Following last week’s news that BlackRock had filed for a Spot ETF in the US, there has been a scurry of activity from other managers following in their tracks all hoping to join the party on BlackRock’s coat tails.

We saw this first with Smart Beta products, then Thematics, then ESG and now Crypto. It’s a familiar playbook.

We are sure that if BlackRock is successful then we will see a flood of crypto ETF launches, not just in the US but also in Europe where up to now it has been the domain of smaller specialist providers.

Time to buckle in folks.

 

Fund Launches and Updates

 

EMEA

 

 

Melanion Capital’s Bitcoin Equities ETF has been listed on Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange. cointelegraph

 

Legal & General Investment Management has launched a multi-factor equity ETF designed for the increasingly popular ETF saving plans in partnership with German welath manager Gerd Kommer Invest.

The L&G Gerd Kommer Multifactor Equity UCITS ETF (GERD) is listed on the Deutsche Boerse with a total expense ratio (TER) of 0.50%. etfstream

 

Tabula Investment Management Limited has launched the world’s first Article 9, Paris-aligned Global High Yield Fallen Angels Climate UCITS ETF. The ETF has US$50 million of assets with seed investment from a large Nordic institution. etfworld

 

BlackRock has extended its thematics range with the launch of a copper miners ETF. The iShares Copper Miners UCITS ETF (COPM) listed on the Euronext Amsterdam on 21 June with a total expense ratio (TER) of 0.55%. etfstream

 

Prescient Management Company in South Africa has announced the launch of its newly approved co-named ETF platform.

The  platform has been specifically established to assist investment and wealth managers wanting to launch both index tracking and actively managed ETFs, giving them access to administrative services, regulatory fund structures and fund distribution. etfexpress

 

 

AMERICAS

 

Fidelity rumored to file Bitcoin spot ETF in US, bid For Grayscale. bitcoinist

 

WisdomTree, a prominent provider of exchange-traded funds (ETFs), has filed an application seeking approval for the launch of the WisdomTree Bitcoin Trust, to be listed on the Cboe BZX Exchange.

This filing comes in the wake of BlackRock’s recent application for a spot bitcoin ETF, signaling the increasing interest and recognition of bitcoin within the traditional finance space. bitcoinmagazine

 

First Trust expands its target outcome ETFs lineup with the launch of the FT Cboe Vest U.S. Equity moderate buffer ETF. businesswire

 

Global X ETFs launched the Global X 1-3 Month T-Bill ETF (NYSE Arca: CLIP) on the New York Stock Exchange. CLIP seeks to provide investment results that correspond to the Solactive 1-3 Month U.S. T-Bill Index. It carries an expense ratio of 0.07%. etftrends

 

The Future Fund an ETF newcomer, launches the Future Fund Long/ Short ETF (NYSE: FFLS)- Investing in Key Megatrends That Are Changing the World. prnewswire

 

BMO announced the launch of two exchange traded notes linked to the performance of the Prime Airlines Index. The MAX Airlines 3x Leveraged ETNs (NYSE Arca: JETU) and the MAX Airlines -3x Inverse Leveraged ETNs (NYSE Arca: JETD) begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange. etftrends

 

 

ASIA-PACIFIC

 

HSBC has opened the doors for its clients to engage in the trading of Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs. Effective June 26, the bank has introduced the option for its customers to buy and sell Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs that are listed on the Hong Kong exchange. blockchainreporter

Korea Investment Management is launching the country’s first exchange-traded fund that uses a thematic approach to invest in critical technologies in Japan.

The Japan-themed ETF will debut in the second half of the year, according to financial industry sources, and will be the first to select specific Japanese technology industries or companies for the fund’s portfolio. ignitesasia

 

 

A podcast series focused on exploring the career journey of industry leaders within the ETF and Digital Assets space. Get to hear their personal story and be inspired.

This week’s episode is with Steffen Scheuble, Founder and CEO of Solactive.

In this conversation we hear Steffen talk about, the story behind starting Solactive, how he learns from his mistakes,  why he needs to get better at praising people and how his love for Bayern Munich football club is one of his greatest passions. CLICK HERE 

Flows

 

Digital-asset investment products added $199 million last week, the biggest weekly inflows in nearly a year, as a flurry of applications for spot-Bitcoin exchange-traded funds in the US sparks renewed interest in the space. yahoo

 

• ETFs in Asia Pacific ex Japan gathered net inflows of US$20.51 billion during May.
• YTD net inflows of $44.15 Bn are the second highest on record, while the highest recorded YTD net inflows are of $63.59 Bn for 2022.
• 23rd month of consecutive net inflows.
• Assets of $625 Bn invested in the ETFs industry in the Asia Pacific (ex-Japan) at the end of May.
• Assets increased by 7.9% YTD in 2023, going from $578.72 Bn at end of 2022 to $624.62 Bn. ETFGI

Noteworthy

 

Investors in Greater China are joining the global shift of moving money out of mutual funds and into exchange-traded funds, with ETF products in the region continuing to prove popular and pull in new assets despite global market volatility.

Even amid widespread mutual fund industry redemptions, the ETF landscape in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan has been “thriving”, according to Brown Brothers Harriman’s latest Greater China ETF investor report.

Total ETF assets in the three markets jumped 12% from US$300 billion to US$336 billion during 2022 despite a significant underperformance in the markets, with much of the capital in ETF products transferred from existing mutual funds, the report finds.

Hong Kong’s ETF market saw US$6 billion in net new flows last year, while mainland China recorded US$60 billion in net inflows, according to the report, which cites ETFGI data. ignitesasia

 

ETF Tokenization: game changer or fad? How the latest trend is set to shape the exchange-traded fund industry. Etf.com

 

 

Movers and Shakers

 

Rory Tobin, head of State Street Global Advisor’s (SSGA) ETF business is retiring following a 35-year career in financial services.

Tobin will step down from his role as global head of SPDR and head of EMEA in March next year.

 

 

From behind the Desk

 

We have had the privilege of interviewing a bunch of very successful people on our podcast.

So far and one particular theme we have noticed from them is their consistent reference to being kind to others and a desire to work with people who show empathy.

All too often we focus on the end and not the process but the process only works with the involvement of people.

We read this quote recently which we thought was good – “don’t treat others as you would like to be treated, treat them as THEY would like to be treated”.

Something to chew on there for you.