Barclays Global Investors has been named European asset management firm of the year for the fourth time at the annual Financial News Excellence in Institutional Asset Management awards.

This year BGI's quantitative bond, equity and hedge fund products have impressed according to analysts. It added 15 new exchange traded funds to its range and increased its headcount by 100 to 2,400. BGI's principal competition came from AllianceBernstein, which took second spot, and PIMCO, which won third place.