's unilateral adoption of changes to the charter / articles / bylaws promotes cost and operational efficiency benefits for the company and its shareholders, we may support such action if it does not have a negative effect on shareholder rights or the company's corporate governance structure.

When voting on a management or shareholder proposal to make changes to the charter / articles / bylaws, we will consider in part the company's and / or proponent's publicly stated rationale for the changes, the company's governance profile and history, relevant jurisdictional laws, and situational or contextual circumstances which may have motivated the proposed changes, among other factors. We will typically support changes to the charter / articles / bylaws where the benefits to shareholders, including the costs of failing to make those changes, demonstrably outweigh the costs or risks of making such changes.

#### Proxy access
We believe that long-term shareholders should have the opportunity, when necessary and under reasonable conditions, to nominate directors on the company's proxy card.

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In our view, securing the right of shareholders to nominate directors without engaging in a control contest can enhance shareholders' ability to meaningfully participate in the director election process, stimulate board attention to shareholder interests, and provide shareholders an effective means of directing that attention where it is lacking. Proxy access mechanisms should provide shareholders with a reasonable opportunity to use this right without stipulating overly restrictive or onerous parameters for use, and also provide assurances that the mechanism will not be subject to abuse by short-term investors, investors without a substantial investment in the company, or investors seeking to take control of the board.

In general, we support market-standardized proxy access proposals, which allow a shareholder (or group of up to 20 shareholders) holding three percent of a company's outstanding shares for at least three years the right to nominate the greater of up to two directors or 20% of the board. Where a standardized proxy access provision exists, we will generally oppose shareholder proposals requesting outlier thresholds.

#### Right to act by written consent
In exceptional circumstances and with sufficiently broad support, shareholders should have the opportunity to raise issues of substantial importance without having to wait for management to schedule a meeting. We therefore believe that shareholders should have the right to solicit votes by written consent provided that: 1) there are reasonable requirements to initiate the consent solicitation process (in order to avoid the waste of corporate resources in addressing narrowly supported interests); and 2) shareholders receive a minimum of 50% of outstanding shares to effectuate the action by written consent. We may oppose shareholder proposals requesting the right to act by written consent in cases where the proposal is structured for the benefit of a dominant shareholder to the exclusion of others, or if the proposal is written to discourage the board from incorporating appropriate mechanisms to avoid the waste of corporate resources when establishing a right to act by written consent. Additionally, we may oppose shareholder proposals requesting the right to act by written consent if the company already provides a shareholder right to call a special meeting that we believe offers shareholders a reasonable opportunity to raise issues of substantial importance without having to wait for management to schedule a meeting.

#### Right to call a special meeting
In exceptional circumstances and with sufficiently broad support, shareholders should have the opportunity to raise issues of substantial importance without having to wait for management to schedule a meeting. We therefore believe that shareholders should have the right to call a special meeting in cases where a reasonably high proportion of shareholders (typically a minimum of 15% but no higher than 25%) are required to agree to such a meeting before it is called, in order to avoid the waste of corporate resources in addressing narrowly supported interests. However, we may oppose this right in cases where the proposal is structured for the benefit of a dominant shareholder to the exclusion of others. We generally believe that a right to act via written consent is not a sufficient alternative to the right to call a special meeting.

#### Simple majority voting
We generally favor a simple majority voting requirement to pass proposals. Therefore, we will support the reduction or the elimination of supermajority voting requirements to the extent that we determine shareholders' ability to protect their economic interests is improved. Nonetheless, in situations where there is a substantial or dominant shareholder, supermajority voting may be protective of public shareholder interests and we may support supermajority requirements in those situations.

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