BetaShares has become the first exchange-traded fund (ETF) manager to launch ethical direct equity and ethically screened separately managed accounts (SMA) for financial advisers, with four offerings currently available to investors.
The ETF manager has launched its Australian Sustainability Leaders SMA, which holds direct equities from Australian companies that meet strict sustainability criteria and replicates BetaShares’ Australian Sustainability Leaders ETF.
The company has also launched three multi-asset SMAs, which combine ethically screened direct equities with BetaShares’ ethical global equities and diversified bonds ETFs.
BetaShares chief executive Alex Vynokur said the launch of the four SMAs follows research conducted by Investment Trends that found the number of financial planners providing advice on responsible investment doubled to 40 per cent in 2020 from 19 per cent in 2015.
“Investors are increasingly seeking to align their portfolios with their values while at the same time meeting their investment goals. These ethical SMAs will offer investors more choice to achieve these complementary goals via true-to-label investment solutions,” Vynokur said.
“Financial advisers continue to play an important role in the adoption of ethical investment options. Our ethical SMAs will allow financial advisers greater scope to recommend market-leading solutions to their clients as ethical options cement their place in investor portfolios.”
The BetaShares ethical SMAs are now available to investors via the Praemium platform, with additional platforms expected to be on offer soon.
