Ausbil expands ETF range with 2 launches



Ausbil is to expand its active ETF range with two launches, one focusing on global small caps and one on listed infrastructure.
The firm launched its first active ETF in September, which was the Ausbil Active Dividend Income Fund – Active ETF and invests in between 25 and 50 listed companies, which support consistent dividend and franking credits for investors.
It has now opted to launch two more vehicles on the ASX, both of which are active ETF versions of existing managed funds.
The first is the Ausbil Global Essential Infrastructure Fund (Hedged) Active ETF, while the second is the Ausbil Global SmallCap Fund Active ETF.
The infrastructure ETF will invest in listed global infrastructure securities in developed markets with up to 10 per cent in emerging markets that are regulated and have a track record of stable cash flow. This includes regulated utilities, toll roads, pipelines, airports, and mobile phone towers.
The fund will generally hold between 25 and 45 companies to produce outperformance, while hedging the currency exposure back to Australian dollars.
The existing infrastructure fund was launched in May 2018 and has $260 million in funds under management.
On the global small-cap equities fund, this will aim to outperform the MSCI World Small Cap Index through investing in 50–80 quality global companies with “unrecognised growth potential” at attractive valuations. Unlike the infrastructure fund, this ETF will be unhedged.
Ausbil’s existing global small-cap strategy was also launched in May 2018 and has $117 million in funds under management.
Management fees stand at 1.2 per cent per annum of gross asset value for the small-cap active ETF and 1 per cent for the infrastructure vehicle.
As well as Ausbil, active ETF launches in recent months have included vehicles from Betashares, Global X, Loftus Peak, and IML.
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