Two hundred and thirty-four structured products linked to exchange-traded funds struck in April, according to SRP data.

The structures were distributed across six jurisdictions and sold a combined US$745m, the majority of which was accumulated in the US market (US$489m from 158 products). Other markets which saw products linked to ETFs where Taiwan, Canada, South Korea, China and Mexico.

iShares MSCI Emerging Markets ETF and SPDR S&P Oil & Gas Exploration & Production ETF were the most popular funds by sales volume, both collecting US$165m from 51 and 56 products, respectively. iShares MSCI EAFE ETF (US$122m from 32 products), Van Eck Vectors Gold Miners ETF (US$92m from 27 products) and Technology Select Sector SPDR ETF (US$53m from six products) completed the top five.


Franklin Templeton launches first actively-managed green bond ETF

Franklin Templeton has launched the Franklin Liberty Euro Green Bond Ucits ETF, the first actively-managed euro green bond exchange-traded fund.

The fund,  managed by London-based David Zahn, head of European fixed income, and Rod MacPhee, portfolio manager, Franklin Templeton Fixed Income Group, provides exposure to bonds supporting projects that are aligned to a low-carbon future and will aim to provide exposure to the European green bond market whilst maximising total returns.

The product will invest at least 70% of its net assets in green-labelled bonds, with the balance made up of unlabelled bonds, which are climate-aligned. By investing in this manner, this new active exchange-traded fund (ETF) expects to provide liquidity to new and existing climate-aligned projects with environmental benefits.

The new ETF was listed on the Deutsche Boerse on April 30 and will be listed on the London Stock Exchange, the Borsa Italiana and the Six Swiss Exchange on May 2.

SSGA launches investor education initiative

State Street Global Advisors (SSGA) is pioneering a new initiative aimed at educating investors about the importance of ETF liquidity. The integrated programme, which will include thought leadership, social media promotion and advertising, launched across the US on April 29 and is expected to run through the fourth quarter.

The first phase of the initiative called ‘It’s liquidity time’ will focus on generating greater awareness of the importance of liquidity and the impact it can have on trading costs. The initiative will educate investors on how their actual portfolio costs can shift during periods of volatility and feature the ways investors are incorporating liquidity analysis into their strategies.

HANetf debuts Kuwait ETF

HANetf, the independent white-label ETF platform, has launched the KMEFIC FTSE Kuwait Equity Ucits ETF on the London Stock Exchange, Borsa Italiana and Xetra.

By tracking the FTSE Kuwait All-Cap 15% Capped Index, the fund enables investors to gain exposure to 13 Kuwaiti companies with a combined market capitalisation of US$14.6 billion. Constituents are capped at 15% during a quarterly rebalance to reduce concentration in larger-cap securities.

Kuwait & Middle East Financial Investment Company , a provider of asset management, brokerage and wealth management services, acts as main sponsor and advisor.