Australian Ethical launches ethical ETF
Australian Ethical has launched its first ever exchange traded fund (ETF), giving new access for Australian investors to its ethical investment capability.
The High Conviction Fund ETF provided an actively managed portfolio of 20 to 35 companies, primarily drawn from the ASX 300, that each met Australian Ethical’s ethical charter.
Mike Murray, head of domestic equities of Australian Ethical, said: “The High Conviction Fund ETF is our first product in an increasingly important channel, to give all Australians investors access to our award-winning ethical investment and high-performance strategies.
“With rising demand for ethical investing, there is a growing need for access to authentic, true-to-label, and robust investment solutions across a range of different channels.
“Our first ETF leverages the combined depth of our ethical research and domestic equities capabilities, and seeks exposure to forward-looking industries such as renewables, healthcare, communications, and information technology.
“It targets a highly liquid portfolio of mid- and large-cap securities complemented by select smaller cap exposures that all meet our twin ethical and investment hurdles.”
John McMurdo, chief executive and managing director of Australia Ethical, said: “Our investment team leverages over 35 years of proven track record and expertise as Australia’s original ethical investor.
“We are extremely proud of having some of the highest standards in the market for both our ethical portfolio and financial returns.
”Democratising access to ethical investment, through the release of products such as this ETF, is a very important part of our strategy.”
The ETF followed last year’s launch of the High Conviction fund as a wholesale trust and complemented a suite of domestic equities products that, the firm said, met the growing demand for quality ethical investments with long-term capital appreciation.
The firm had also hired Angus Dennis as an investment director to lead the institutional channel strategy, joining from his role as institutional sales executive at Vanguard Australia.
The High Conviction Fund ETF was listed on Cboe Australia which was formerly known as Chi-X.
Chi-X Australia announced it had rebranded to Cboe Australia following its integration with Cboe Global Markets, Inc. In June 2021, leading provider of global market infrastructure and tradable products, Cboe, completed its acquisition of Chi-X Asia-Pacific Holdings Ltd and its subsidiaries including Chi-X Australia Pty Ltd.
Cboe operated the largest exchange in Europe, as well as the second and third largest exchanges in Canada and the United States, respectively.
AUTHOR
Liam Cormican
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