Item G.1.a.ii. Provision of financial support
Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. In response, Governments in the U.S. and many other countries have imposed economic sanctions and iShares MSCI Russia ETF (the “Fund”) is currently prevented by Russian law and U.S. economic sanctions from selling its portfolio securities and from repatriating the proceeds of any such sale in U.S. dollars. As a result of these events, the Fund is in the process of liquidating its assets and winding up its business pursuant to a plan of liquidation. BlackRock Fund Advisors (“BFA”), the adviser to the Fund, implemented a waiver of its management fee for the Fund beginning on March 3, 2022, which was applied to management fees from February 1, 2022 to the present. The waiver by BFA of its Fund management fees will remain in effect during liquidation. For the year ended August 31, 2022, BFA waived $221,404 pursuant to this arrangement.
To the Board of Directors of iShares, Inc. and Shareholders of
iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF,
iShares ESG Aware MSCI EM ETF, iShares MSCI Australia ETF, iShares MSCI Austria ETF, iShares MSCI Belgium ETF, iShares MSCI BIC ETF, iShares MSCI Brazil ETF, iShares MSCI Canada ETF, iShares MSCI Chile ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ex China ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Min Vol Factor ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Multifactor ETF, iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Eurozone ETF, iShares MSCI France ETF, iShares MSCI Frontier and Select EM ETF, iShares MSCI Germany ETF, iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF, iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF, iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF, iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners ETF, iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF, iShares MSCI Israel ETF, iShares MSCI Italy ETF, iShares MSCI Japan ETF,
iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF, iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF, iShares MSCI Mexico ETF,
iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF, iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF, iShares MSCI Singapore ETF, iShares MSCI South Africa ETF, iShares MSCI South Korea ETF, iShares MSCI Spain ETF, iShares MSCI Sweden ETF, iShares MSCI Switzerland ETF, iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF, iShares MSCI Thailand ETF, iShares MSCI Turkey ETF, iShares MSCI USA Equal Weighted ETF and iShares MSCI World ETF
In planning and performing our audits of the financial statements of the funds listed in Appendix A, (hereafter referred to as the “Funds”) as of and for the year ended August 31, 2022, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), we considered the Funds’ internal control over financial reporting, including controls over safeguarding securities, as a basis for designing our auditing procedures for the purpose of expressing our opinion on the financial statements and to comply with the requirements of Form N-CEN, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Funds’ internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we do not express an opinion on the effectiveness of the Funds’ internal control over financial reporting.
The management of the Funds is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting. In fulfilling this responsibility, estimates and judgments by management are required to assess the expected benefits and related costs of controls. A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of a company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
1
A deficiency in internal control over financial reporting exists when the design or operation of a control does not allow management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent or detect misstatements on a timely basis. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
Our consideration of the Funds’ internal control over financial reporting was for the limited purpose described in the first paragraph and would not necessarily disclose all deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting that might be material weaknesses under standards established by the PCAOB. However, we noted no deficiencies in the Funds’ internal control over financial reporting and its operation, including controls over safeguarding securities, that we consider to be material weaknesses as defined above as of August 31, 2022.
This report is intended solely for the information and use of the Board of Directors of iShares, Inc. and the Securities and Exchange Commission and is not intended to be and should not be used by anyone other than these specified parties.
/s/PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
October 21, 2022
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Appendix A
iShares, Inc.
iShares Core MSCI Emerging Markets ETF
iShares Currency Hedged MSCI Emerging Markets ETF
iShares ESG Aware MSCI EM ETF
iShares MSCI Australia ETF
iShares MSCI Austria ETF
iShares MSCI Belgium ETF
iShares MSCI BIC ETF
iShares MSCI Brazil ETF
iShares MSCI Canada ETF
iShares MSCI Chile ETF
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Asia ETF
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ex China ETF
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Min Vol Factor ETF
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Multifactor ETF
iShares MSCI Emerging Markets Small-Cap ETF
iShares MSCI Eurozone ETF
iShares MSCI France ETF
iShares MSCI Frontier and Select EM ETF
iShares MSCI Germany ETF
iShares MSCI Global Agriculture Producers ETF
iShares MSCI Global Energy Producers ETF
iShares MSCI Global Gold Miners ETF
iShares MSCI Global Metals & Mining Producers ETF
iShares MSCI Global Min Vol Factor ETF
iShares MSCI Global Silver and Metals Miners ETF
iShares MSCI Hong Kong ETF
iShares MSCI Israel ETF
iShares MSCI Italy ETF
iShares MSCI Japan ETF
iShares MSCI Japan Small-Cap ETF
iShares MSCI Malaysia ETF
iShares MSCI Mexico ETF
iShares MSCI Netherlands ETF
iShares MSCI Pacific ex Japan ETF
iShares MSCI Singapore ETF
iShares MSCI South Africa ETF
iShares MSCI South Korea ETF
iShares MSCI Spain ETF
iShares MSCI Sweden ETF
iShares MSCI Switzerland ETF
iShares MSCI Taiwan ETF
iShares MSCI Thailand ETF
iShares MSCI Turkey ETF
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To the Board of Directors of iShares, Inc. and Shareholders of
iShares MSCI Russia ETF
In planning and performing our audit of the financial statements of iShares MSCI Russia ETF, (hereafter referred to as the “Fund”) as of and for the year ended August 31, 2022, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (PCAOB), we considered the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting, including controls over safeguarding securities, as a basis for designing our auditing procedures for the purpose of expressing our opinion on the financial statements and to comply with the requirements of Form N-CEN, but not for the purpose of expressing an opinion on the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting. Accordingly, we do not express an opinion on the effectiveness of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting.
The management of the Fund is responsible for establishing and maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting. In fulfilling this responsibility, estimates and judgments by management are required to assess the expected benefits and related costs of controls. A company’s internal control over financial reporting is a process designed to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. A company’s internal control over financial reporting includes those policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly reflect the transactions and dispositions of the assets of the company; (2) provide reasonable assurance that transactions are recorded as necessary to permit preparation of financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and that receipts and expenditures of the company are being made only in accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use or disposition of a company’s assets that could have a material effect on the financial statements.
Because of its inherent limitations, internal control over financial reporting may not prevent or detect misstatements. Also, projections of any evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.
A deficiency in internal control over financial reporting exists when the design or operation of a control does not allow management or employees, in the normal course of performing their assigned functions, to prevent or detect misstatements on a timely basis. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of the company’s annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.
Our consideration of the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting was for the limited purpose described in the first paragraph and would not necessarily disclose all deficiencies in internal control over financial reporting that might be material weaknesses under standards established by the PCAOB. However, we noted no deficiencies in the Fund’s internal control over financial reporting and its operation, including controls over safeguarding securities, that we consider to be material weaknesses as defined above as of August 31, 2022.
1
This report is intended solely for the information and use of the Board of Directors of iShares, Inc. and the Securities and Exchange Commission and is not intended to be and should not be used by anyone other than these specified parties.
/s/PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
October 24, 2022
2