BlackRock launches 6 new iBonds UCITS ETFs
15 OCT, 2025
By Joanna Piwko from RankiaPro Europe
BlackRock has expanded its range of fixed maturity ETFs with the launch of six new iBonds UCITS, after surpassing $10 billion in assets under management just two years after its debut in August 2023.
The firm introduces the first European fixed maturity ETFs in high yield and crossover segments, with maturities in December 2028 and 2029, in dollars and euros respectively. Each fund is designed to mature like a bond, trade like a stock, and diversify like a fund, offering more flexibility and control over fixed income exposure in the current rate environment.
First fixed maturity ETFs in high yield and crossover
The new iShares iBonds Dec 2028/Dec 2029 $ High Yield UCITS provide exposure to a broad basket of high-yield corporate bonds maturing in 2028 and 2029, allowing access to higher income levels and mitigating the risk of concentration in a single operation. Meanwhile, the iShares iBonds Dec 2028/Dec 2029 € Corp Crossover UCITS combine investment-grade and high-yield bonds, seeking to balance credit quality with higher income potential.
"Investors want simple and effective tools to generate income, while interest rates remain high compared to the last decade", says Silvia Senra, from the BlackRock fund managers team in Iberia. "iBonds combine the tradability of ETFs with the predictability and maturity of traditional bonds, making them an ideal tool for outcome-based investment", adds Senra.
Bond laddering and extension to 2035 in investment grade
BlackRock also adds the iShares iBonds Dec 2035 $ Corp UCITS and the iShares iBonds Dec 2035 € Corp UCITS, expanding the investment-grade corporate franchise to maintain a target term of 10 years. These vehicles are suitable for bond ladder strategies, by investing in multiple maturities to capture defined returns and generate more stable income flows.
With the first issuance of iBonds UCITS maturing in December 2025, investors will be able to reassess their portfolios and consider reinvesting the flows into longer-duration iBonds, potentially within a staggering strategy to take advantage of current income levels.
“The iShares iBonds UCITS range has been a catalyst for innovation in the way Europeans invest, expanding access to bonds for new investors across Europe”, states Vasiliki Pachatouridi, head of fixed income product strategy for iShares for EMEA. “At the same time, the global bond ETF market has surpassed 3 trillion dollars in assets, with a growth of 1 trillion dollars in less than two years, which underlines the growing demand for stable and income-generating investment solutions”.
