abrdn is set to launch future of trade, food and real estate ETFs as part of a broad active thematic ETF rollout in 2024.
The three active thematic ETFs will make up the firm’s new range of ‘future’ ETFs.
abrdn CEO Stephen Bird pointed to thematic ETFs as a growth opportunity for the year ahead during the firm’s 2023 earnings call on Tuesday.
The firm currently offers one ETF, the abrdn Global Real Estate Active Thematics (GREAT) UCITS ETF (R8TA), which launched in February 2023.
However, the firm did not rule out the possibility of launching another real estate ETF this year.
In its results, the group noted successful collaboration in other areas with its subsidiary investment platform, interactive investor (ii).
“Building on this success, we aim to launch a range of thematic ETFs on ii in 2024,” the group said.
An abrdn spokesperson told ETF Stream: “Thematic trends delivered efficiently through ETFs fit our business model and can be traded through our adviser platforms and ii.”
The news comes a year after the firm made its long-awaited entry into European ETFs with the listing of R8TA on Deutsche Boerse last February with a total expense ratio (TER) of 0.40%.
R8TA is actively managed by the firm’s indirect real assets team and invests in listed real estate securities across 28 global markets.
A month earlier, ETF Stream revealed abrdn had registered R8TA alongside the yet-to-launch abrdn Metaverse UCITS ETF with the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI).