BlackRock agreed to acquire Aperio, a customizing tax-optimized index equity separately managed accounts operator, from Golden Gate Capital, a San Francisco-based private equity investment firm, for $1.05bn. “The wealth manager’s portfolio of the future will be powered by the twin engines of better after-tax performance and hyper-personalization. BlackRock and Aperio, working together, will bring unmatched capabilities to meet these objectives. The combination will bring institutional quality, personalized portfolios to ultra-high net worth advisors and will create one of the most compelling client opportunities in the investment management industry today,” Martin Small, BlackRock Head of US Wealth Advisory.